In the language of flowers: The meaning of Monkshood The common monkshood is a high plant with slim stem and beautiful blue blossoms. It is native to mountain slopes in Europe and east to the Himalayas. It grows on wet grassland, stony or rocky slopes, and near forest streams of altitude that is larger than 1200 m. During the blooming season, the plant is very prominent against the background of other plants and attracts the eye. Wolfsbane is a perennial herb of the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. The plant is successfully cultivated, often as a decorative element in parks and home yards. The common monkshood is one of the most poisonous plants of European flora. Since ancient times, people have known that it is poisonous and have used it as a weapon by coating their spears and arrowheads with its strong poison. The plant was used for killing panthers, wolves and other carnivores. The ancient Roman naturalist Plinius describes friar’s cap under the name “plant arsenic”. It was often used for criminal purposes. When people got to know the effect of this plant, they tried to use it as a cure. In Chinese and Arabic folk medicine, its roots were used for the treatment of various diseases. Later on, Plinius told about its application in ophthalmology. As the healing dose was very difficult to determine, the plant could not assert itself as an important drug for a long time. In 1762, it was first introduced to medicine by the Viennese physician Anton von Störk but even after that, common monkshood did not find any permanent application. The monkshood is a sign of warning that an enemy is near and lurking.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 22:03:45 +0000
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