Swallowwort

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Swallowwort
Swallowwort (Vincetoxicum hirundinaria)

Swallowwort ( Vincetoxicum hirundinaria )

Systematics
Family : Dog poison family (Apocynaceae)
Subfamily : Silk plants (Asclepiadoideae)
Tribe : Asclepiadeae
Sub tribus : Tylophorinae
Genre : Schwalbenwurzen ( Vincetoxicum )
Type : Swallowwort
Scientific name
Vincetoxicum hirundinaria
Medic.

The Schwalbenwurzen ( Vincetoxicum hirundinaria ) is a species of the genus Schwalbenwurzen ( Vincetoxicum ) and belongs to the family of the dog poison plants (Apocynaceae). It is the only native representative of the silk plant family (Asclepiadoideae), a species-rich subfamily that is particularly widespread in the tropics.

description

The herbaceous perennial plant reaches heights of between 30 and 100 centimeters. The opposite leaves are elongated and heart-shaped at the base. They are smooth-edged and have a dark bluish-green color on top, and noticeably lighter on the underside.

The flowers are in small clusters in the leaf axils. The crown is about five to seven millimeters wide, is yellowish white and wheel-shaped. The flowering period lasts from May to August.

The chromosome number is 2n = 22, less often 44.

Illustrations

  • Vincetoxicum hirundinaria , inflorescence

  • Seed pods

  • Vincetoxicum hirundinaria

  • Opened seed pod with seeds

  • Fruit with seeds

ecology

The swallow root is a hemikryptophyte (stem plant) or a climbing perennial. As a free-standing plant, it grows upright. But if it has to grow between competing plants of about the same height, then its internodes lengthen and it becomes a left-handed creeper with lighter green leaves. It then winds in the same direction as the bindweed and field bindweed . Its creeping rhizome is knotty. The plant is equipped with articulated milk tubes , as is customary in the whole family circle. It is a deep and intensive root.

The flowers are "clip-trap flowers", the pollen of which is transmitted in packets. The stamen appendages are fused into a 5-column wreath. The dust compartment contents ( pollinia ) of two neighboring dust bags are connected by a thread (translator), at the center of which the clamp body is located. The 5 nectaries that surround the anthers sit alternately with the anthers. If visitors step "next to it", they get caught with their "feet" in the clamp body and, if they want to leave the flower again, have to pull out the "feet" including the pollinium. Larger flies (e.g. blowflies ) succeed in doing this, while smaller mosquitoes get caught in the clamp body of the flowers and die there. The flowers smell fish-like due to amines , which mainly attracts flies . The flowering period extends from May to August.

Often only one of the two carpels develops into an up to 7 cm long, bellows-like fruit , which, however, opens along the dorsal seam to release numerous seeds individually. The egg-shaped, flat, up to 7 mm long and 7–8 mg heavy seeds have a conspicuous head of hair up to 18 mm long, with the help of which they spread out like an umbrella flyer; its speed of fall is 60 cm / s. In addition, it spreads as water-bound. Often there are several embryos in one seed; it is therefore polyembryonia . Fruit ripening is from August to October; the fruits are winter dwellers. Vegetative propagation occurs through runners .

Occurrence

The lime-loving plant is widespread in Europe; scattered in Germany, often represented in Austria in all federal states. The preferred location is dry, warm, light forests and stony dry grasslands. In Central Europe it thrives on warm, alkaline, mostly calcareous, often poor, loose, often stony clay or loam soils, also on sandy soils or stone rubble. It is a weak species of the Geranion sanguinei association, but also occurs in societies of the order Stipetalia calamagrostis, the Quercetalia pubescentis and in the associations Cephalanthero-Fagion, Carpinion or Erico-Pinion. In the Allgäu Alps, it rises to an altitude of around 1600 meters.

Vincetoxicum hirundinaria in Catalonia

Systematics

In the case of the white swallowwort, around 11 subspecies can be distinguished:

  • Vincetoxicum hirundinaria subsp. adriaticum (Beck) Markgr. (Syn .: Vincetoxicum adriaticum Beck ): It occurs on the northwestern Balkan peninsula.
  • Vincetoxicum hirundinaria subsp. apodum ( arbitrary ) O.Bolòs : It only occurs in Spain.
  • Vincetoxicum hirundinaria subsp. contiguum (WDJKoch) Markgr. (Syn .: Cynanchum contiguum W.DJKoch ): It occurs in Corsica , in Italy and on the northwestern Balkan peninsula.
  • Vincetoxicum hirundinaria subsp. cretaceum (Pobed.) Markgr. (Syn .: Antitoxicum cretaceum Pobed. ): It occurs from the southern and eastern Ukraine to the Caucasus.
  • Vincetoxicum hirundinaria subsp. hirundinaria : It occurs from Europe to western Siberia and northern Turkey, in north-western Africa and in the Himalayas.
  • Vincetoxicum hirundinaria subsp. intermedium (Loret & Barrandon) Markgr. : It occurs from southern France to northeastern Spain and the Balearic Islands .
  • Vincetoxicum hirundinaria subsp. jailicola (Juz.) Markgr. (Syn .: Vincetoxicum jailicola Juz. ): It occurs only in the Crimea .
  • Vincetoxicum hirundinaria subsp. lusitanicum Markgr. : It occurs from northern Spain to northwestern Portugal.
  • Vincetoxicum hirundinaria subsp. luteolum (Jord. & Fourr.) la Valva, Moraldo & Caputo (Syn .: Vincetoxicum luteolum Jord. & Fourr. ): It occurs in France and Italy.
  • Vincetoxicum hirundinaria subsp. nivale (Boiss. & Heldr.) Markgr. (Syn .: Vincetoxicum nivale Boiss. & Heldr. ): It occurs on the Balkan Peninsula.
  • Vincetoxicum hirundinaria subsp. stepposum (Pobed.) Markgr. (Syn .: Antitoxicum stepposum Pobed. ): It occurs from the Crimea to western Siberia and the northern Caucasus region.

pharmacology

The plant was previously used in medicine. Oxasteroid glycosides with saponin-like properties ( vincetoxin ) and small amounts of isoquinoline alkaloids such as tylophorin are particularly active ingredients in the underground organs .

Today swallowwort is no longer used in conventional medicine. The earlier use of the underground parts as a diuretic and perspiration is out of date. The name alone has survived from its original use as an antidote against snake venom. It is still used in homeopathy, e.g. B. Engystol for a cold.

Toxicity

All parts of the plant, especially those underground, contain a mixture of glycosides known as vincetoxin. The effect is similar to that of monkshood , at high doses death from respiratory paralysis is said to occur, but the danger is controversial. The preferred aglycone is hirundigenin . Sheep and cattle avoid the plant. It is only eaten by horses after frost .

Others

The plant serves as an intermediate host for the pine bladder rust .

Origin of name

The genus name Vincetoxicum is derived from the Latin vincere “to defeat” and toxicum “poison” and denotes a plant that acts as an antidote . The name Schwalbenwurz is derived from the Middle Latin name of the plant hirundinaria or from the Latin hirundo "swallow" and expresses the similarity of the hair-provided seeds with flying swallows . Other common names include St. Lawrence root, St. Lawrence herb and white swallow root. Because of the resemblance of the root to a dragon's head, the plant was called dragon root in the 15th century.

history

In the 15th century "Schwalbenwurcz" was mentioned in Nikolaus Frauenlob's herbal book under the name "Trakkenwurcz" (Dragon Arum). When applied externally, it was supposed to pull fragments of bone from wounds and heal the bites of poisonous animals. Taken internally in wine, it was recommended as a repellent against poison and to expel stones from the urinary bladder.

In his herbal book, published in 1532, Otto Brunfels had "nothing highly learned" to say about swallowweed, which he "only knew by appearance". He could not find it in Dioscurides' book of herbs and he only knew that the surgeons used the root to heal fractures and wounds. He gave detailed information about the growth conditions and the appearance of the plant. The woodcut made by Hans Weiditz and attached to the Brunfels text allowed the species to be clearly named as Vincetoxicum hirundinaria.

In his herbal book, published in 1539, Hieronymus Bock interpreted the "Schwalbenwurz" as the "asclepias" from the works of Dioscurides and Pliny . This interpretation was adopted by Leonhart Fuchs in his Latin book of herbs in 1542 and by Walter Ryff in his annotated Diokurides edition in 1543 . Hieronymus Bock characterized the effect of the root as warm and dry . Used internally , it is good against stomach grief , prevents the poison from spreading after being bitten by a poisonous animal and drives out dropsy by causing sweating on the feet. Applied externally as a seated steam bath, it eliminates abdominal pain and "requires and softens" the missing menstrual period . A prepared tetes from herb and root litter powder was used for wound treatment . In the 17th and 18th centuries, swallowwort was a component of many theriac preparations .

Sources on the history of swallowwort, dragonwort and asclepias (selection)

Historical illustrations

literature

  • Elisabeth Stahl-Biskup and Beatrice Gehrmann. Vincetoxicum . In: Hager's Handbook of Pharmaceutical Practice . 5th edition, Volume 6 (Drugs PZ), Springer, Berlin etc. 1994, pp. 1134–1141 ISBN 3-540-52639-0
  • Gunter Steinbach (Ed.), Bruno P. Kremer u. a .: wildflowers. Recognize & determine. Mosaik, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-576-11456-4 .
  • Manfred A. Fischer , Wolfgang Adler, Karl Oswald: Excursion flora for Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol. 2nd, improved and enlarged edition. State of Upper Austria, Biology Center of the Upper Austrian State Museums, Linz 2005, ISBN 3-85474-140-5 .
  • Ruprecht Düll , Herfried Kutzelnigg : Pocket dictionary of plants in Germany. A botanical-ecological excursion companion to the most important species. 6th, completely revised edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2005, ISBN 3-494-01397-7 .
  • Ruprecht Düll, Herfried Kutzelnigg: Pocket dictionary of plants in Germany and neighboring countries. The most common Central European species in portrait. 7th, corrected and enlarged edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1 .
  • Ingrid and Peter Schönfelder : The new manual of medicinal plants, Franckh-Kosmos Verlagsgesellschaft, 2004, ISBN 3-440-09387-5
  • Roth / Daunderer / Kormann: Poisonous plants, plant poisons. 4th edition.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b 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.  760 .
  2. ↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 2, IHW, Eching 2004, ISBN 3-930167-61-1 , p. 355.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Vincetoxicum - World Checklist of Selected Plant Families of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Last accessed on November 8, 2018.
  4. ↑ Hermann Fischer . Medieval botany . Munich 1929, p. 288
  5. ↑ Pedanios Dioscurides , 1st century (after Berendes 1902), Book III, Cap. 96 (digitized version)
  6. ↑ Jean Ruel . Pedacii Dioscoridis Anazarbei de medicinali materia: libri quinq [ue] . Stephanus, Paris 1516, Book III, Chapter 105: De Asclepiade (digitized version) --- Walther Hermann Ryff . Pedanii Dioscuridis Anazarbei De Medicinali Materia Libri Sex… Egenolph, Frankfurt 1543. Book III, Chapter 88 (p. 250) (digitized version ) --- Edition annotated by Valerius Cordus, Frankfurt 1549, Book III, Chapter 88: Asclepias (digitized version) ; P. 496: Annotationes Valerii Cordi (digitized version )
  7. ↑ Pliny the Elder . Naturalis historia . Book XXVII, § 35 (Chapter XVIII): Asclepias. (Digitized Latin) ( Digitized from the Külb edition 1840-1864 German)
  8. ↑ Nikolaus Frauenlob . Herbal Book . Cpg 583 , Southwest Germany, 1453-83, sheet 31r-v (digitized version )
  9. ↑ Transcription: sheet 31r. Trakhenwurcz grows on high mountains and sinfully in pulen vnd dÿ wurcz steadily tewff in the earth and is designed sam track hawbt darvmb so hate sy Trackenwurcz. Item who wants to suffer pain from wounds from other things . Man sal trackenwurcz with old smerb zestössen vnd sal the onf dÿ lay wounds ader auff anderslay spoken because the pain jnne be spoken the czewcht dÿ pain out vnd ​​hailt. Anyone who wants to avoid poisoning . Man sal trackenwurcz boil and drink from it that helps against all gifft and for manigerlaÿ spoken jm leyb . Sheet 31v. Contra morsum animalis venenosi . One sips trackenwurczen with water whale boil and then zesto and onf the poisoned instead of putting that helps. Who wants to drive the gestain out of the platern . Man sal trackenwurcz zest and drink the juice with wine or boil and then drink that drives away the stench .
  10. ↑ Hieronymus Brunschwig . Small distillery book , Strasbourg 1500, sheet 108v Von Spargen water ... long shaggy roots like the hor / but bigger or like schwall wurtz / which is called by the Latin vicetoxici ... (digitalisat)
  11. ↑ Otto Brunfels . Kreuterbuch 1532, p. 159: Schwalbenwurz (digitized version)
  12. ↑ Hieronymus Bock : Kreuterbuch 1539, Part I, Cap. 58: Schwalbenwurtz (digitized version)
  13. ^ Leonhart Fuchs : De historia stirpium . Isengrin, Basel 1542, p. 130 (digitized version) .
  14. ↑ Joachim Camerarius the Younger : (revision) of the translation by Georg Handsch. Petri Andreae Matthioli medici senensis Commentarii, in libros sex Pedacii Dioscoridis Anazarbei, de medica materia. Johan Feyerabend, Franckfurt am Mayn 1586 (digitized version)
  15. ↑ Johann Schröder . Pharmacopoeia medico-chymica: sive thesaurus pharmacologicus, quo composita quaeque celebriora; hinc mineralia, vegetabilia & animalia chymico-medice describuntur, atque insuper principia physicae Hermetico-Hippocraticae candide exhibentur ... Görlin, Ulm 1644, 4.170 (digital copy ) ; Edition 1748, p. 1459: Vincetoxicum (digital copy )
  16. ↑ Moyse Charas . Pharmacopoe royale galénique et chymique , Paris 1676, p. 138 (digitized version )
  17. ↑ Nicolas Lémery . Dictionnaire universel des drogues simples, contenant leurs noms, origines, choix, principes, vertus, étymologies, et ce qu'il ya de particulier dans les animaux, dans les végétaux et dans les minéraux , Laurent d'Houry, Paris, 1699, p 807: Vincetoxicum (digitized version) --- Complete Lexicon of Materials. Initially drafted in French, but now after the third edition, which has been enlarged by a large [...] edition, translated into high German / By Christoph Friedrich Richtern , [...]. Johann Friedrich Braun, Leipzig 1721, Sp. 1179: Vincetoxicum (digitized version)
  18. ↑ Pharmacopoeia Argentoratensis , pp. 21-22: Aqua Theriacalis Bezoardica (digital copy ) ; Pp. 60–63: Theriaca Coelestis… (digital copy ) ; P. 91: Essentia Alexipharmaca Stahlii juxta Junckerum (digital copy )
  19. ↑ D. George Ernst Stahls, Königl. Prussia. Leib-Medici and Hof-Rath's Materia Medica. That is: preparation, strength and flavoring, of which artzneyes especially invented by chemical art: In it both the finest gold-silver-steel-Kupffer-Bley-tin-mercurial artzneyen are listed, as well as other means taken from minerals, like not brought Less the best medicines from the vegetables and animals are communicated, because of its worthiness, translated from Latin into German, and for the best in general the other time, and together with an appendix from the Specificis increased. Zimmermann and Gerlach, Dresden 1731, p. 157 (digitized version)
  20. ↑ Pharmacopoea Wirtenbergica 1741, p. 25: Radix Hirundinariae (digitized version ) --- 1786, p. 32 (digitized version)
  21. ^ Jean-Baptiste-Thomas Martinenq. Codex medicamentarius, seu pharmacopoea parisiensis, ex mandato Facultate medicinae parisiensis, Guillelmum Cavelier, Paris 1748, pp. 82–83: Theriaca Coelestis… (digital copy )
  22. ↑ Onomatologia medica completa or Medicinisches Lexicon which explains all names and artificial words which are peculiar to the science of medicine and the art of pharmacy clearly and completely . Gaum, Ulm, Frankfurt and Leipzig 1755, Sp. 795 (digitized version)
  23. ↑ H. Feneulle. Analysis. Des racines de dompte-venin . In: Journal de Pharmacie et des Sciences Accessoires . Volume 11 (1825), p. 305 311 (digitized version)
  24. ↑ Encyclopedic Dictionary , 1833 (digitized version)
  25. ↑ August Husemann and Theodor Husemann : The plant substances in chemical, physiological, pharmacological and toxicological terms. For doctors, pharmacists, chemists and pharmacologists. Springer, Berlin 1871, pp. 872–73 (digitized version )
  26. ^ Theodor Husemann. Handbook of the entire pharmacology. 2 volumes, Springer, Berlin 1873–1875, 2nd edition, Springer, Berlin 1883. Volume II, p. 589 (digitized version)

Web links

Commons : Schwalbenwurz  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Schwalbenwurz  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations