Effect:
cough suppressant, decongestant
Areas of application:
Cough, asthma, whooping cough, hardening of the arteries, epilepsy, warts, recent injuries
Plant parts used:
Leaves or whole plant
Collection time:
July, August
To find:
Strictly protected plant. Sometimes still on peat moss pads. It grows on raised bogs or on sandy peat soils.
Ingredients:
Flavonoids, naphtoquinone derivatives, droserone
Other:
☕ Tea: Pour 1/4 liter of boiling water over 2 teaspoons of herb and let it steep for 10 minutes. Drink 3 to 4 cups daily. Foreign Drosera is dosed higher.
A few tears, worn in an amulet, are said to drive away evil spirits.
Sundew is a carnivorous plant. The trapping leaves have villi on the edge, which are stimulated by contact with protein-containing substances to excrete a viscous drop. This drop contains formic acid and enzymes that are able to break down protein. If small insects come to it, they are held in place by the mucus, the tentacle-like villi lean towards the middle of the leaf and close off the leaf. The digestive organ begins and only when it is completed do the leaves open again. I find this totally fascinating.
Most Drosera species occur in Australia, where you can even find shrub-like climbers.
