Witnessed by: Western
Tormentil (Potentilla erecta), of the Rosaceae family. Low creeping perennial of poor acid ground with four-petalled yellow flowers and a thick woody rhizome; native range: heaths, moors and acid grassland across Europe and western Asia. Globally recognized as septfoil, bloodroot, earthbank, shepherd's knot in English. The part used is rhizome and root. Root very astringent and bitter, staining the spittle red-brown and puckering the mouth.
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.
TORMENTIL
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- tormentil
- Scientific name
- Potentilla erecta (L.) Raeusch.
- Family
- Rosaceae
Form
- Part used
- rhizome and root
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Western
- astringent · bitter
Temperature
- Western
- cool and drying
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- bowels · intestines · mucous membranes · skin
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Western
- astringent, antidiarrhoeal, haemostatic, anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, antimicrobial
Cautions
Contraindications: generally well tolerated; avoid large doses on a sensitive or empty stomach
Toxicity: high tannin content may cause nausea or gastric irritation in excess
Interactions
- Western
- CYP450-metabolised drugs: tannins may bind and reduce absorption of drugs taken at the same time
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