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Cistus ladanifer, Labdanum

Rockrose
Picture
Ortus Sanitatis, Meydenbach, 1491

Picture
Left: Male Cistus; Right: Female Cistus
Kreutterbuch, Matthiolus, 1586

Picture
Picture
Flora von Deutschland (13), Kohler, 1883
Medical Botany, Woodville, Hooker, Vol. 3, 1832

Botanical name:
Cistus creticus, C. ladanifer

Parts used:
Resin exuding spontaneously from the leaves and branches.
Two varieties are found on the market:
  1. Labdanum in mass: soft, glutinant masses, blackish-red or blackish (best, but rare)
  2. Labdanum in tortis: flattened, twisted cylinders, dry, hard and brittle, blackish-grey in color
Today, the raw resin is extracted by boiling the leafy twigs.

Temperature & Taste:
Warm, dry. Pungent, Bitter, Aromatic

Uses:

1. Opens the Orifices, Moves Qi, Clears Phlegm:
-suffocative Asthma, Catarrh
-obstruction of the Uterus, Hysteria
-Cough in children, applied in plasters to the chest and upper back
-used in perfumes and fumigations to uplift Spirit, clear the Head and remove obstruction of Qi

2. Warms the Stomach, Moves Qi:
-pain, distention of the Stomach
-Vomiting

3. Moves the Blood:
-helps cleanse the Afterbirth
-fumigation is used for Puerperal diseases (Unani)

4. Externally:
-added to plasters as a local warming stimulant, principally to warm the Stomach or Head
-in plasters for Hernia
-helps retain and strengthen the hair when applied


CORRECTIVE:
1. Sandalwood
2. Rose water

SUBSTITUTE:
1. Indian Spikenard (Unani)
2. Labdanum is an accepted vegetable substitute for Ambergris and Musk in perfumery

Main Combinations:
1.. Asthma, Labdanum with Storax, Aloeswood, Camphor (as in Alipta Moschata of Nicholas)
2. Hysteria, Labdanum with Asafetida, Rue
3. As a fumigant, Labdanum with Olibanum, Myrrh, Amber, Storax, Benzoin
4. As a plaster to warm the Stomach, Labdanum with Olibanum, Storax, Benzoin
5. Plaster for Hernia. Labdanum with Turpentine, Mastic, Comfrey root, Cypress nuts, Armenian Earth
6. To nourish the strengthen the Hair, Labdanum with Storax, Saffron, Gum ammoniac, infused in wine and applied

Cautions:
Not used during pregnancy

Main Preparations used:

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  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Brief Overview of Traditional Medicine
    • Timeline
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    • Glossaries
    • Articles on Traditional Medicine
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    • Medicine Pictures
    • Substitute Medicines
  • Theory
  • Materia Medica
    • Ayurvedic Materia Medica
    • Chinese Materia Medica
    • Tibetan Materia Medica
    • Unani Materia Medica
    • Materia Medica of Herbal Medicine FREE
    • Materia Medica of Herbal Medicine PRO
    • Mineral Materia Medica
    • Animal Materia Medica
    • Chinese Classification
    • Western Classification
    • Humoral Medicine
    • Herbal Combinations
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