HEALTHY CENTER

* Description
* History
* Constituents
* Drugs Action and uses
* Preparation

Perhaps Buckbean. Trefoil marshes. Trefoil water. Marsh Clover. (Dutch) Bocks. Boonan. (German) Bocksbohne or Scharbocks-Klee.
Part used Herb.
Habitat — — Buckbean, or Bogbean, sponge grows in bogs, marshes and surface waters across Europe, is rather rare in southern England, so common in the north and Scotland .

Description — — It is a green, hairless, accompanied by rampant graft and procumbent stem, variable length depending on the situation, covered by the leaf sheath, which are long, fleshy, and three striped petioles - partite, brochures to be together and about 2 inches long and 1 wide. It blooms from May to July, flowers being borne on long stems, 6 to 18 inches high, more than leaves and gathered into a thick short spike, making them highly visible. The corollas, 3 / 4 inches in diameter, are apparently pink and white internally and hairy, with red stamens. The Buckbean is one of our most beautiful wildflowers deserve to be grown in the garden where he grows and thrives, if planted in the peat with water constantly roots round.

History — — The plant was considered of great value as an appeal against both terrible scurvy. Scharbock, its German name, is a corruption of latin scorbutus, the former name of medical illness.

“Bean” is probably a likeness affix leaves than beans grown in the garden cottage. Gerard said that the leaves are “like those of the garden Beane.”

His name specific trifoliata, bears the same reference to the shape of its leaves.

The generic name, Menyanthes, is two Greek words meaning months and flowers. It is a name given by Linné, and it was suggested that the factory was so-called because it remains in bloom for a month, but it is often in bloom during May, June and July!

One of the older writers its inflorescence described as a “Bush-pen as a floures white, slightly Dasht ouer wash with a loop of light.”

Buckbean has a reputation for preserving the sheep rot, but it is doubtful that they really feel, because of its extreme bitterness.

Constituents — — chief constituents are a small quantity of volatile oil and a bitter principle, a glucoside called Menyanthin. The bitterness is given to both alcohol and water.

— Drugs Action and uses — Tonic, cathartic, deobstruent and febrifuge. An extract is made from leaves, which has a strong tonic properties, and which renders great service in rheumatism, scurvy and skin diseases. An infusion of 1 OZ. dried leaves 1 quart of boiling water is taken into wineglassful doses, often repeated. It was also recommended as an external application to dissolve glandular swelling. Buckbean finely powdered leaves were used as a cure for ague, told a healing effect when other means fail. In large doses, the powder is also purging. It is used as a grass tobacco.

The juice of fresh leaves has proved effective in cases dropsical, and mixed with whey has been known to cure gout.

In Halliwell popular Holmes and nursery rhymes Tales this occurs:
“Buckee, Buckee, Biddy Bene,
Now is the right path and clean?
Is the goose to ygone nest,
And the fox ygone the rest?
Will I get out? ”

These lines are curious Devonshire said by children when they go by any passages in the darkness, and are said to be addressed at Puck or Robin Goodfellow. Biddy bene = Anglo-Saxon biddan, to ask or pray; bén, a supplication or entreaty. Buckee is perhaps a corruption of the puck.

Buckbean tea, taken separately or in combination with absinthe, sage or centaury, a cure dyspepsia and a torpid liver.

Preparation — — fluid extract, from 10 to 40 drops.