Forest dysentery is a widespread, area-grown herb of the composite family (Asteraceae). The small-growing, rather inconspicuous medicinal and ornamental plant owes its name to its once popular use against dysentery. Today, the versatile forest dysentery or woolly dysentery is mostly found as an ornamental plant in native rock gardens.
Occurrence and cultivation of the forest clockwort.
The perennial wood-ryewort, botanical name Gnaphalium sylvaticum, is a perennial herbaceous plant with non-flowering green rosette leaves. It is white-gray felty and woolly haired and has brown-yellow-white, spike-shaped flower heads with up to 70 individual flowers each. The seed is a yellow-brown nut that ripens in late fall. The plant, which is only 10 to 40 cm tall, has a straight, slender habit. It is light-loving and thrives in low-lime, acidic and moderately fresh clay soils. The flowering period is from July to September. The distribution area is international, especially in Central Europe and East America the widely branched genus of dysentery herbs can be found. In Germany, the forest dysentery thrives in all federal states. It grows along forest paths, in forest clearings, in sand pits and heaths up to altitudes of 1700 meters. The dysentery weeds common in Germany include other subspecies that are not endangered. Norwegian dysenteryweed (Gnaphalium norvegicum) is similar in appearance to forest dysenteryweed – with a short flower spike and few, non-flowering rosette leaves. It grows especially in mountainous areas and the Alpine region. The swamp dandelion (Gnaphalium uliginosum), which is also common in this country, thrives mainly on arable soils and on damp banks. At higher alpine elevations, dwarf dysentery and Hoppe’s dysentery can also be found. The small-growing dysentery weeds are mainly annual, rarely biennial, perennial and herbaceous flowering plants. Often these wild plants are found in the vicinity of rivers and streams. With about 120 different species, the Ruhr herbs are true cosmopolitan spreaders. Among the six species native to Central Europe, forest dysentery and marsh dysentery are the most widespread species.
Effect and application
In the Middle Ages and even into the 20th century, the powerful medicinal plant known in English as Heath Cudweed was used to relieve the symptomatic complaints of diarrhea, catarrh and respiratory diseases. Because of its strong astringent, antiseptic properties, naturopaths and physicians also used preparations from the above-ground parts of the plant to treat dysentery, bronchitis, eczema, shingles, biliousness, warts, wounds and inflammation. Responsible for this is the interaction of potent ingredients contained in dysentery herb. Its tannins have an astringent and anti-inflammatory effect, the bitter substances develop appetite-stimulating and digestive properties, and the essential plant oils have an antispasmodic and expectorant effect in the gastrointestinal tract. Today, the inconspicuous herb with its diverse and demonstrably health-promoting active ingredients has fallen almost completely into oblivion as a medicinal plant and is hardly used in modern herbal medicine. If you want to grow the robust ornamental plant yourself for useful purposes, you should sow the forest ragwort in spring. It appreciates sandy, acidic and low-lime soils and semi-shaded places. Both the flowering and non-flowering herb are harvestable. The above-ground plant parts are freshly bunched and air-dried. Tied into bushy dry bouquets, the delicate rock garden plant also looks extremely decorative on the kitchen table. As a tea infusion, one teaspoon of dried herb is brewed with 250 ml of boiling water and allowed to steep for ten minutes. Two to three cups of forest dormancy tea is an effective homeopathic remedy for diarrhea and colds. Two teaspoons of tea concentration should be prepared for pasty herbal poultices. These have analgesic and healing effects on acute skin diseases and wound irritations.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
In traditional herbal medicine, the forest ragwort already found medical attention as a proven remedy for fever, night sweats and as an overlay for bruises.The eminent U.S. homeopath Dr. Arthur Hill Grimmer (1874-1967) and longtime president of the American Institute of Homeopathy described the versatile healing properties of the globally native wild herb in a fragmentary sketch before the presidium of Materia Medica in 1950. He emphasized that Gnaphalium is not only “a great medicine for the relief of pain, but also a profound remedy of wide action” that should be studied extensively. In his Chicago naturopathic practice, the renowned cancer specialist used dysentery herb to treat chronic and intractable cases of arthritis very successfully. Grimmer’s selective use of Gnaphalium brought him worldwide attention and lent medical credibility to his explanations. Today, his collected works provide a comprehensive view of more than 80 descriptions of homeopathics and their indications. The scientific name Gnaphalium refers to its Greek origin: “gnaphalon” translates as “strand of wool,” in association with the woolly-haired dysentery weed. As a homeopathic preparation with health potential, Gnaphalium is still used therapeutically in the form of complex remedies. To obtain it, fresh parts of the plant are macerated in alcohol. The main vegetarian remedies include sciatic pain, rheumatism, chronic back pain, lumbago, neuritis, nerve pain, numbness or calf and foot cramps. Homeopathic retailers, drug manufacturers, pharmacies and naturopathic practices offer a compact selection of certified Gnaphalium remedies, such as dilution, tablet and globules in potencies from D2 to D6. Satisfied users attest to the remedy’s excellent efficacy and tolerability, with no visible side effects. To keep the risk of uncontrolled dysentery self-therapies low, a comprehensive therapeutic clarification of the complaints is always necessary.
