Cicuta virosa
| Cicuta virosa | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 4' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Cicuta virosa (common name: cowbane)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
If you have sufficient seed, outdoor sowings in situ could be tried in the spring and the autumn.
Cultivation: Prefers a moist or wet acid soil[1].
Range: Northern and central Europe, including Britain, east to Japan.
Habitat: Ditches, shallow muddy waters and marshes[2][1][3].
Edibility: One report says that the boiled leaves have been eaten[4]. This is very unwise, see the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal: The root is analgesic, antispasmodic, emetic, galactofuge and sedative[5][2]. The whole plant is highly toxic and is not used in herbal medicine[2].
A homeopathic remedy has been made from this plant in the past[2]. It was used in the treatment of epilepsy, meningitis and other ailments affecting the brain[2].
Pollinators: Bees, flies
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: A very poisonous plant[6][1][7], even a small bite can be lethal[8]. The active ingredient is called cicutoxin, it is a spasmodic with a high toxicity to the central nervous system. It causes death by respiratory paralysis[9].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.