The genus of hellebore is very diverse. Colloquially, it is usually understood as the black hellebore, also called Christmas rose. The white hellebore (white germer) does not belong to the hellebores, but nevertheless bears their name. The green hellebore is a plant of the buttercup genus, which used to be of great importance in medicine. Today it is rarely used as a phytotherapeutic because all parts of the plant are very toxic.
Occurrence and cultivation of hellebore
The plant takes its name from the very unpleasant scent that they constantly exude. Medicinally significant is the stinking hellebore, another representative of the genus hellebore. The plant takes its name from the very unpleasant scent that it constantly emits. The plant is native to southern and central Europe and prefers nutrient-rich calcareous soils in partial shade. It is often found in shrubberies, quarries or mountain forest edges. The hellebore belongs to the semi-shrubs and grows up to 80 centimeters high and about 60-90 centimeters wide. Its rhizome is very branched, and its lanceolate leaves are hardy. hellebore blooms from December to April, they are lowered bell-shaped and about 2 centimeters in size. The five light green petals sometimes have a reddish fringe. The seeds are black and up to 4 millimeters long, they spread with the wind. Ants collect these seeds, helping to spread them further. Green hellebore and stinking hellebore are closely related and very toxic in all parts of the plant because they contain bufadienolide, saponins, protoanemonin, and the glycoside helleborein, as well as aconitic acid. Helleborein can cause bradycardia (slow heartbeat), arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), and kidney disorders; death is caused by respiratory paralysis.
Effects and use
Today, stinking hellebore is a popular garden plant because it is very frost hardy and evergreen. It is extremely tolerant of drought and heat. The plant should not be touched because of its toxicity and leaves a foul odor on the skin. Stinking hellebore is used, among other things, as an emetic, for worming and for laxatives; however, many preparations are no longer made because the risk outweighs the benefit. It is strongly discouraged to use the plant in self-therapy, the high toxicity makes it almost impossible to dose. The same is true for green hellebore, which used to be used in phytotherapy (herbal medicine) for insanity. Its ingredients are no longer used today, even in homeopathic doses. Against lice and other insects, the plant used to be widely used, which gave it the name lice herb. Homeopathic use used to be for heart failure, epilepsy, constipation and mental problems. White hellebore, native to the U.S., is currently being studied for its effects with respect to cancer therapy. The ingredient cyclopamine could inhibit cancer cells in their development, according to initial findings. The Christmas rose (black hellebore), on the other hand, is still a popular remedy in homeopathy. The powdered root of the Christmas rose used to be popular against heart failure (cardiac insufficiency), but nowadays the active ingredients are usually only found in homeopathic doses, because more effective and safer preparations (for example foxglove) are available for phytotherapy. Incidentally, the name hellebore comes from the fact that the powdered root triggers a sneezing sensation. In homeopathic dosage, black hellebore (Christmas rose) works well against high blood pressure and problems of the nervous system; it is also said to have a heart-strengthening effect. Christmas rose can also help with the following symptoms: Heart trouble, insanity, constipation, diarrhea, fever, epilepsy, bronchitis, toothache, earache, dizziness, melancholy, falling sickness, rheumatism, gout, edema, spleen trouble, rashes, lichen, tuberculosis, dropsy, jaundice, kidney trouble, headache, stomach trouble and ulcers. The above ingredients have a total anti-cancer, diuretic, sedative, expectorant and purifying effect on the body. The gums are strengthened and the spleen activity is stimulated. In phytotherapy (plant therapy) and homeopathy, it is not uncommon for plants to be used against those symptoms which, if poisoned, would trigger those very symptoms.Therefore, the Christmas rose can be helpful in small doses against the above diseases, but can cause serious symptoms if used on its own – therefore, self-therapy is strongly discouraged.
Health significance, treatment and prevention.
Used for the Christmas rose are the roots and rhizome in homeopathic doses, before an application should consult the doctor. For acute symptoms, 3-5 globules are taken 3 times a day in the potencies D12 or D6. Alternatively, one globule of Helleborus niger (this is the Latin name for the black hellebore) in the potency C30 or one globule of Delphinium Helleborus niger C200 can be melted in the mouth once. In severe states of weakness and collapse, drowsiness and lack of reaction after scarlet fever, meningitis (meningitis), nephritis (inflammatory kidney disease) and apoplexy (circulatory disorder), a doctor must be consulted, the Christmas rose can then be used as a supplement. Other buttercups used homeopathically are (with Latin name) Aconitum napellus (aconite), Pulsatilla pratensis (pasque flower), Cimicifuga (black cohosh), Clematis (wild vine) and Ranunculus bulbosus (bulbous buttercup). At the homeopathic level, the following clinical picture is attributed to use with hellebore: The senses are dulled, the patient seems apathetic, nothing gets through to him, he always wants to sleep and is exhausted, but also irritable. He would prefer to be left alone, forgets quickly and feels numb, has thought blockages. Preventive or preventive use of the Christmas rose is neither helpful nor useful. It is used exclusively when the patient is symptomatic.
