Medicinal Plants : Chelidonium majus

Name

Celandine

Biological Name

Chelidonium majus

Other Names

Celandine, Chelidonium, garden celandine, great celandine, tetterwort, jewel weed, quick-in-hand, slippers, snap weed, pale touch-me-not, slipper weed, balsam weed, weathercock, touch-me-not.

Parts Used

Rootstock, herb

Description

Celandine is a biennial or perennial plant widespread in damp, rich soil in the north- eastern U.S. and along fences, roads, hedges, as well as in waste places, in Europe. The finger-thick, cylindrical rootstock is red-brown on the outside, orange-yellow inside, and contains a milky juice.

The hollow stem is round, smooth, and swollen at the joints. The leaves are alternate, pinnate or pinnatifid, with ovate, mildly and irregularly lobed leaflets. The bright yellow flowers have four pews, are 1/2 to 3/4 inch across, and grow from April to September. The entire plant contains a bitter, orange-yellow juice that turns red when exposed to air.

Remedies For

Anodyne, antispasmodic, caustic, diaphoretic, diuretic, hydragogue, narcotic, purgative.

Taken internally, celandine has a special effect on the digestive system (stomach, gallbladder, liver), and its antispasmodic properties make it useful for asthmatic symptoms. As a hydragogue it is used for dropsical conditions. Externally, made into an ointment or a poultice, celandine can be used for skin diseases like herpes, eczema, and ringworm. The juice has some antiseptic properties and has long been used to remove warts. Mix with vinegar when using the juice on the skin.

Dosage

Gather the rootstock in spring, before plant flowers. Use with extreme caution, use only with medical direction. The dried plant is less active than the fresh.

Infusion: Use I level tsp. rootstock or herb with 1 cup boiling water; steep for 30 minutes. Drink cold, 1/2 cup a day.

Tincture: A dose is 10 to 15 drops.

Juice: For warts, dab no more than 2 or 3 warts at a time with fresh juice, two or three times a day

Safety

CAUTION: The juice can produce poisoning by congesting the lungs and liver and by narcotic action on the nervous system. Skin poisoning has also resulted from handling the crushed plant.

NOT RECOMMENDED. USE ONLY UNDER MEDICAL SUPERVISION.