Primrose

Parts Usually Used

Seeds, flowers, rootstock

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

The primrose is a glabrous, perennial plant; anchored in the ground with a rhizome that produces a great many fibrous roots; the short brown rootstock produces a rosette of downy, ovate to ovate-oblong leaves with undulating, crenate margins. The leaves contract at the base into winged petioles. A flower stalk, or scape, grows from 4-9 inches high, bearing a 5-to 12-flowered umbel of yellow, funnel-shaped flowers during April and May.

The calyx is whitish-green and squared; the corolla is tubular, flared at the top, and yellow, with a deep golden-yellow tone in the center. Flowers followed by a cluster of many seeded pods. Another herb: Alkali lily (Pachylophus caespitosus) is also called primrose by the Blackfeet Indians (Indian name “Oks pi poku”)

Where Found

Common in Great Britain and continental Europe. Found in dry meadows, lightly wooded areas, underbrush, hedges, and along forest edges. United States and Canada from the Atlantic coast to Nebraska, as well as in Arctic and temperate regions of the eastern hemisphere.

Medicinal Properties

Anodyne, diuretic, expectorant, sedative, antispasmodic

Biochemical Information

Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), linoleic acid, and vitamin F (essential fatty acids, potassium, magnesium, vitamin C

Legends, Myths and Stories

The blossoms of this herb form an ingredient in pectoral teas and the young leaves may be eaten in the spring. Bees love the odoriferous flowers, which impart briskness to wines. The roots, immersed in a cask of beer or ale, render the brew stronger.

Uses

Historically, herbalists recommended primrose for weight loss, high blood pressure, arthritis, and various skin conditions. Practitioners also employed the plant for menstrual complaints, such as cramps, heavy bleeding, and hot flashes. An infusion of the flowers was traditionally prepared for migraine headaches, insomnia, premenstrual syndrome, and general weakness. Herbal traditions used a tea made from the flowering plant for articular rheumatism.

The rootstock was valued as an expectorant, with decoctions prepared for coughs, catarrh, mucous congestion, and fever. In European folk tradition, primrose was regarded as a blood purifier and was administered for gout, palsy, lumbago, backache, cystitis, and urinary retention. Herbalists also prepared topical ointments from the leaves and flowers for burns, scalds, wounds, wrinkles, freckles, and other skin blemishes.

In Russia, the fresh spring leaves were traditionally consumed as a salad green.

Bibliography

The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England. , Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R.

, Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F.

D. and Phyllis A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Healing Plants , by Mannfried Pahlow, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. , Hauppauge, NY 11788, 1992