Stachys officinalis
| Stachys officinalis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Stachys officinalis (common name: wood betony)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring. Very easy, the plant can be successfully divided at almost any time of the year. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.
Cultivation: Prefers a light moist neutral to acid soil in sun or light shade[1][2][3]. A characteristic plant of healthy roadside banks on heavy soils[4].
Hardy to at least -25°c[4].
At one time bugle was often cultivated for its medicinal virtues, though it is now little used[5].
There are some named varieties selected for their ornamental value[6].
An excellent bee plant[7].
Range: Europe, including Britain, south and east from Sweden to Spain, Italy, Greece and the Caucasus.
Habitat: Grassland, hedgebanks, heath and open woods, avoiding calcareous soils[8][2].
Edibility: The leaves and flowering tops make a good tea substitute. Refreshing and aromatic[9][10][11], it has all the good qualities of tea without the negative ones[5].
Medicinal: Wood betony was at one time commonly used as a medicinal plant in the treatment of a wide range of disorders, especially as a nervine and tonic for treating maladies of the head and as an external application to wounds[5][1][3]. It also stimulates the digestive system and the liver, having an overall tonic effect upon the body[12]. Wood betony is much less used nowadays, and more often forms part of a mixture of herbs[5].
The whole plant is collected when in flower in the summer and can be dried for later use[5][12]. It is anthelmintic, antiseptic, astringent, carminative, mildly cathartic, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, mildly emetic, emmenagogue, expectorant, nervine, sedative, sternutatory, tonic and vulnerary[5][8][13][9][14][15]. It is taken in the treatment of 'frayed nerves', pre-menstrual complaints, poor memory and tension[12]. It can be taken in combination with herbs such as comfrey, Symphytum officinale, and lime flowers, Tilia species, to treat sinus headaches and congestion[12]. Wood betony can be taken on its own, or with yarrow, Achillea millefolium, to staunch nosebleeds[12].
A pinch of the powdered herb will provoke violent sneezing and it has been used as part of a herbal snuff mixture in the treatment of headaches[5].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh plant[8]. It is used in the treatment of asthma and excessive perspiration[8].
Usage: A fine yellow dye is obtained from the leaves[5].
Pollinators: Bees
Notes: We could supply this in the next catalogue.
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Also Known As: S. betonica. Benth. Betonica officinalis.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Hylton, Josie and William Holtom. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press, 1979.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.