Anthemis cotula
| Anthemis cotula | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Anthemis cotula (common name: mayweed)
Propagation: Seed - best sown outdoors as soon as it is ripe. Most of the seed germinates in the autumn.
Cultivation: Prefers a sunny position and a well-drained soil that is neutral to slightly acid[1][2]. Succeeds in heavy clay soils.
Bees dislike this plant[3].
The leaves contain glands which release a most disagreeable odour when the plant is handled and can cause allergic reactions in people.
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, east to N. and W. Asia.
Habitat: Waste places usually on heavy soil[3][4].
Edibility: The herb is used as a flavouring in Peru[5]. It is aromatic. Caution is advised, there are some reports of toxicity.
A herb tea is made from the flowers in a similar way to camomile tea[5] and it has a similar though weaker effect medicinally[3]. The odour is not very pleasant and so it is not commonly used[3].
Medicinal: Mayweed is closely related to camomile, but is far less effective as a medicine[6]. It has been used as an antispasmodic and to induce menstruation and was traditionally used to treat supposedly hysterical conditions related to the uterus[6]. It is rarely used in contemporary herbal medicine[6].
The whole plant is antispasmodic, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, emmenagogue and tonic[3][7]. It is used internally as a tea, which can be made either from the flowers or the whole plant, though the flowers are less unpleasant and so are more commonly used[3]. An infusion is used in the treatment of a variety of complaints such as rheumatism, epilepsy, asthma, colds and fevers[8]. Applied externally, it is used as a poultice on piles or to draw splinters out of the body, and can also be applied to the bath water[3][8].
The leaves are rubbed onto insect stings[9]. Some people are allergic to the plant and this remedy could give them painful blisters[10].
This herb is contraindicated for pregnant women or nursing mothers[6].
Usage: The growing and the dried plant is said to repel mice and fleas[3][11], it can also be used as an insecticide[12][7][13].
A gold dye is obtained from the whole plant[14][15].
Pollinators: Flies, beetles, self
Soil: Can grow in medium and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Known Hazards: The whole plant is penetrated by an acrid juice, touching or ingesting the plant can cause allergies in some people[3][9].
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.
- ↑ Buchanan, Rita. A Weavers Garden.