God's grace herb

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God's grace herb
God's mercy herb (Gratiola officinalis)

God's mercy herb ( Gratiola officinalis )

Systematics
Euasterids I
Order : Mint family (Lamiales)
Family : Plantain family (Plantaginaceae)
Tribe : Gratioleae
Genre : Herbs of grace ( gratiola )
Type : God's grace herb
Scientific name
Gratiola officinalis
L.

The God-hyssop ( GRATIOLA officinalis ), also briefly hyssop is a species within the family of Plantain Family (Plantaginaceae). It is widespread from Europe to Central Asia.

description

illustration
Zygomorphic flower, view of the corolla
Habitus

God's grace herb grows as a perennial herbaceous plant and reaches heights between 15 and 40, sometimes 60 centimeters. It forms short runners . The upright stem is round below and almost square at the top. The above-ground parts of the plant are apparently bare. The cross-opposite and stem-encompassing leaves are narrowly lanceolate, pointed and with entire margins or serrate at a distance. The light green leaf blades appear dotted with sunken glandular hairs.

The flowering time of God's grace herb extends from July to August. The long-stalked flowers stand individually in the leaf axils. The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic . The pale pink to white, sometimes reddish-veined petals are 10 to 18 millimeters long and are fused with tubes. The corolla tube is yellow and bearded inside. The upper lip is hairy.

The brown capsule fruit is 5 millimeters long, teardrop-shaped, spherical and has four caps. The seeds are about 6 to 8 millimeters long. The seed coat is reticulated.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 32.

ecology

God's grace herb is a hemicryptophyte and reproduces vegetatively as a root creeper . It forms loose herds. The growth area settled by a population usually only covers a few square meters. The generative reproduction , germination and establishment of the plants is possibly only possible on bare ground. Presumably, God's grace herb is dependent on environmental factors that prevent higher-growing plants from dominating.

The pollination is done by insects that spread the seeds on the wind.

Occurrence

God's grace herb occurs all over Europe excluding Scandinavia and Great Britain. Its distribution area extends in south-east Europe over the Balkans to Turkey. To the east, its area extends to Central Asia and Siberia.

God's mercy herb often populates disturbed places with open ground in slender sedge , in reed beds , in wet meadows , in floodplain , on gravelly lake shores, on ditches or in periodically dry ponds. The heat-loving plant, which is used as a change in moisture indicator, is salt-bearing. It colonizes waterlogged, occasionally flooded, moderately nutrient-rich, lime-rich to poor, alkaline-rich to neutral to slightly acidic clay soils , peat or humus . The species is relatively vague. It is valid in Germany as weak Kennart the Association of cnidium meadows (Cnidion dubii Bal.-Tul., 1965). But it also occurs in societies of the Magnocaricion or Agropyro-Rumicion associations.

Danger

God's herb of grace is endangered across Europe and is in decline. In Germany it is specially protected according to the Federal Species Protection Ordinance (BArtSchV). In Germany's Red List of Endangered Ferns and Flowering Plants, it is listed as endangered (hazard category 2). In Switzerland, too, it is considered endangered (EN = "endangered").

The main sources of danger are to be found in the lack of dynamism in the natural locations of God's herb of grace. Open ground areas are hardly created by, for example, flooding, extensive grazing or stepping. Furthermore, eutrophication through fertilization is a major risk factor. But also the competition of invasive alien species and displacement by, for example, the Canadian goldenrod ( Solidago canadensis ) or bracken ( Pteridium aquilinum ) are to be named as causes of decline.

Taxonomy

The scientific name Gratiola officinalis was first published in 1753 by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum .

Toxicity

God's grace herb is highly poisonous in all parts and is no longer used in conventional medicine . The main active ingredients are the tetracyclic triterpene Gratiogenin , Gratiogeninmonoglucosid , Gratiosid and 16-Hydroxygratiogenin , according to older information also Gratiotoxin . There are 0.08% in fresh leaves cucurbitacin E and 0.02% cucurbitacin I .

Symptoms of poisoning are nausea, drooling, vomiting, colic, bloody diarrhea, inflammation of the kidneys, burning sensation in the urinary tract, cramps, disturbance of the heart and breathing. In fatal cases, death occurs through collapse, perhaps through respiratory paralysis. The impairment of vision and color perception is also noteworthy. Locally irritating and centrally resorptive, initially causing central excitement, then paralyzing. A strongly digitizing effect is ascribed to the free toxin . As side effects of this toxin, bloody bowel movements in pregnant women - abortion , violent convulsions, severe vomiting and disturbances of the heart and breathing have been observed.

Occasional poisoning has occurred in animals. The poisonous gratioside is excreted in the milk and further poisoning is possible as a result.

Medicine

According to Madaus , ancient doctors did not know the herb, despite the questionable assignment of Dioscurides' "Papaver spumeum". With Valerius Cordus it is called "Limesia", with Matthiolus and Dodonaeus Gratiola . Others also praised the healing properties against edema , iodism and as a substitute for jalape . Matthiolus describes Gratiola as laxative, diuretic and wound-healing, also von Haller for "thick mucus as well as watery moisture and bile", for dropsy , cachexia , jaundice , malaria , amenorrhea , hip pain and worms, similar to Weinmann , only with caution because of the laxative Effect, Osiander , Hufeland also in melancholy and delirium potatorum. Kostrzewski recommends it for calming madmen and venereal syphilis , Clarus for psychological suffering from diseased digestive organs. Wolff was used for gout , Wachtel and Otzolig for malaria, Schroff for discharge, and Leclerc for tubercular ascites . Schulz showed visual disturbances with nearsightedness, farsightedness and green blindness in healthy people. Skokan confirms the effect on skin diseases. The authors state that herbs or leaves are used, sometimes with roots, and that the collection time is shortly before flowering. Madaus sees general indications for the removal of ascites , in carefully increasing doses to avoid nausea, for old skin diseases, ulcers and gout, as well as epilepsy and nervous disorders with impaired digestion and menstruation. The cardiac glycoside gratiotoxin is more in the leaves or alcoholic extracts. The homeopathy uses GRATIOLA rare in nymphomania with indigestion.

etymology

The name Gratiola is derived from the Latin Gratia 'grace' , because of its healing properties, as is the German name of Gottesgnadenkraut. Popular names were earth gall, gall herb, all saints herb, curry herb, gout herb, Grazede ( "gratia dei" , grace of God ' ).

literature

  • Christoph Käsermann: Gratiola officinalis L. - Gnadenkraut - Scrophulariaceae. In: Christoph Käsermann, Daniel M. Moser (Hrsg.): Information sheets on species protection - flowering plants and ferns. Federal Office for the Environment, Forests and Landscape, Bern 1999, pp. 154–155 ( infoflora.ch [PDF; 727 kB]).
  • Gerhard Madaus : textbook of biological remedies. Volume II. Olms, Hildesheim / New York 1976, ISBN 3-487-05891-X , pp. 1487–1492 (reprint of the Leipzig 1938 edition) ( online ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Henning Haeupler, Thomas Muer: picture atlas of the fern and flowering plants of Germany . Ed .: Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (=  The fern and flowering plants of Germany . Volume 2 ). Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3364-4 , pp. 431 .
  2. ↑ Gratiola officinalis , chromosome number at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed June 2, 2015.
  3. ↑ Gratiola in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  4. ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp.  833-834 .
  5. ↑ Dieter Korneck, Martin Schnittler, I. Vollmer: Red list of fern and flowering plants (Pteridophyta et Spermatophyta) of Germany. In: Series of publications for vegetation science. Volume 28, 1996, pp. 21–187 (excerpt as PDF; 766 kB ).
  6. ↑ D. Moser, A. Gygax, B. Bäumler, N. Wyler, R. Palese: Red List of Endangered Species in Switzerland: Ferns and Flowering Plants (=  Enforcement Environment VU ). Federal Office for the Environment, Forests and Landscape, Bern; Center of the data network of the Swiss flora, Chambésy; Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève, Chambésy, 2002, p. 68 ( bafu.admin.ch [PDF; 1,2 MB ]).
  7. ↑ Carl von Linné: Species Plantarum. Volume 1, Lars Salvius, Stockholm 1753, p. 17 ( digitized versionhttp: //vorlage_digitalisat.test/1%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.biodiversitylibrary.org%2Fpage%2F358038%23page%2F29%2Fmode%2F1up~GB%3D~IA%3D~MDZ%3D%0A~SZ% 3D ~ double-sided% 3D ~ LT% 3D ~ PUR% 3D ).
  8. ↑ a b c d Lutz Roth, Max Daunderer, Karl Kormann: Poison plants plant poisons. 6th revised edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-86820-009-6 , pp. 383-384.
  9. ^ Gerhard Madaus: Textbook of biological remedies. Volume II. Olms, Hildesheim / New York 1976, ISBN 3-487-05891-X , pp. 1487–1492 (reprint of the Leipzig 1938 edition) ( henriettes-herb.com ).
  10. ^ Roger Morrison: Handbook of Key Homeopathic Symptoms and Confirmatory Symptoms. 2nd Edition. Kai Kröger Verlag, Groß Wittensee 1997, ISBN 3-9801945-5-8 , pp. 315-316.
  11. ^ Gerhard Madaus: Textbook of biological remedies. Volume II. Olms, Hildesheim / New York 1976, ISBN 3-487-05891-X , p. 1487 (reprint of the Leipzig 1938 edition) ( henriettes-herb.com ).

Web links

Commons : God's grace herb ( Gratiola officinalis )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files