Wood Avens

This topic will deal with a plant named Wood Avens which falls under the Rosaceae kingdom. The botanical name of this plant is Geum urbanum. Wood avens also have other names such as herb Bennet, colewort.

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This perennial plant belongs to the Rose family and grows in shady areas of Europe and Middle East. It is a way side plant in Great Britain, abundant in woods and hedges in England, Ireland and southern Scotland, though becoming scarcer in the north. It is common in the greater part of Europe, Russia and Central Asia.The other common names of this plant are wood avens, herb Bennet, Goldy star, clove root, city avens, colewort and St. Benedict’s herb.

Properties

Uses Of Wood Avens

This perennial plant attains a height of 60 cm and blooms between May and August. The small bright yellow petal flowers are 1-2 cm in diameter. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite and pollinated by bees. The upper leaves on the stem are made up of three long, narrow leaflets: those lower on the stems have the three leaflets round and full. The rhizomes are 1 to 2 inches long. This plant derives its name of Avens from the Latin Avencia, Mediaeval Latin, avantia or avence, a word of obscure origin and which in varieties of spelling has been applied to the plant from very early times. Avens had many names in the fourteenth century, such as Assarabaccara, Pesleporis, or Harefoot, and Minarta. The rhizome has chemical components such as volatile oil, which is mainly composed of Eugenol, and a glucoside, Gein, geum-bitter, tannic acid, gum and resin.

Uses

The fruits have burrs, which are used for dispersal by getting caught in the fur of rabbits and other animals.
The root is used as a spice in soups and also for flavoring ale.
This plant has the power to drive away evil spirits and to protect against rabid dogs and venomous snakes.
The radical leaves are borne on long, channeled foot-stalks.
The medical properties of the plant are Astringent, Styptic, febrifuge, sudorific, stomachic, antiseptic, tonic and aromatic.
The people suffering from foul mouth can much these leaves to come out of it.
The roots are steeped in wine and drunk.

Wood Avens In Modern Herbal Medicine

Avens is considered useful in diarrhoea, dysenteries, leucorrhoea, sore throat, ague, chills, fresh catarrh, intermittent fevers, chronic and passive haemorrhages, gastric irritation and headache.
The infusion is considered an excellent cordial sudorific at the commencement of chills and catarrh, cutting short the paroxysm, and the continued use of it has restorative power in weakness, debility, etc.
Taken as decoction in the spring, Avens acts as a purifier and removes obstructions of the liver.
The powdered root has been used both in America and Europe as a substitute for Peruvian bark and has frequently been found to cure agues when the latter has failed, a drachma of powder being given every two hours.
As Arnica adulterant, the rhizome is sometimes present in the imported drug.