Medical Uses Of Sundew

Medical Uses Of Sundew
Other Common Names: Degirmi Sebnem, Drosera, Herba rosellae,
Kimaheina, Mosen-Goke, Ringormgras, Ros Solis, Roundleaf Sundew, Red
Rot, Sonnenthau rosollis, Ros?e du Soleil, Drosera rotundifolia

Range: Britain, and in many parts of Europe, India, China, Cape of Good Hope, New Holland, North and South America, Russian Asia.

Habitat: Wet and moist places in poor peaty soils, occasionally forming a floating fringe on small ponds.

Insectivorous plant. After an insect has been caught, the glandular
heads secrete a digestive fluid which dissolves all that can be
absorbed from the insect. It has been noted that secretion does not
take place when inorganic substances are imprisoned. The plant has
become quite rare and so it should not be harvested from the wild.

The sundew has a long history of herbal use, having been popular for
its fortifying and aphrodisiac effects. It relaxes the muscles of the
respiratory tract, easing breathing and relieving wheezing and so is of
great value in the treatment of various chest complaints. In America it
has been advocated as a cure for old age; a vegetable extract is used
together with colloidal silicates in cases of arteriosclerosis.

The flowering plant is antibacterial, antibiotic, antispasmodic,
antitussive, demulcent, expectorant and hypoglycaemic. The plant is
used with advantage in the treatment of whooping cough, exerting a
peculiar action on the respiratory organs. It is also used in the
treatment of incipient phthisis, chronic bronchitis and asthma.
Externally, it has been used to treat corns, warts and bunions. The
plant is harvested in the summer and can be dried for later use. Use
with caution. Internal use of this herb causes a harmless coloring of
the urine.

An extract of the plant contains plumbagin, which is antibiotic
against a wide range of pathogens. Because of their protein digesting
enzymes, the leaf juice has been used in the treatment of warts and
corns.

The entire fresh plant, harvested when it is starting to flower, is
used to make a homeopathic remedy. It is used mainly in the treatment
of coughs and is specific for whooping cough.

The juice of the plant is used to curdle plant milks. You heat the
milk and the leaves together in order to make the milk curdle.

• Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5