The eyes have it
Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus) is a perennial member of the Papaveraceae family, found growing in hedgerows and woodland in Europe and Western Asia. It is a thin-stemmed, insignificant plant with indented leaflets and umbels of small yellow flowers, which grows to about 1.2m. The plant’s name derives from the Greek ‘Khelidon’ or swallow. There was a strange belief recorded by Pliny and Dioscorides, that swallows improved their eyesight by rubbing the exuding juice from the plant on their eyes. However, in l598 we have Gerard, the great English herbalist, claiming… ‘it clenseth and consumeth awaie slimie things that cleave about the eyeball’, and the American Herbal Pharmacopia recommends Celandine for gonorrheal opthalmia – the ancients may have been on to something.
Celandine contains alkaloids including allocryptopine, berberine, chelidonine and sparteine, some of which are analgesic. It is antifungal, antispasmodic, antibacterial, diuretic, vesicant, and laxative.
At one time the plant was thought of as a cure-all, particularly for afflictions concerning sight. It was a standard treatment used in reducing cataracts and as a remedy for eye problems arising from venereal infection. The herb has a justified reputation as a detoxifier, so it is not surprising that herbalists suggest celandine for treating gall stones, inflammation of the gall bladder, jaundice, mild hepatitis, and pain centred in the right shoulder which has its origin in the liver, an unsusual condition, but extremely painful. The yellow sap from the plant has been applied topically to warts, verrucas, corns and ringworm since ancient times, it is also said to give relief in cases of rheumatic swellings, and ease the discomfort and aid the healing process in cases of eczema.
While celandine has a sedative action, this does not apply to the uterus which will contract if exposed to the herb. Therefore it is to be avoided when pregnant and even when breast-feeding.
At the end of the nineteenth century a group of New England physicians used the juice of celandine on malignant skin tumours and even injected the juice into cancerous lesions. There is now a resurgence of interest in this action as the plant’s protein-dissolving enzymes appear to break down the structure of some tumours.
Care must be exercised when dealing with celandine as it is toxic in large doses and should always be taken under supervision.
There is a Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria), which is a member of the Ranunculaceae, that also has yellow flowers from which suppositories are made to treat haemorrhoids, hence its common name ‘pilewort’.
Next week Schisandra
