PEAR TREE LOG

pear tree log: I started this blog to keep my younger son, Jonny, in touch with life in Lincolnshire, while he spent a year working in China. That year turned into five! Now he is home and training to become a physics teacher. This is simply a patchwork quilt of some of the things I enjoy - life in rural Lincolnshire, our animals, friends, architecture, books, the gardens, and things of passing interest.



Saturday 17 March 2012

Butterbur, Butterdock, Pestilence Wort...

On a recent walk I spotted an unusual-looking plant which I had never come across before.  I asked for help in identifying it and wonderful Meggie on the Prairie very kindly did some research and found that it was a Butterbur.
In between digging jobs in the garden I have found a little time to do some reading about the plant and its uses in folk medicine.    I found it interesting, so I thought I'd post about it.


First of all, why the strange name - well it seems that the leaves were used to wrap butter.  At the time I found the flowers there were no leaves visible, but apparently they can grow to a metre in diameter, on a stalk of up to 1.2 metres.  I can't wait to go back and have another look - it will probably be a jungle in there by now.


There are many other common names for it, Bog Rhubarb, Butterdock, Devil's Hat, and Pestilence Wort (my favourite), Umbrella leaves, Flapperdock and many others.  It was well known to country folk!


Nicholas Culpeper, the great herbalist,  called it a great preserver of the heart and reviver of the spirits and documented the use of Butterbur to provoke sweat and fight the plague, and fevers.
Borrowed image of Nicholas Culpeper



The roots were dried, beaten to a powder and drunk in wine.  Not sure how effective it was.  Please do not try this at home Knatolee!


Folk medicine applications include use as a diuretic, to treat coughs, wounds, hayfever, asthma, stress and stammering. It was used mashed into a poultice and applied to wounds and broken skin.   Warning:  Butterbur contains liver-toxic and possibly carcinogenic components.


In a lighter vein, historically the seeds have been used for love divination.   So, according to English folk lore, a young maiden should sow the seeds of Butterdock/Butterbur on the grass on a Friday morning, in a lonesome place, half an hour before sunrise, saying: 


"I sow, I sow,  
Then, my own dear, 
Come here, Come here, 
And mow, and mow."
A painting by Walter Hunt




Once the seed is scattered she will see her future husband mowing with a scythe, at a short distance from her.  She must not be frightened, for if she says "Have mercy on me!" he will immediately disappear.


This is said to be an infallible method, if somewhat desperate and bold!

23 comments:

  1. Hi Elaine,

    Really really interesting. I have never heard of this plant at all. So much has been forgotten and lost over the years so it is great to hear once again how it featured in people’s lives in times past...

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    1. Hi Green Dragonette, It is funny, I would have sworn that I had never come across it, but since reading up on it I am fairly certain that I know another area where it grows in huge amounts - it's just that I have never seen the early flowers before. I shall be out and about (when digging, etc permit) to investigate and see if I am right.

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  2. Make some large signs ."WARNING: PESTILENCE WORT"...place them around your property..that should keep the hunt off your land!!
    Jane x

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    1. If only the hounds could read, Jane. I've got George working on his best 'lettering' as I type, notices should be up within the hour.

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  3. Very interesting...all from one beautiful flower. Hmmmm, maybe I should try the "love divination".

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    1. Thanks to your help in identifying it, Meggie. Well, if you really want to try the love divination I could gather seeds... I wonder whether they'd get through Customs, perhaps I'd better not use the name 'Pestilence Wort'!

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  4. Butterbur is one of the ones that flower before the leaves, like Coltsfoot or Forsythia

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    1. Hi gz, That's interesting, during my reading I learnt that Butterbur is related to the Daisy, and so is Coltsfoot.

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  5. Well, I can see why this needs to grow to be a big plant to match its reputation.

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    1. Hi Joanne, It was used for so many purposes, I wonder how effective it was against the plague. Modern research is showing that it can be useful in treating migraines and also allergic rhinitis, so it's good to see that the old herbalists were on the right track.

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  6. Glad you found out the name and a bit about it, Elaine. Really interesting. I love wild flowers.

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    1. Hi Molly, Little did I know how much fun I would have from those two or three photographs! It is an amazing plant and I'm so pleased that it is being taken seriously again.

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  7. If Butterbur was supposed to be good for stammering, I wonder if they tried it on George XI. According to "The King's Speech" they tried every other crackpot thing on the poor guy! Butterbur really is a lovely flower to have such a reputation.

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    1. Hi Ms Sparrow, I have yet to see the film, although I know the story, I'm looking forward to seeing one of these days. I'm not quite sure how efficacious it would be against stammering, but it had gained some reputation, so presumably it was thought to have helped some people.

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  8. Nice blog and lovely pictures. I´m you newest follower.

    Hugs from Sweden
    Elna

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    1. Hi Elna, and welcome! I am delighted that you have stopped by. This blog is mainly based on things which happen in and around rural Lincolnshire, I hope you enjoy it.

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  9. Beautiful photos and fascinating info. I am so glad I'm not a young maiden, because I'm sure I would be frightened.

    I especially like the name "Flapperdock."

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    1. Hi Mitch, 'Flapperdock' takes my imagination into the realms of the 1920's with lovely young women wearing flapper dresses!

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  10. My fav is "pestilence wort"! What an amazing flower.

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    1. Hi Natalie, 'Pestilence Wort' takes me back to the times of 'Father Cadfael' - with his herbs and remedies, doing what he could to heal the sick.

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  11. "Bog rhubarb" certainly gives the idea it can be eaten while "pestilence wort" is something to be avoided.

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    1. Hi Janet, 'Bog Rhubarb' is probably an excellent description of the leaves, they look very much like a pale version of rhubarb - I'll photograph them when the leaves are tall and mature.

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