Agrimonia
| Agrimonia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Agrimonia eupatoria | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Subfamily: | Rosoideae |
| Tribe: | Sanguisorbeae |
| Subtribe: | Agrimoniinae |
| Genus: | Agrimonia Tourn. ex L. |
| Species | |
|
About 15 species; see text | |
Agrimonia, commonly known as agrimony, is a genus of 12–15 species of perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with one species also in Africa. The species grow to between 0.5–2 m tall, with interrupted pinnate leaves, and tiny yellow flowers borne on a single (usually unbranched) spike.
Agrimonia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including grizzled skipper (recorded on A. eupatoria) and large grizzled skipper.
Species
- Agrimonia eupatoria – Common agrimony (Europe, Asia, Africa)
- Agrimonia gryposepala – Common agrimony, tall hairy agrimony (North America)
- Agrimonia incisa – Incised agrimony (North America)
- Agrimonia coreana – Korean agrimony (eastern Asia)
- Agrimonia microcarpa – Smallfruit agrimony (North America)
- Agrimonia nipponica – Japanese agrimony (eastern Asia)
- Agrimonia parviflora – Harvestlice agrimony (North America)
- Agrimonia pilosa – Hairy agrimony (eastern Europe, Asia)
- Agrimonia procera – Fragrant agrimony (Europe)
- Agrimonia pubescens – Soft or downy agrimony (North America)
- Agrimonia repens – Short agrimony (southwest Asia)
- Agrimonia rostellata – Beaked agrimony (North America)
- Agrimonia striata – Roadside agrimony (North America)
Uses
In the ancient times, it was used for foot baths and tired feet.[1] Agrimony has a long history of medicinal use. The English poet Michael Drayton once hailed it as an "all-heal" and through the ages it was considered a panacea. The ancient Greeks used agrimony to treat eye ailments, and it was made into brews for diarrhea and disorders of the gallbladder, liver, and kidneys. Anglo-Saxons made a solution from the leaves and seeds for healing wounds; this use continued through the Middle Ages and afterward, in a preparation called eau d'arquebusade, or "musket-shot water". It can be added to tea as a spring tonic.[1] In the traditional Austrian medicine the herb has been used internally as tea for disorders related to the liver and bile, gastrointestinal, and respiratory tract.[2]
Agrimonia has been listed as one of the 38 plants that are used to prepare Bach flower remedies,[3] a kind of alternative medicine promoted for its effect on health. However according to Cancer Research UK, "there is no scientific evidence to prove that flower remedies can control, cure or prevent any type of disease, including cancer".[4]
Folklore
Although the plant has no idiopathic properties, tradition holds that when placed under a person's head, agrimony will induce a deep sleep that will last until removed.
See also
- Aremonia agrimonioides (Bastard-agrimony, of the related genus Aremonia)
- Eupatorium cannabinum (Hemp-agrimony)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 C. F. Leyel. Compassionate Herbs. Faber and Faber Limited.
- ↑ Vogl, S; Picker, P; Mihaly-Bison, J; Fakhrudin, N; Atanasov, A. G.; Heiss, E. H.; Wawrosch, C; Reznicek, G; Dirsch, V. M.; Saukel, J; Kopp, B (2013). "Ethnopharmacological in vitro studies on Austria's folk medicine--an unexplored lore in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of 71 Austrian traditional herbal drugs". Journal of Ethnopharmacology 149 (3): 750–71. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2013.06.007. PMC 3791396. PMID 23770053.
- ↑ D. S. Vohra (1 June 2004). Bach Flower Remedies: A Comprehensive Study. B. Jain Publishers. p. 3. ISBN 978-81-7021-271-3. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ↑ "Flower remedies". Cancer Research UK. Retrieved September 2013.
- Eriksson, Torsten; Malin S. Hibbs, Anne D. Yoder, Charles F. Delwiche, Michael J. Donoghue (2003). The Phylogeny of Rosoideae (Rosaceae) Based on Sequences of the Internal Transcribed Spacers (ITS) of Nuclear Ribosomal DNA and the TRNL/F Region of Chloroplast DNA. International Journal of Plant Science 164(2):197–211. 2003. (PDF version)
External links
- Agrimonia at the Encyclopedia of Life
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Agrimonia. |
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The Wikibook Horticulture has a page on the topic of: Agrimonia |
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Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Agrimony. |