The botanical name of the lesser periwinkle is Vinca minor. It belongs to the dog poison family (Apocynaceae) and is now used in both toxicology and pharmacology. In addition, it serves as a ground cover in gardens and is therefore used for semi-shady or shady places.
Occurrence and cultivation of the small periwinkle
The plant has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and soothing effects. For this reason, it was also used externally in poultices on wounds. Small periwinkle is a low semi-shrub and reaches growth heights of 10 to 15 centimeters. The plant is evergreen, which is where the name comes from. The shoots are prostrate and can grow two meters long per year. The leaves of the small evergreen are leathery, dark green and ovate. Their reverse side is yellow and they grow up to four centimeters long. At the base, the stems of the plant are fused. The flowers are pentate, long-stalked and hermaphroditic. Their diameter is two to three centimeters and the petals are fused into a tube. The flower color is light blue and purple. In rare cases, the flowers are also white. Ornamental varieties of the plant in reddish-purple and dark blue shades can also be found in the market. The small periwinkle blooms from March to June. It has unarticulated milk tubes, and the flowers are homogamous. Small periwinkle can self-pollinate, although insects are also involved in pollination. This is especially true of butterflies, bees and woolly hawks. The seeds are dispersed by ants. In Central Europe the plant is rather rare, because the seed set is very low. It is also found in Southern Europe and Asia Minor and grows at altitudes of up to 1300 meters. It settles mainly in riparian and deciduous forests. In Central Europe, the small periwinkle is considered a cultural relict. It appears in southern Germany since the time of the Romans. In addition, the plant indicates medieval settlements. The plant can be collected all year round. The main collection period is in the spring.
Effect and application
Small periwinkle contains over 40 alkaloids, with total content ranging from 0.2 to 0.7 percent. It is poisonous in all parts. The main active ingredients are eburnamenine and vincamine. Otherwise, tannins, tannic acids, saponins and bitter substances are present. The plant has a negative effect on the organism depending on the amount taken. Thus, the alkaloids lower the number of leukocytes (white blood cells). This suppresses the immune system and increases susceptibility to infections. Colds occur more quickly and the body is less able to fight off bacteria or viruses. The person becomes more susceptible. It also has a blood pressure lowering effect and can lead to circulatory problems and breathing difficulties. Other symptoms of poisoning are gastrointestinal complaints and as well as reddening of the skin. Small periwinkle is still used today against various diseases in appropriately low doses in naturopathy. As a remedy it is found in tea mixtures, but is also applied externally. Its range of use and effect is quite wide, which is why it was popularly used against a wide variety of diseases. In the past it was used against coughs, digestive problems and sore throats. Externally it was used against abscesses and wounds. It was also used for winding wreaths, which is due to the elasticity of the stems. They could be easily bent and thus easily made into wreaths. These wreaths were worn by women at dances or generally used at celebrations such as weddings. In addition, periwinkle was considered a love plant and was recommended against lung diseases and nosebleeds. Folk names of the lesser periwinkle are maiden weed, song green, death green, dance of death, winter green, death violet and bear’s angle. In medicine, the leaves are used. Apart from that, traditional medicine has developed an anticancer drug against leukemia from the Small Periwinkle. In 1987, however, the Federal Health Office revoked the approval of the preparations. It can no longer be used as a prescription medicine. Therefore, Small Periwinkle is now found only in homeopathic preparations and mixed finished preparations.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
It was used in particular against whooping cough, weakness of the stomach and other gastrointestinal complaints. These include diarrhea and as well as digestive weakness. It was also used for circulatory problems and against rheumatism.Other applications were high blood pressure, heart failure and nosebleeds and boils. In addition, small periwinkle found application in toothache. The plant has an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and soothing effect. For this reason, it was also used externally in poultices on wounds. For this purpose, the leaves were made into tea and the cloths used for poultices were dipped before being placed on the affected area. In addition, evergreen has antispasmodic and expectorant properties. Accordingly, it also found application in colds. It is astringent and hemostatic. Because of the plant’s not entirely clear effect on health, other medicinal plants are now preferred to evergreen. While its wide range is an argument for its use in remedies, it often shows undesirable side effects due to the large amount of alkaloids. Instead, the active ingredient vincamine is extracted from it today. This is also an alkaloid that promotes blood flow to the brain. If the whole plant is used, this effect is not achieved because the amount of vincamine is not present in sufficient quantities. Instead, it is administered in tablet form in a daily dose of between 40 and 60 milligrams. The medication requires a prescription. In conventional medicine, other active ingredients are used because of the low yield of vincamine from a single plant.
