Chelidonium majus, Celandine

Hirundinaria or Swallow-wort
Bai Qu Cai 白屈菜 (TCM)
Stong ri zil pa སྟོང་རི་ཟིལ་པ་ (Tibetan)

Ortus Sanitatis, Meydenbach, 1491

Herbarum Vivae Eicones, Otto Brunfels, 1530

Icones Plantarum Medcio-oeconomico, Vietz, 1800

Kohler’s Medizinal Pflanzen, 1887

Botanical name:

Chelidonium majus

Parts used:

Whole plant in flower; Root

Temperature & Taste:

Cold, dry. Bitter, pungent. Slightly Toxic.
Regarded as Warm in the West. Some western writers said it was Hot in the 4th degree.
Chinese texts regard it as Cold, although some Chinese sources state it to be slightly Warm.

Classifications:

2F. PURIFYING. 2G. CLEANSING. 2K. RESOLVENT
4b. OPTHALMIC

Uses:

1. Clears Liver Heat, Clears Damp-Heat, Opens Obstructions:

-’purges Choler (Bile) by stool and urine’ (Schroder);
-obstruction of the Liver and Spleen: used for Jaundice, Cholecystitis, Gall Stones
-Hepatitis, Liver Swelling
-root is especially commended for Jaundice (Unani)
-Chronic Gastritis, Gastro-duodenal Ulcers (TCM)
-promotes Urine; used for obstruction of the urine
-Headache, Migraine, Hypertension
-“very good for such as have Yellow Jaundice”. (Culpeper)
-“carries off Bile by Stool and Urine”. (The Compleat Herbal, Tournefort, 1719)

2. Promotes Sweat, Resists Poison:

-Cold, Flu, Infectious diseases (both to prevent and cure)
-often used in Antidotes and Preservatives
-used for Poisons
-Snake Bite (TCM)

3. Clears Heat, Stops Cough:

-heat-type Cough, chronic Bronchitis, Asthma, Whooping Cough

4. Moves the Blood, Clears Stasis:

-promotes Menstruation (the salts of the Roots of Celandine were also used).
-Palpitations, Angina and stabbing Chest Pain.
-Tumors, Cancers (Breast, Bowel, Kidney, Liver, Spleen, Stomach, Uterus, Mouth, Jaw and Testicles)
-Bruising, congealed Blood
-“To provoke menstruation and cleanse the uterus, a fomentation is often made from the water of the decoction”. (Dorsetn, 1540)

5. Clears the Sight:

-internally and topically to clear Heat from the Eyes, improve Eyesight and remove visual obstructions
-clears the Eyes, quickens the Sight (juice boiled with Honey and applied: Dioscorides)
-sore, red eyes, Conjunctivitis; Films and Cloudiness of the Eyes (juice applied with milk or the ointment applied to the eyelids)
-it has been used for Blindness
-Cataracts; the fresh juice, preserved with Olive oil is applied to advanced cases of Cataract daily for up to 4 months to cure (Meyer)
-in eye salves for Dim-sightedness since ancient Greece.
-often regarded as superior to Eyebright for the Eyes.
-“The juice, boiled in a brass vessel with honey, clears the eyes”. (Dorsetn, 1540)

6. Preserves Health:

-‘The Essence hereof preserves from old age, or makes age look youthful’ (Salmon)
-often credited with preserving youth.

7. Externally:

-externally for red eyes, for styes, sores and ulcers of them (diluted juice, infusion, or juice mixed with the distilled water, or the thickened juice which is best)
-Toothache (fresh herb chewed, root powder applied, or the herb boiled in wine used as a mouthwash)
-“Applied with wine or chewed, it soothes Toothache.”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
-juice is applied to Warts and Corns, Ringworm, Itchy Skin, Tinea, Eczema, Herpes
-applied to Scabies in TCM.
-topically to Tumors and Cancers
-internally and externally for chronic and filthy sores and ulcers, especially of the legs (Juice applied)
-“Its powder sprinkled on sores and ulcers cleanses and heals them.” (Dorsetn, 1540)
-‘Some … writers believe that this agent is superior to Arnica or Hamamelis, as an external application to bruises and sprains’ (Ellingwood)
–Salmon said applied as a Cataplasm to the Breast hinders excessive menstruation
-Breast Cancer, applied topically; other Cancers such as of the Mouth or Face also.

Dose:

1. In Epidemics and Plague, it was taken with Vinegar
2. To move the Blood and open Obstructions, taken with Wine
Herb or Root in Decoction (or infusion): 2–6 grams (up to 10 or 15 grams), or 5–20 grams fresh
Tincture (1:10 in 45% alcohol): 2–4 or 5 mls. (up to 3 drams were traditionally given)
Fluid Extract (1:1 in 25% alcohol): 1–3, or 4 mls.
Fresh Juice: 10–20 drops
Dehydrated Juice: 200–500mg (up to 1 gram)
Used externally in washes, poultices, compresses, ointments, eye baths, gargles etc.

Comment:

Research has shown that only Celandine herb that is dried in a temperature of 80º C maintains alkaloid contents as that of the fresh herb; when it is dried between 20-50º C, up to half or more of the alkaloid content is lost. Further, there is a great loss of effect after about 6 months of storage of either the herb, or of preparations of it, meaning that this is an herb that should be grown by herbalists who wish to use it.

Correctives:

1. Honey
2. Tragacanth
3. Dodder
4. Aniseed

Main Combinations:

Infection, Epidemics:

1. Infection of Epidemic diseases (including Plague) Celandine with Rue, Blessed Thistle, Lemon peel, Zedoary, Angelica, Cinnamon (as in Bezoar Water)
2. To prevent and treat Epidemic diseases:
i. Celandine juice with 1 dram of Mithridate
ii. Celandine with Scorzonera, Dittany, Zedoary, Angelica, Gentian, Tormentil, Elecampane (as in Bezoardic Vinegar of Frankfurt)
iii. Celandine with Walnut, Juniper berry, Citron peel, Angelica, Gentian, Elecampane, Blessed Thistle, Saffron (as in Treacle Vinegar)
iv. Celandine with Rosemary, Rue, Sage, Mugwort, Wormwood, Balm, Blessed Thistle, Angelica, Tormentil, Gentian, Zedoary, Licorice (as in Plague Water)

Liver, Gall Bladder:

3. Jaundice:
i. Celandine with St. Johns wort and Saffron
ii. Celandine with Madder and Turmeric
iii. Celandine root (2 handfuls), Juniper berry (1 handful) (Gazophylacium Medico-Physicum, Woyts, 1746)
iv. Celandine with Madder, Wormwood, Centaury, Cinnamon, Saffron
4. Jaundice and Liver obstruction, Celandine with Aniseed, decocted in wine (Gerard)
5. Gall Stones, Cholecystitis:
i. Celandine with Barberry and Dandelion (BHP)
ii. Celandine with Wormwood, Hyssop, Horehound (as in Decoction for the Gall Bladder)
6. Paralysis; Salmon said the constant use of the Tincture (for 6 months) cured one of Paralysis

Eyes

7. For the eyes
i. “the juice of the herb is good to sharpen the Sight, for it cleanses and consumes away the slimy things that cleave about the ball of the eye and hinder the sight and especially being boiled with Honey in a brasen vessel, as Dioscorides teaches”. (Gerard)
ii. combine Celandine with Eyebright and Fennel seed

Other:

8. Gastrointestinal Pain, Gastritis: Celandine, Cuttlefish bone, Winter Melon seeds (TCM)
9. Fractures, decoct Celandine in wine with Pepper, add Honey, and drink for 9 days. (Physicians of Myddvai)

Externally:

10. As a bath for Eczema, Celandine with Elecampane, Artichoke leaf, Chicory, Broom flowers, Lavender and Nettle
11. Itch, Dandruff, Eczema, apply the juice Celandine (4 oz.), Olive oil 1 oz.) with Sulphur (1 ½ oz.)
12. Leprosy: “The juice of the root cures leprosy, if it is anointed, and then for nine days in a row, morning and evening, take syrup of Fumitory, and it helps without doubt”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
13. Topically for the Eyes:
i. Distilled water to apply to the Eyes: Celandine with Fennel seed, Rue, Eyebright, Clove, Camphor and Aloes; steeped in Wine and Rose water and distilled. For Heat, Pain, Redness, Inflammations, Cloudiness of the Eyes; also Fistulas, Cataracts etc.
ii. “The juice, mixed with sal ammoniac, and instilled in the eyes, removes the white of the eyes, and provides clarity”. (Dorsetn, 1540)
14. Stye, Celandine juice mixed with honey and breast milk. (Natura exenterata, Philiatros, 1655)
15. Old and putrified Wounds, beat Celandine and apply with old Suet (The Secrets of Alexis, 1615)
16. “For cancer of the mouth or bone or nerves, the powder of its root is made with rose powder and vinegar, and boiled until medium thick, and the cancerous parts are anointed, it helps a lot.” (Dorsetn, 1540)
17. Breast Cancer, apply the juice with an equal amount of Goose dung

‘DEFENDER FROM DEATH‘
Clove, Nutmeg, Cardamon, Cubeb, Mastic,
Ginger, Rosemary, Rue, Scabious 2 oz. each
Powder, and mix with equal parts Celandine juice and Brandy, enough to cover by 2 finger-widths, for 24 hours. Distil in a water bath with a gentle heat, and keep for use. (The Practise of the New and Old Phisicke, Gesner, 1599)

WATER OF YOUTH
Aloeswood, Clove, Ginger, Galangal,
    Cardamon, Cubeb, Grains of Paradise,
    Rhubarb, Cinnamon, Nutmegs, Aloe,
    Calamus, Mace                                                 2 drams each
Powder and seive, then add them to:
Celandine juice                                                   2 pints
Juice of Sage, Bryony, Bugloss, Fumitory,
    Rue, Betony, Mint, Borage, Fennel                ½ pound each
Mix, add white wine, then distil. Dose: 1 spoonful in the summer, 2 spoonfuls in the winter. (The Practise of the New and Old Phisicke, Gesner, 1599)

Major Formulas:

Tincture of Celandine
Infusion for Jaundice (Riverius)
Decoction for Jaundice
Decoction for the Gall Bladder (2)
Decoction to Cleanse the Sight (Riverius)
Syrup of Betony (Bononiense)
Electuary for the Eyes (Grulingus)
Confection of Eyebright (Confectio Humain) (Mesue)

Cautions:

1. Avoid during pregnancy
2. Toxic in overdose

Toxicity

–Hepatotoxicity induced by greater celandine (Chelidonium majus L.): a review of the literature.
–Greater Celandine hepatotoxicity: a clinical review.
–Suspected Greater Celandine hepatotoxicity: liver-specific causality evaluation of published case reports from Europe.

Main Preparations used:

Extract/Dehydrated Juice, Distilled Water of the herb, Salt of the Ashes

1. Extract of Celandine:
i. Bruise a sufficient quantity of fresh Celandine with a little water; express the juice and immediately evaporate in a water-bath, stirring constantly. (Pharmacopoeia Wirtembergica, 1798)
ii. Bruise a sufficient quantity of fresh Celandine with a little water; express the juice and immediately evaporate in a water-bath until thick enough that a fourth part of powdered Celandine is required to make an extract.
iii. Celandine (1 lb.), Boiling Water (10 lbs.). Digest 24 hours, then boil for 2 hours, then strain; boil the residue again with Water (8 lbs.), and strain and press. Mix the 2 liquors and evaporate to the consistency of an extract. (Belgium Pharmacopoeia)
iv. Celandine juice, Brandy (or alcohol) equal parts
Mix well and steep them for a few days, then strain and decant the clear extract.
This is said by some to be the best preparation of Celandine for internal use. It is also a good preparation for external use on Warts etc.
Dose: 5-10 drops.
2. Tincture of Celandine:
Celandine leaves ½ lb.
Brandy 6 lbs.
Digest in a well stopped vessel for 3 days, strain and press out strongly; repeat the infusion with new leaves twice more, then keep the clarified liquor for use.
It quickens the Eyesight, cures Jaundice, and keeps back Old Age. (Salmon)
3. Distilled Water of Celandine:
i. Celandine (1 part), Water (2 parts). Distil two-thirds. (Pharmacopoeia Sardoa, 1773)
4. Honey of Celandine:
i. Honey (3 lbs.), Celandine Juice (2 lbs.). Boil together until no more scum is formed, then strain through flannel and evaporate to the consistency of Honey. Mostly used externally as a detergent. (Dispensatorium Fuldense, 1791)

Extra Info
History
Research
Comment

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“It is called Chelidonium, from the Greek word Chelidon, which signifies a Swallow, because they say that if you put out the eyes of Young Swallows when they are in the nest, the old ones will recover them again with this herb”. (Culpeper)
-“Few plants have greater notoriety as folk remedies for Cancer”.. Celandine has had a long history and reputation as an anti-Cancer herb in Russia, used both internally and externally, as well as being injected topically.
-It was one of the 24 herbs of Mercer’s herbal.
-“This herb springeth in the time in which the Swallows, and also the Eagles, make their nests … and if the beforenamed herb be put upon the head of a sick man, if he should die, he shall sing anon with a loud voice, if not, he shall weep”. (Albertus)
–A Spell to Stop Going to Jail: Fill a small red flannel bag with Celandine, wear over the Heart so it touches your skin; replace the herb every three days. This is said to help prevent incarceration, or relieve the hardship of jail if it is inevitable.

“The herb CHELIDONTA, as Dioscorides and Pliny write, has its name in the Greek and Latin languages, from the Hirundinidae, because it comes out of the ground when the swallows come out: but when they leave, it withers: or because the Swallows with this herb restore life to their chicks in the nest, even with their eyes are cut off: whence it is also known, that it heals the eyes of men, the noble Herbarium Jerome calls this herb a gift from heaven to men, on account of the power and virtue with which it is cultivated” (Dorsetn, 1540)

For the CURE of ALL DISEASES.
“Also I have read, and it seems to be somewhat probable, that the herb, being gathered as I showed before [when the Sun is in Leo], and the Elements drawn apart from it by the art of the Alchymist, and after they are drawn apart rectified, the earthly quality still in rectifying them added to Terra Damnata (as alchymists call it), or Terra Sacratissima (as some philosophers call it) the elements so rectified are sufficient for the cure of all diseases, the humours offending being known, and the contrary elements given. It is an experiment worth the trying, and can do no harm’ (Culpeper)
This refers to the alchemical separation of a substance into either the 3 philosophical basics, Mercury, Salt and Sulphur, or, as in this case, into the 4 elements of Fire, Water, Earth and Air. This would give 4 preparations from the one plant, being Warm and dry, Cool and Moist, Cool and dry, and Warm and moist respectively. These are applied to a disease having opposite qualitites. If a disease was hot and dry, the ‘Water’ preparation, being cool and moist, would counteract it.
Paracelsus said the Quintessence “Renovates the Body”.
Salmon also noted “The Essence hereof preserves from old age, or makes age look youthful”.

Last Updated 02/24

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