Chelidonium majus
| Chelidonium majus | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Late Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Chelidonium majus (common name: greater celandine)
Propagation: Seed - sow in situ February to May or August to November. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 12 months[1][2]. The plant self-sows freely and should not need much encouragement.
Division in March[3]. The plant bleeds profusely so this method is not recommended[2].
Cultivation: Succeeds in any soil other than boggy conditions[4][3][5]. Prefers a rich soil of a woodland nature[4][6]. Shade tolerant[6]. Plants grow well on walls if they are given a semi-shaded position and a pocket of soil into which to root[7].
A short-lived perennial[8], but it self-sows freely and can easily become a weed[2]. It quickly colonizes waste ground and thin woodland areas[5]. Once established, the plant is very difficult to eradicate.
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, east to N. Asia.
Habitat: Rubble, damp ground, banks, hedgerows and by walls[9][10], nearly always close to human habitations[11].
Edibility: Leaves - cooked in small quantities[12]. They contain small amounts of toxic alkaloids[13]. The leaves are boiled with clean earth, the mixture is left overnight and then thoroughly washed in several changes of water[13]. Very much a famine food, to be used when all else fails!![K].
Medicinal: Greater celandine has a long history of herbal use[11]. Traditionally it was employed as an ophthalmic to treat and clear the eyesight whilst in modern herbal medicine it is used more as a mild sedative, antispasmodic and detoxifying herb, relaxing the muscles of the bronchial tubes, intestines and other organs[14]. The latex is much used externally to treat warts. Caution should be employed, especially when the plant is used internally however, because it contains toxic alkaloids[9][15].
The leaves and the sap are acrid, alterative, anodyne, antispasmodic, caustic, cholagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, hydrogogue, narcotic, purgative[11][9][16][15][17][18][19]. They are used in the treatment of bronchitis, whooping cough, asthma, jaundice, gallstones and gallbladder pains[14]. The plant is harvested in the spring as it comes into flower, it is best used fresh[9], but can also be dried for later use[16]. The roots can also be used, these are harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[16].
The plant has anticancer properties and is analgesic[11][20]. It is an important component of a stomach ulcer drug[20].
The plant has an abundant acrid bright-orange sap that stains the skin strongly and is powerfully irritant[11]. It is used as an external treatment to get rid of warts, ringworm and corns[21][8][22][23] and has also been used to remove films from the cornea of the eye[11].
The plant contains the alkaloid chelidonine, which is similar to the alkaloid papaverine found in poppies. This alkaloid has antispasmodic and sedative effects on the bile ducts and bronchi. However, results have been inconsistent, especially if the preparation is not fresh[23].
The plant also contains the alkaloid sparteine, which restores normal rhythm to feeble arrhythmic myocardia[24].
Usage: Plants rapidly form a ground cover, but should only be used in wild places because of their invasive nature[2].
Seed contains 50 - 66% of a fatty oil[25]. No more details given.
Pollinators: Bees, flies, beetles, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The whole plant is poisonous[9][26][27]. It is of very low toxicity and this is greatly reduced by drying the plant[28]. The stem juice is highly irritating and allergenic, it may cause paralysis[22]. Large doses cause sleepiness, skin irritation, respir
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References
- ↑ Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sanders, Thomas. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge, 1926.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Brown, George. Shade Plants for Garden and Woodland.
- ↑ Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Phillips, Roger. Herbs. Pan Books, 1990.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ Altmann, Horst. Poisonous Plants and Animals. Chatto and Windus, 1980.
- ↑ Stary, Frantisek. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn, 1983.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.