SORREL |
SORREL (Common) RUMEX ACETOSA It quenches thirst and procures an appetite in fainting or decaying stomachs. A perennial growing two or three feet (60 or 90 cm) high with smooth, succulent and tender leaves, a long slender stalk and a reddish spike of small flowers. Where to find it: Roadsides, fields, meadows and woodland. Flowering time: Late spring, early summer. Astrology: Under Venus. Medicinal virtues: It is useful to cool inflammations and the heat of the blood in pestilential or choleric agues, or sickness and fainting arising from the heart. It resists putrefaction of the blood, kills worms and is a cordial to the heart. The seed is more effective because it is more drying and binding and thereby stays the fluxes of women's courses or flux of the stomach. The root in decoction or powder is effectual for all the foregoing purposes but also helps jaundice and expels gravel and stone from the reins and kidneys. A decoction of the flowers helps black jaundice and inward ulcers in the body or bowel. A syrup made from the juice and Fumitory is a help to kill those sharp humours that cause the itch.The juice with a little vinegar is used outwardly for the same and for tetters and ringworms. Modern uses: The leaves are edible and may be added to salads to sharpen the taste. The plant contains oxalic acid which is contra-indicated in people with rheumatic complaints.An infusion of the leaves - i Oz (28 g) to 1 Pt (570 ml) of boiling water - is used as a cooling drink in fevers. It is also laxative. A decoction of the root is prescribed for boils, eczema and acne. In making the decoction, the root is boiled for five to ten minutes and allowed to cool before being strained. It is taken internally - 2 fl OZ (56 ml) three times a day - and used as a lotion. |