Early spring flowers and herbal use in Poland

At first, I thought it was dandelions, but no! It was a beautiful patch of coltsfoot! I got so excited! I have not seen coltsfoot in the spring in a very long time and was so glad I had my phone to take a photo.

     Generations of my Polish ancestors used coltsfoot to treat lung disorders by drying it, shredding it, and rolling it up into a cigarette to smoke or by throwing it into the fire to inhale as a treatment for coughs and lung ailments. 

     I was alerted now to keep my eyes open and started looking more carefully along the roadside and was rewarded with another bright yellow flower with dark, heart shaped green leaves  I had to pull out the SEEK app on my phone as I didn’t immediately recognize it:
​     Lesser celadine, Ficaria verna in Latin. It belongs to the buttercup family of plants.

      Its common name, pilewort, gives an indication of its use in the past. In Poland, the plant grows everywhere and was used to treat hemorrhoids as well. Not a highly romantic image but there was something about it that brought British poet William Wordsworth to write three separate odes to it: To the Small Celandine," "To the Same Flower," and "The Lesser Celandine"—and had them carved onto his tombstone.
      Along the walk I saw the red twigs of red osier dogwood and the early, fuzzy gray-green leaves of mullein. Lastly I did see the dandelions(Taraxacum officinale). 

     Poems have been written to it as well for who doesn’t remember the joy of plucking them from the ground into bouquets as a child or blowing on the puffballs for entertainment? It is still treated with disdain as a noxious weed through many eyes yet had significant use among Native Americans and the early colonists of America as a digestive aid improving sluggish appetites. At this time of year in Poland, when spring weather was still unpredictable and getting chilled or rained upon is the norm, a syrup made of fresh dandelion flowers, water, sugar and lemon treated  springtime coughs and colds.

      Thank you for reading!

    Find out more about Polish gardens, herbal medicine and folklore in my book titled Polish Herbs, Flowers and Folk Medicine. Hippocrene Books, Inc. now offering a special promotion of 40% off on all my books through Indiepubs.com with the promo code HIPPOCRENE40. 
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