Common butterwort belongs to the carnivorous plants. In Germany, it is endangered and threatened with extinction in the wild due to its dwindling habitats. In cultivated form, plant lovers appreciate the herb for its blue flowers and its preference for fruit flies and fungus gnats. In earlier times, it was a recognized medicinal plant.
Occurrence and cultivation of the common butterwort.
The herb belongs to the genus of butterworts of which there are more than 80 species. Of these, only two are native to Germany. The common butterwort, also known as common butterwort, bears the botanical name Pinguicula vulgaris. The Latin word for fat, “pinguis”, refers to the plant’s greasy, shiny green-yellow leaves. The herb belongs to the genus of butterworts of which there are more than 80 species. Of these, only two are native to Germany. Due to the purple or blue-colored flowers, the herb is also known as blue butterwort. It grows in damp and boggy places and prefers wet and acidic soils. It is native to Europe, Russia and North America and can thrive at altitudes up to 2300 meters. The herb compensates for the few nutrients in boggy meadows or on pond banks by catching small insects or pollen. The elongated leaves, growing in a rosette close to the ground, have a sticky trapping secretion on the surface. Depending on the location, the plant blooms from May to August. The flowers resemble violets in color and shape. They sit on tall flower stalks so that bumblebees or bees do not stick to the leaves. The herb forms egg-shaped fruit capsules with black seeds and has only a weak root system. The perennial plant survives the winter in the form of an onion-shaped winter bud.
Effect and application
Today, the butterwort serves mainly as a garden or ornamental plant. For plant lovers, having a carnivorous plant in the garden is a special attraction. It is easy to care for and thrives best in bright and sunny locations. Its flowers and evergreen leaves make it an ornamental plant for the natural garden. It is also suitable as a container plant for the window sill. Placed in the kitchen, it eliminates pesky fruit flies or fungus gnats. In the garden, small bugs or other insects get stuck on its leaves. These curl up to digest the prey. However, the plant blooms only in suitable locations with the right soil and sometimes only after years. Although in Germany the herb is rarely found in the wild, it is easy to acquire in garden centers, hardware stores or via the Internet. In earlier times, the herb was used as a medicinal plant under the medicinal name Pinguicula herba. It was used to treat open wounds, bone fractures, tuberculosis, sciatica and liver disorders or stomach and breast diseases. Homeopathy attributes to the plant an analgesic and laxative effect. The main ingredients are mucilages, organic acids such as cinnamic acid, tannins and essential oils. The plant contains enzymes and uses benzoic acid to protect its prey from decay. These ingredients were used by people in Scandinavia for milk curdling and cheese making. For home consumption, sour milk products such as Swedish milk can be made on a small scale. The fermenting substances of the plant can be obtained by soaking the leaves for hours. These substances help in the production of cheese by coagulating the milk protein. Another now obsolete household use of the herb was reported by naturalist Carl von Linné: as a hair dye, it provided yellow hair and fought lice.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
The fat herb is not used in traditional medicine. So far, there are no studies on possible health benefits. Other types of fatweed are used mainly in homeopathy: for example, little fatweed is said to promote memory and canna-fatweed to lighten the mood. Folk medicine knows the common butterwort as a natural remedy for bronchitis, whooping cough and irritable cough. Herbal medicine also uses the herb as an extract or ingredient in tea mixtures for coughs. It is said to be antipyretic, antitussive, wound cleansing, wound healing and antispasmodic. The main ingredient is cinnamic acid, which has an antispasmodic effect.For whooping cough, herbal medicine recommends an extract from the leaves of the herb. Taken three times a day five drops in a tea, it facilitates expectoration and soothes the cough. To prepare the extract, pour hot water over the fresh leaves. Then the decoction brews for several hours. Strain the plant parts and finally boil the liquid until half of it evaporates. Tea mixtures of the herb with sundew or plantain also help with irritable cough. According to natural medicine, the crushed or crushed leaves help with ulcers on the skin. A home remedy for shiny and healthy long hair is a hair rinse made from the juice of the freshly crushed leaves. According to tradition, the decoction of the herb stimulates hair growth and even helps with baldness. The best time to collect the leaves is from June to September. The herb is endangered in Germany and threatened with extinction in North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. It is advisable not to collect plants growing in the wild, but to resort to those in the garden. Due to the lack of studies on the effectiveness of the plant, no side effects are known. Nevertheless, people suffering from cough should clarify any use of the herb with a doctor in advance.
