Witnessed by: TCM · Western · Unani
Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus), of the Papaveraceae family. Brittle perennial herb of shady walls and banks; native range: Europe and western Asia, in hedgerows and on old walls; naturalised in East Asia and North America. Globally recognized as mamiran in Hindi, bai qu cai (白屈菜) in Chinese, mamiran (ماميران) in Arabic, and swallow-wort, tetterwort, wart-weed in English. The part used is aerial parts, latex and root. Soft blue-green lobed leaves and small four-petalled yellow flowers over stems that bleed a bright orange, acrid, bitter latex.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
GREATER CELANDINE
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Greater Celandine
- Scientific name
- Chelidonium majus L.
- Family
- Papaveraceae
Form
- Part used
- aerial parts, latex and root
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- bitter
- Western
- bitter · acrid
- Unani
- bitter · acrid
Temperature
- TCM
- cool
- Western
- hot (Culpeper — hot and dry, under the Sun)
- Unani
- hot & dry (3rd degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Lung · Stomach · Liver
- Western
- liver · skin · lungs
- Unani
- liver · stomach · nerves
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- relieves cough, checks spasm and stops pain (antitussive, antispasmodic, analgesic)
- Western
- cholagogue and biliary antispasmodic, diuretic, alterative, and a caustic escharotic in its fresh latex
- Unani
- mufattih-e-sudad (deobstruent of the liver), jali (detergent), mohallil (resolvent), musakkin (soother of pain)
Cautions
Contraindications: pregnancy, existing liver disease, and obstruction of the bile duct by stone
Toxicity: holds hepatotoxic alkaloids (chelidonine, sanguinarine, coptisine); has caused acute hepatitis; the latex is caustic and irritant, and overdose brings burning, colic, dizziness and collapse
Interactions
- Western
- hepatotoxic drugs: additive liver injury — celandine's alkaloids are themselves hepatotoxic
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