Effect:
hemostatic, immune-boosting, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, astringent, antipyretic
Areas of application:
Ulcers, inflammation of the skin, as a hemostatic agent for injuries, meningitis, mumps, hepatitis
Plant parts used:
Leaves
Collection time:
Spring
To find:
Garden plant
Ingredients:
Essential oil, Indican dyes
Other:
Woad is a biennial to perennial plant that can reach a height of 30 to 150 cm. The root is cylindrical. All upper parts of the plant are blue-green and mostly bare. In the first year, woad forms a rosette of leaves. The leaves are obovate-lanceolate, oblong or obovate-lanceolate and entire to slightly finely toothed or side-shafted with a pointed end and slightly finely hairy. In the second year, an upright stem grows that is branched and glabrous at the top and covered with individual hairs at the bottom. The middle stem leaves are sessile, entire, oblong or lanceolate and with a pointed upper end. The upper stem leaves are sessile, encompassing the stem, ovate to ovate, entire to finely toothed with a pointed to round-pointed upper end. The umbrella-like inflorescence, which initially consists of several, is branched and terminal. Until the fruit ripens, it then becomes a racemose partial inflorescence with many flowers. The small flowers are just 3 to 8 mm in size, with four yellowish-green sepals that are elongated or narrowly ovate. The four yellow petals are obovate-lanceolate or spatulate, obovate with a pointed blade base and blunt or rounded to truncated upper end. There are six short stamens, two of which are shorter than the other four. Each pod contains one or two seeds.
Woad was long used in Europe to make blue dye until true indigo was introduced from the tropics. Later, synthetic dyes took over its function.
Banlangen (Chinese name) was particularly in demand during the SARS epidemic in China, although it has not been proven to be effective against viruses. (Wikipedia)
Hildegard von Bingen: Anyone who is plagued by paralysis, no matter how severe it is, should boil woad strongly in water and then strain it through a cloth. Then add vulture fat and twice the amount of deer tallow to the water and boil it at the same time and make an ointment out of it. With this often anointed the paralysis will disappear.