Centauri minus, Centaury the less

Mesuae Opera, 1570

Kohler’s Medizinal Pflanzen, 1887

Atlas der Officinellen Pflanzen, Berg & Schmidt, Leipzig, 1893

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
-“dimness, mists and clouds that offend or hinder Sight”.

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.
-“excellent good in Fevers”. (Culpeper)

3. Promotes Digestion:

-poor appetite, indigestion, heartburn, colic, mild constipation

4. Clears Heat, Reduces Spasms, Eases Pain, Strengthens Sinews and Joints:

-chronic joint Pain, Tendonitis, Lower Back or Hip Pain, Sciatica, Rheumatism
-infusion in wine or tincture is best for this function
–“Centaury is very good for all infirmities of the Sinews, howsoever they be”. (Wirtzung).
-“pains in the hips are relieved” by the decoction. (Dorsetn, 1540)

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.
-“Centaurea promotes the menstrual flow of women.” (Dorsetn, 1540)

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)
-“The juice is efficacious for all wounds, both recent and old.” (Dorsetn, 1540)
-Ulcers, juice mixed with Honey and applied
-“For Fistulas which spread in all parts, an ointment made from the juice, and covered with Honey.” (Dorsetn, 1540)
-juice. decoction, distilled water or Saline Tincture as a wash to cleanse the skin; Freckles, Spots, Discolorations
-wash for “spreading Scabs of the Head”. (Culpeper)
-“Simon Paulli tells us, that there is not a more excellent Remedy against the Scurf or Dandruff, and Scab of the Head, than to wash it with the Decoction of the lesser Centaury made in that Water wherein Peas have been boiled”. (The Compleat Herbal, Tournefort, 1719)
-applied with Honey to Fistulas (Pliny)
-“When decocted with wine and mixed with olive oil, and applied to the abdomen below the navel, it relieves great pain in the loins, and opens up an obstructed Spleen”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
-“An ointment made from the juice with oil and wax is of great benefit to the spleen, if it is anointed from the outside”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
-Collyrium made of the juice with Honey is applied for dimness of sight, Sore, Inflamed and Tearing Eyes, Ulcers of the Eyes
-“The juice is useful as a medicament for the eyes. With honey it removes the darkness of the eyes, and those which hinder their clarity”. (Dorsetn, 1540)

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. Obstruction of the Liver, Spleen or Gall Bladder, Centaury, Celery root, Fennel root; prepare a Syrup. (Dorsetn, 1540)
9. Jaundice, Centaury with Madder, Celandine, Sea Wormwood, Cinnamon, Saffron (as in Infusion for Jaundice)
10. Hepatitis, Centaury with Juniper berry, Agrimony, Cleavers, Yarrow (as in Decoction for Hepatitis)
11. Fever:
i. “Against all fevers, take half an ounce of Centaurea in powder, and drink it in wine with sugar; drink it in the morning for three days, this helps.” (Dorsetn, 1540)
ii. Centaury with Camomile
iii. Centaury with Wormwood, Feverfew, Calendula, Tormentil, Blessed Thistle, Camomile and Dandelion (as in Fever Water)
12. Asthma, Chronic Cough: “Take one handful of Centaurea and drink it boiled in water, then it cures asthma. Taken in the same way, it removes an old cough.” (Dorsetn, 1540)
13. Boils, Abscesses, Centaury with Horehound, Rosemary, Wormwood (as in Decoction for Boils and Abscess)
14. Poison: “To him who has taken poison, give him a small Centaury crushed in vinegar: let him drink it, and soon the poison will disperse”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
15. Rabies, Centaury with Rue, Vervain, Sage, Mint, Wormwood, Balm, Betony, St. John’s Wort (as in Powder Against Rabies)
16. Catarrh, Centaury with Marshmallow, Horehound and Peppermint
17. Anemia (from Liver congestion) Centaury, Nettle, Wormwood and Rose hip
18. Chlorosis, Amenorrhea, Centaury with Thyme, Rue, Maidenhair, Oregano (as in Decoction for Chlorosis)
19. Vertigo, Centaury with Juniper, Betony (as in Powder of Juniper for Vertigo)
20. 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)
21. “Decoction of it in water drunk cures old ulcers.” (Dorsetn, 1540)
22. 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
Invigorator of the Decrepit (Rhazes)

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)