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SPIGNEL (Broad-leaved) MEUM ATHAMANTICUM An excellent plant in disorders of the stomach ... A perennial aromatic herb, Spignel grows about a foot (30 cm) high with a few small leaves and umbels of white flowers. It is also known as Baldmony. Where to find it: Grassy, mountain areas in rich, damp soil. Flowering time: Early to midsummer. Astrology: Under the dominion of Mercury in Cancer. Medicinal virtues: Excellent for want of appetite and digestion, belchings, eructations, colic, gripes, urine retention and wind and pain in the stomach. The powdered root, given with loaf sugar, and the infusion taken in water, white wine or beer, evening and morning for several days, also brings down the menses and lochia and facilitates the expulsion of birth and afterbirth. Modern uses: This has never been a common wild herb and is, therefore, little used, except as a vegetable by mountain folk. The root is comparable to Angelica or Lovage. The plant is a member of the Parsnip family. It can be cultivated in rock gardens or on banks. Herbalists tend to use remedies such as Fennel, Aniseed or Angelica for flatulence and other simple digestive problems. |