Scammony |
SCAMMONY or GREAT WHITE BINDWEED CALYSTEGIA (= CONVOLVULUS) SEPIUM An extract made from the roots ... hath a purgative quality. This is a pernicious climbing, scrambling, perennial weed for the gardener. Its roots are larger than Couchgrass and spread underground to a great distance. The flowers are snowy white, some with a tint of purple or rose. Also known as Hedge Bindweed. Where to find it: Hedges and banks. Flowering time: Early summer to early autumn. Astrology: Not assigned to any planet. Medicinal virtues: This is the plant which produces Scammony, the gum resin used as a purgative. It does not grow as large in England as abroad. The juice of the root is hardened and is the Scammony of the shops. The best Scammony is black, resinous and shining when in the lump, but of a whitish ash-colour when powdered. It has a strong smell, but not a very hot taste, turning milky when touched by the tongue. The smallness of the English root prevents the juice being collected as the foreign; but an extract made from the expressed juice of the roots has the same purgative quality, only to a lesser degree. Modern uses: There are several Bindweeds, all of which have purgative properties. The Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvenis) is not so active as Calystegia sepium. As a domestic medicine it is unreliable, since it is difficult to estimate dosage accurately and the resulting purging can be drastic. Scammony is the Syrian Bindweed (Convolvulus scammonia). It is from this and jalap Bindweed that official purgatives have been prepared. Purgatives are not used by medical herbalists. The dose of the powdered root of jalap Bindweed is 3-20 grains (0.2-2 g), and of the Syrian root 3-12 grains (200-800 mg). However, these are seldom used. |