In the past, arum was considered a plant of witches and wizards and was used mainly as a magic elixir and medicinal herb. However, since the plant can cause severe burns even with mere skin contact, the herb was only used in low potency even then because of the enormous risk of poisoning. The plant, which occurs throughout Europe and Asia, is now under nature conservation, even homeopathy uses the arum despite its numerous potential effects today only extremely rare.
Occurrence and cultivation of the arum
The arum is a protected poisonous plant from the group of the arum family. In Central Europe, apart from it, only one other plant of this rather tropical plant family occurs. The arum is a protected poisonous plant from the group of the arum family. In Central Europe there is only one other plant of this rather tropical plant family. Different varieties of the arum can be found almost all over the world. Its range extends from Africa through Europe to Asia. Most often the plant grows as wild growth in mixed deciduous forests, where its seeds are dispersed naturally. All components of the plant are poisonous, because in addition to pungent substances, the plants contain oxalate. The sweet-tasting berries have often led to severe poisoning with burns of the mouth and gastrointestinal tract. Other manifestations include skin rashes, inflammation of the oral mucosa and blistering of the skin. When consuming the raw fruit, the sweet taste quickly ensures overdose. Mere skin contact with parts of the plant can cause skin symptoms. Higher doses can cause cardiac arrhythmias and even paralysis. However, as soon as the arum is boiled, the poison is lost and the plant can be consumed without hesitation. The same applies to dried components of the arum, whose poison is largely neutralized. In the case of overdoses or consumption of the raw leaves and fruits, again, medicinal charcoal can mitigate the symptoms of poisoning.
Effect and application
In ancient times, people believed in the magic of the arum. The plant therefore served in many rituals the love spell. However, it was also partly intended to ward off evil dreams and keep snakes away. In times of food shortage, the plant was sometimes collected for food. The roots were then dried to neutralize the poison. Then the root ball was ground and used as flour. All these uses of the plant have been lost today. People have long ceased to believe in the magic of the arum, and today’s people no longer rely on the plant’s root flour, since flour is relatively inexpensive in supermarkets. However, the rootstock of a Chinese variety of arum is still used in part for medicinal purposes. The active ingredients aroin, aronin, aronidin as well as oxalate raphides and free oxalic acid can thus be used, for example, against scarlet fever, measles and mumps as well as symptoms of paralysis, inflammation and poorly healing wounds or rheumatism. This form of application also goes back to a long tradition, because centuries ago the plant was already known for its various healing effects. At that time, the arum was used specifically for the treatment of respiratory diseases. In order not to cause poisoning, the juice of the plant was strongly diluted or the plant components were dried before consumption. On a glass of water, users used no more than a few drops or crumbs of the plant. The leaves of the arum were often used as a poultice to relieve rheumatic symptoms and sprains. Even today, there are some homeopathic preparations with tiny amounts of Chinese arum, which can be used against all of the above symptoms. According to German guidelines, only the underground parts of the plant, which were collected before the leaves developed, may be used for these preparations. Singers, for example, sometimes have such a preparation with low potencies of arum prescribed for voice problems. However, since higher potencies of the plant, in addition to cauterization symptoms, produce approximately the same symptoms against which the plant was originally used, arum should never be diluted or processed on one’s own. The use of the above-mentioned preparations must also be discussed in advance with a doctor.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
The medicinal importance of arum has declined to the present for many different reasons. One reason is the rarity of the plant. Since the plant is nowadays under nature protection, the collection as well as processing of the arum is punishable in this country. Therefore, the plant is very rarely used for medicinal purposes in Europe. The compresses against rheumatism and sprains are almost not used at all anymore, because this form of application was already in former times mainly limited to private persons, who had collected the leaves of the plant by themselves. The many side effects and the danger of overdosage have also made arum lose its medicinal significance. The few orally taken preparations with low potencies of the Chinese growth are rarely still used in homeopathy for sore throats, coughs and colds. Just as rarely are corresponding preparations prescribed today for pharyngitis and gastritis and intestinal inflammation. These uses have become so rare not only because of the rarity of arum or the risk of poisoning. Even more crucial to the decline in medical importance is the fact that a variety of similarly acting preparations are available today that are associated with fewer side effects and risks.
