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Centauri minus, Centaury the less
Centaurea, Febrifuga, Fel Terra, Libadion (Pliny), Leptophyllum (Theophrastus)
Seigar (Arabic)
Seigar (Arabic)
Mesuae Opera, 1570
Kohler's Medizinal Pflanzen, 1887
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Atlas der Officinellen Pflanzen, Berg & Schmidt, Leipzig, 1893
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Left: Yellow Flowered Centaury; Right: Yellow Thorough-leaved Centaury
Salmon, Botanologia, 1710
Salmon, Botanologia, 1710
Botanical name:
Centaurium erythraea (syn. C. centaurium)
Related species include C. tenuiflorum, C. littorale ssp. uliginosum, C. pulchellum and appear to be used synonymously.
Salmon (Botanologia) listed several varieties:
Yellow Centaury is Cicendia filiformis.
Parts used:
Herb in flower
Temperature & Taste:
Cold (said to be Warm), dry. Bitter
gently binding, cleansing, opening
Classifications:
2A APERIENT. 2B ATTENUATER. 2F. PURIFYING. 2G. CLEANSING. 2N. REPELLENT. 2S. STRENGTHENING. 2T. GLUTINATE
3C. ALEXIPHARMIC. 3G. EMMENAGOGUE. 3M. ARTHRITIC
4g. HEPATIC. 4k. ARTHRITIC
TCM:
B. Clears Heat and Damp
Centaurium erythraea (syn. C. centaurium)
Related species include C. tenuiflorum, C. littorale ssp. uliginosum, C. pulchellum and appear to be used synonymously.
Salmon (Botanologia) listed several varieties:
- Common Red Small Centaury
- White Flowered Centaury
- Small Yellow Centaury
- Branched Thourough-leaved Small Yellow Centaury
- Small Yellow Centaury, not branched
- Smallest Yellow Centaury
Yellow Centaury is Cicendia filiformis.
Parts used:
Herb in flower
Temperature & Taste:
Cold (said to be Warm), dry. Bitter
gently binding, cleansing, opening
Classifications:
2A APERIENT. 2B ATTENUATER. 2F. PURIFYING. 2G. CLEANSING. 2N. REPELLENT. 2S. STRENGTHENING. 2T. GLUTINATE
3C. ALEXIPHARMIC. 3G. EMMENAGOGUE. 3M. ARTHRITIC
4g. HEPATIC. 4k. ARTHRITIC
TCM:
B. Clears Heat and Damp
Uses:
1. Clears Heat and Damp, Opens the Spleen and Liver;
-purges Phlegm and Bile (Choler); Jaundice; pain of the sides
-hardness of the Liver and Spleen
-Hepatitis
-Edema, Gout
-Diabetes
2. Clears Heat, Stops Cough, Resists Poison:
-Influenza
-Fevers: intermittent, chronic Fevers
-Cough, shortness of Breath, Wheezing, Lung Ulcers (juice mixed with Honey) (Salmon)
-Cough and Respiratory diseases in ancient Greece.
-Venomous Bites, chiefly for the bites of Rabid Dogs, Snakes (Viper, Adder), powder taken in Wine.
3. Promotes Digestion:
-poor appetite, indigestion, heartburn, colic, mild constipation
4. Clears Heat, Reduces Spasms, Eases Pain, Strengthens Sinews and Joints:
-‘Centaury is very good for all infirmities of the Sinews, howsoever they be’ (Wirtzung).
-chronic joint Pain, Sciatica, Rheumatism
-infusion in wine or tincture is best for this function
5. Moves the Blood, Promotes Menstruation:
-Amenorrhea; painful, delayed or scanty Menstruation associated with Heat
-decoction in wine promotes Labor and brings away afterbirth
-retained Placenta
-vinegar (acid) tincture for Hysteria and PMS.
6. Kills Worms:
-Tapeworm
-strong washes are used for Parasites
7. Externally:
-Pain of the Joints or Sniews (herb boiled in oil and applied)
-swollen, painful and hard lumps of the Breast (herb boiled in oil and applied)
-Back Pain (ointment)
-Rickets (ointment applied to the spine and joints)
-good for Wounds; old, moist and putrid Ulcers and Sores; Running Sores and Ulcers (Powder applied or Cataplasm)
-Ulcers, juice mixed with Honey and applied
-juice. decoction, distilled water or Saline Tincture as a wash to cleanse the skin; Freckles, Spots
-wash for 'spreading Scabs of the Head'. (Culpeper)
-applied with Honey to Fistulas (Pliny)
-Collyrium made of the juice with Honey is applied for dimness of sight, Sore, Inflamed and Tearing Eyes, Ulcers of the Eyes
Dose:
Powder: 500mg–3 grams
Infusion or Brief Decoction: 3–6 grams
Acid Tincture (in Vinegar): 20–40 drops
Juice mixed with Honey (equal parts): 1 teaspoonful–2 oz.
Juice: 1–3 oz. (Salmon said 4–6 oz. was taken 2 hours before the Fit of an Ague)
Spirit: 1–2 spoonfuls
Fixed Salt: 1–3 grams
Essential Salt (used as as the Juice or Essence): 2–6 grams:
Substitutes:
1. Gentian
2. Centaury and Swertia are good substitutes for one another
Powder: 500mg–3 grams
Infusion or Brief Decoction: 3–6 grams
Acid Tincture (in Vinegar): 20–40 drops
Juice mixed with Honey (equal parts): 1 teaspoonful–2 oz.
Juice: 1–3 oz. (Salmon said 4–6 oz. was taken 2 hours before the Fit of an Ague)
Spirit: 1–2 spoonfuls
Fixed Salt: 1–3 grams
Essential Salt (used as as the Juice or Essence): 2–6 grams:
Substitutes:
1. Gentian
2. Centaury and Swertia are good substitutes for one another
Main Combinations:
1. Indigestion::
i. Centaury with Camomile and Wormwood (as in Centaury Wine)
ii. Centaury, Agrimony, Raspberry leaf
2. To promote appetite:
i. Centaury with Balm, Juniper berry and Nettle
ii. Centaury with Chicory, Barberry, Wormwood, Blessed Thistle (as in Decoction to Promote Appetite)
3. Gastrointestinal Ulcers, Centaury with Cranesbill, Raspberry leaf and Agrimony
4. To clear Heat and Damp and open obstructions, Centaury with Camomile, Gentian, Senna, Blessed Thistle (as in Bitter Decoction)
5. To make Purging Bitter Decoction, add Agrimony, Calendula and Rhubarb to the above
6. Bitter Tincture, to stimulate appetite and digestion and open the Liver: Centaury with Gentian, Bitter Orange peel, Wormwood
7. Aromatic Bitter Decoction: Centaury with Calamus, Gentian, Galangal, Wormwood, Camomile, Stoechas (Fuller)
8. Jaundice, Centaury with Madder, Celandine, Sea Wormwood, Cinnamon, Saffron (as in Infusion for Jaundice)
9. Hepatitis, Centaury with Juniper berry, Agrimony, Cleavers, Yarrow (as in Decoction for Hepatitis)
10. Fever:
i. Centaury with Camomile
ii. Centaury with Wormwood, Feverfew, Calendula, Tormentil, Blessed Thistle, Camomile and Dandelion (as in Fever Water)
11. Boils, Abscesses, Centaury with Horehound, Rosemary, Wormwood (as in Decoction for Boils and Abscess)
12. Rabies, Centaury with Rue, Vervain, Sage, Mint, Wormwood, Balm, Betony, St. John's Wort (as in Powder Against Rabies)
13. Catarrh, Centaury with Marshmallow, Horehound and Peppermint
14. Anemia (from Liver congestion) Centaury, Nettle, Wormwood and Rose hip
15. Chlorosis, Amenorrhea, Centaury with Thyme, Rue, Maidenhair, Oregano (as in Decoction for Chlorosis)
16. Vertigo, Centaury with Juniper, Betony (as in Powder of Juniper for Vertigo)
17. Arthritis, Joint diseases:
i. Centaury with Gentian, Ground Pine, Germander (as in Powder for Gout of the Duke of Portland)
ii. Centaury with Gentian, Ground Pine, Germander, St Johns wort, Birthwort, Agaric (as in Antidote of Seven Things)
18. Piles, Centaury, Mullein, Barberry bark, Cayenne
Major Formulas
Bitter Decoction
Aromatic Bitter Decoction
Purging Bitter Decoction
Decoction for Boils and Abscess
Electuary of Centaury (Zenon)
Antidote of Seven Things (Paulus Aegineta)
Powder for Gout of the Duke of Portland
1. Bitter Powder:
i. Lesser Centaury, Fumitory, Buckbean, Germander, Hops (equal parts) (Niemann)
ii. Fumitory, Germander, Buckbean, Chicory, Ground Pine, Lesser Centaury, Hops, Blessed Thistle (equal parts) (Formulaire Pharmaceutitique a l’usage des Hospitaux Militaires de France, 1821)
iii. Yarrow, Lesser Centaury, Buckbean, Peppermint, Fennel (equal parts) (Hufeland)
2. Bitter Anti-Arthritic Powder:
i. Gentian, Round Birthwort (2 parts each), flowers of Lesser Centaury (4 parts), Germander, Ground Pine (2 parts). Powder. (Pharmacopoeia Gallica, 1818)
3. Bitter Wine:
i. Madder root, Swallow-wort, Lesser Centaury (1 oz. each), Rhenish Wine, Water (1 ½ pounds each). Boil down to two-thirds, and to the strained liquor add Syrup of Orange peel (2 oz.). Mix. Dose: a glassful morning and evening in Jaundice. (Pharmacopoeia extemporanea, Augustin, 1822)
4. Bitter Essence:
i. Tansy (1 oz.), Scolopendrum, Blessed Thistle, Lesser Centaury, Gentian, Patience Dock (each 3 drams), fresh peel of Unripe Oranges (half oz.). Alcohol (12 oz.). Digest, express, filter. Tonic, stomachic, carminative, anthelmintic. Dose: 50–70 drops in wine. (Pharmacopoeia Wirtembergica, 1798)
Cautions:
Generally Safe.
Toxicity
Research demonstrated Centaury extract to be without side effect in rodents. (see here)
Main Preparations used:
Distilled Water, Extract of the Juice, Salt of the Ashes
1. Extract of Lesser Centaury:
i. Lesser Centaury (1 pound), Water (8 pounds), Alcohol (1 pound). Digest for 3 days with gentle heat, then express, and gently distil off the alcohol then evaporate to an extract. (Pharmacopoeia Herbipolitania, 1796)
Generally Safe.
Toxicity
Research demonstrated Centaury extract to be without side effect in rodents. (see here)
Main Preparations used:
Distilled Water, Extract of the Juice, Salt of the Ashes
1. Extract of Lesser Centaury:
i. Lesser Centaury (1 pound), Water (8 pounds), Alcohol (1 pound). Digest for 3 days with gentle heat, then express, and gently distil off the alcohol then evaporate to an extract. (Pharmacopoeia Herbipolitania, 1796)
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