Wildflower Spotlight: Greater Celandine

Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus L. celandine)
You may remember an earlier post about the invasive Lesser Celandine - the invasive plant which hang out riverside pretending to be the native Marsh Marigold, the only thing these two have in common is the color of their flowers (and the name). This is also a non-native species and as with most introduced plants it comes with a wide list of medicinal properties (there's a reason many settlers brought along helpful plants from their homeland). 

• It was a drug plant in the Middle Ages and is mentioned by Pliny, to whom we owe the tradition that it is called Chelidonium from the Greek chelidon (a swallow), because it comes into flower when the swallows arrive and fades at their departure. (The English name Celandine is merely a corruption of the Greek word.) 
• Its acrid juice has been employed successfully in removing films from the cornea of the eye, a property which Pliny tells us was discovered by swallows, this being a double reason why the plant should be named after these birds.
• Greater celandine is (potentially) used for various problems with the digestive tract including upset stomach, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, loss of appetite, stomach cancer, intestinal polyps, and liver and gallbladder disorders. Other uses include detoxification, treating menstrual cramps, cough, pain, fluid retention, “hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, asthma, gout, and osteoarthritis. Some people apply greater celandine directly to the skin for warts, rashes, eczema, and scabies; and to the gums for tooth pain and to ease tooth extraction. The fresh root is also chewed to relieve toothache. **
• Early in the growing season this plant is easily confused with the native yellow wood poppy.

**information provided is not intended to be used to treat, diagnose, cure, or remedy any medical issues.