Gentian
Parts Usually Used
Roots and leaves
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Yellow gentian is an herbaceous perennial plant; ringed and forked, the thick, wrinkled root is brown on the outside and yellow on the inside. The simple, erect, glabrous stem grows to a height of 3-4 feet and bears ovate-oblong, bright green leaves that grow up to a foot long and six inches wide. Each pair of opposite leaves is arranged at right angles to its neighboring pairs, the lower ones on short petioles, the upper sessile.
The large, bright yellow flowers usually appear for the first time when the root is about 10 years old. Blooming from July to August, the flowers grow in whorls of 3-10 axillary blossoms near the top of the stem. The fruit is an oblong, two-valved capsule. Other varieties: Blue or American Gentian (G. catesbaei) grows in wet places from Virginia to Florida and features large blue flowers from September to December, Fringed Gentian (G.
crinita) is a biennial species producing solitary blue, fringed flowers during September and October growing in moist ground from Quebec to Georgia, Stiff Gentian or Agu-weed or Gallweed (G. quinquefolia) is an annual species with square stems and purplish-blue, bristly flowers that bloom from August to October grows from southeastern Canada to Florida, Michigan, and Missouri and G.
campestris plus wild species, etc. All of these can be used like yellow gentian. The Chinese use G. scabra and their name is Lung-tan.
Where Found
Found in mountain meadows and pastures in Europe and Asia Minor and under cultivation in the United States.
Medicinal Properties
Stomachic, bitter tonic, anthelmintic, antibilious, cholagogue, febrifuge, refrigerant, alterative, antibacterial, antipyretic, stimulant, anti-inflammatory, laxative
Biochemical Information
Gentiamarin, gentiin, gentisin, mesogentioigenin, protogentiogenin, sugar and xanthone pigment. bitter glycosides, alkaloids, flavonoids
Legends, Myths and Stories
The gentians take their name from Gentius (second century BC), the king of Illyria, who was said to have first discovered the medicinal value in these plants. Actually, an Egyptian papyrus, found in a tomb at Thebes and dated about 1,000 years before Gentius, describes medicines containing plants of the gentian family. Several bitter herbs are used, almost as equivalents to gentian, so the nomenclature is not entirely specific.
The names Kirata, Katuki, and Trayamana are names in this category. The mountain farmers considered G. lutea to be a pesky weed. The gentian plant is intensely bitter without being nauseous. The bitter principle is extracted by water or alcohol. Usually used in composition with other herbs, it is popular in the mountain regions of Germany and Switzerland, where it is known as Enzien.
Use gentian in mixtures with orange peel or ginger added. The beauty of this plant was not the sole cause of its becoming a rarity. It was dug up with increasing frequency for use in making enzian, a spirit distilled from its roots. Through a garden center you can purchase a yellow gentian as an ornamental for your garden, but raising this plant for its roots is not recommended.
Uses
Historical herbalists regarded gentian root as a general tonic, blood purifier, and digestive bitter, frequently preparing it with alcohol to stimulate the appetite and address indigestion, gastritis, heartburn, and stomach aches. Traditional practitioners also utilized it for liver complaints, jaundice, enlargement of the liver and spleen, rheumatism, cramps, colds, gout, and intestinal parasites.
It was historically employed to promote circulation, address suppressed menstruation, stimulate scanty urine, and serve as a restorative during convalescence, often combined with aromatic herbs like licorice to mask its intense bitterness. Some folk accounts favored it over quinine for insect and snake bites. Externally, herbalists used washes made from the root and flowers, applied fresh leaves to superficial wounds and inflammations, or added them to footbaths.
Native American traditions included applying an infusion of blue gentian root topically for backaches.
Warning
Gentian should be taken in small doses and Never by pregnant women.
Bibliography
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