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Dropwort, Water
(Phellandrium aquaticum printed as
Oenanthe Phellandrium Lamarck)
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Dropwort, Water
Oenanthe phellandrium (syn. Phellandrium aquaticum),
the Fine-leaved Water Dropwort, known popularly as Water Fennel, is
a common British plant in ditches and by the sides of ponds.
It is a biennial, flowering from July to September in its second
year of growth.
The stems are 2 to 3 feet high, very stout at the base, rising
from fibrous roots. The leaves are divided into many fine segments,
the lower ones submerged. The umbels are smaller than those of O.
crocata and are on short stalks, springing either from the forks
of the branches or from opposite the leaves.
The rootstock varies in appearance, according to the locality.
If growing in deep or running water the rootstock and stem are long
and slender; in other districts it is thicker and more erect. The
variety that grows in deep running water is often considered a distinct
species and is classed under O. fluviatilis.
O. phellandrium is less poisonous than O. crocata,
but both produce ill-effects if eaten.
Modern uses:The fruits have been used
in chronic pectoral affections such as bronchitis, pulmonary consumption
and asthma, also in dyspepsia, intermittent fever, obstinate ulcers,
etc. The dose when given in powdered form is 5 or 6 grains to commence
with, so repeated as to amount to a drachm in four hours. An alcoholic
extract and essence of the fruits has also been recommended as a
very valuable and active remedy in the relief of consumption and
bronchitis.
In overdoses the fruits produce vertigo, intoxication and other
narcotic effects.
Externally applied, the root has sometimes been used as a local
remedy in piles. When eaten in mistake, like that of O. crocata,
the results have sometimes proved fatal. The symptoms produced are
those of irritation of the stomach, failure of circulation and great
cerebral disturbance, indicated by giddiness, convulsions and coma.
The fresh leaves are injurious to cattle, producing a kind of
paralysis when eaten. When dried, they lose their deleterious properties
.
O. fistulosa, the Common Water Dropwort, is found in watery
places. This has a mixture of slender and fleshy roots, and bears
leaves with only a few narrow segments. It is also poisonous. A
peculiar resinous principle, called cenanthin, has been found in
this species.
Most of the other species of Oenanthe found both in Great
Britain and in the United States are poisonous, although none appear
to be as virulent as O. crocata. A few are, however, innocuous,
and their roots, especially those of O. pimpinelloides, have
been esteemed as food in certain districts. Burnett (Medical
Botany) states 'they are replete with a bland farina and have
something the flavour of a filbert.'
Other Names: Water Fennel. Horsebane. Phellandrium aquaticum
(Linn.).
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