Pigeon scabiosa is a meadow flower with delicate purple blossom, the plant with medicinal properties is widespread throughout Europe. Found mainly in the so-called meagre meadows and dry grasslands, the pigeon scabiosa.
Occurrence and cultivation of the pigeon scabiosa.
Pigeon scabiosa is a meadow flower with delicate purple blossom, the plant with medicinal properties is widespread throughout Europe. Pigeon scabiosa is an important food source for bees, butterflies and other insects. The botanical-scientific name of the pigeon scabiosa is Scabiosa columbaria Pink. The plant belongs to the card family, Dipsacaceae, also the English name Pigeon’s scaboius is commonly used in the European language area. In common parlance, pigeon’s scabious is also known as pigeon’s banewort. For medicinal purposes, it is not the flowers that are used, but only the leaves. These can be collected from late spring to early fall. Pigeon scabiosa has become very rare in some areas. It is protected and therefore should not be collected in the wild. Structural changes in agriculture and the over-fertilization that often accompanies them are taking a toll on the naturally occurring population of this medicinal plant. For the preparation of salads, the small, tender leaves are best between April and June. The leaves for poultices are best used from spring to early fall. In addition to dry grasslands, pigeon scabiosa is often found along roadsides. The plant is perennial and can reach a height of 25 to 60 centimeters. The upper leaves are pinnately lobed, while the lower leaves are oval-lanceolate in appearance. Below the flowers, the stem of the pigeon scabiosa has a slight pubescence. From June to October, the typical blue-purple flowers appear. These are the terminal heads of the plant; moreover, the marginal flowers of pigeon scabiosa are always larger than those inside the flowers. The seeds develop from the flowers in the fall and hide on the spiny fruiting stems. The leaves of the stems hardly decrease in size towards the top and are almost evenly distributed.
Effect and application
In addition to being a food plant for insects, pigeon scabiosa also serves as food for humans and also as a medicinal plant. A salad can be prepared from parts of the plant. The medicinal plant owes its name pigeon scabious to the fact that it used to be used as an effective remedy against itch mite infestation in humans and animals. To prepare a salad, the freshly harvested leaves are simply added to other types of lettuce. However, a salad can also be prepared exclusively from the leaves of pigeon scabiosa. The salad is considered aromatic-tasty and generally has a tonic and metabolic effect. The leaves can also be dried. Tea preparation from the dried leaves is possible, but not common because of the rather bitter-thirsty taste. The leaves of pigeon scabiosa can also be used externally for healing purposes. A mortar can be used to pound a paste from the fresh leaves. In the past, such a poultice was used as a skin disinfectant for skin parasites and especially for infestations of scabies mites. The scabies mites reliably die within a few hours after thinly spreading the paste. The healing knowledge about the effect against scabies was largely lost. Today, far more effective chemical remedies against scabies are also available. Pigeon scabiosa can also be successfully cultivated in your own garden. To do this, the seeds are sown directly in the desired place in the spring. For this purpose, a sunny location should be selected. The soil condition should be calcareous, dry and loamy. Additional fertilization is not required.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
The importance of pigeon scabiosa for health, prevention and treatment is nowadays largely lost. Nevertheless, its curative effects on scabies mite infestations are considered well documented and reliable. Today, however, pigeon scabiosa is found primarily as a beautiful ornamental plant in front yards. There it is appreciated by many insect species as a rich source of nectar. The main importance for health lies on the one hand in the general metabolism-promoting effect, on the other hand in the application against scabies mites. The medicinal ingredients are contained in the leaves, but not in the flowers of the plant.However, all parts of the plant including the flowers are non-toxic and can be consumed without hesitation. The leaves of pigeon scabiosa contain various essential oils, flavonoids, minerals, scabiosides and also vitamins. Scabosides and essential oils are primarily responsible for the anti-parasitic effect. Remains of pigeon scabiosa are visible even in winter, as it also survives above ground. Unlike other meadow plants, the root system of pigeon scabiosa reaches very deep into the soil, up to two meters. Complete pruning may be necessary to stop it from spreading too far in the garden or fields. The first confirmed archaeological finding of a pigeon scabiosa dates back to the 3rd century from the area around Rottweil. In 1562 the medicinal and cultivated plant was recorded in a herbarium by Hieronymus Harder. In the meantime, several hybrids of the pigeon scabiosa have been created through cross-breeding, such as the “Butterfly Blue” with deep pure blue flowers. Overall, the population of the pigeon scabiosa in Germany is not considered endangered, but in the states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the plant has been added to the Red List of endangered plant species. Today, remedies available in pharmacies no longer contain plant extracts from pigeon scabiosa.
