Contents:
Common Names | Parts Usually Used | Plant(s) & Culture | Where Found | Medicinal Properties
Uses | Warning | Bibliography
Scientific Names
- Cyclamen europaeum L.
- Primrose family
Common Names
- Groundbread
- Sowbread
- Swinebread
Parts Usually Used
Roots
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Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Cyclamen is a low European perennial plant; the bulbous root sends up long-petioled, leathery, cordate, palmately veined leaves that are dark gray-green with lighter spots on top and reddish underneath. From June to September the drooping flowers, varying from white through pink to red-violet, appear on naked reddish stems which roll up at seeding time so that the seeds ripen under the protection of the leaves.
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Where Found
Found in the Mediterranean area, the Alps, and other mountain forests.
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Medicinal Properties
Drastic purgative, vermifuge
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Uses
Used popularly by Europeans. A decoction of the dried bulb is used for dropsy, mucous congestion, colds, flatulence, and intestinal worms. The powder is used to help heal purulent wounds.
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Warning
Even small doses of cyclamen are poisonous to humans. Pliny the Elder reported its use as a poison for arrowheads.
Do not use without medical supervision.
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Bibliography
The Herb Book
Webster’s New World Dictionary
