Witnessed by: Western
Lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor), of the Apocynaceae family. Low evergreen trailing subshrub with glossy leaves and blue-violet flowers; native range: woods and banks of central and southern Europe; widely naturalised. Globally recognized as common periwinkle; myrtle; creeping myrtle; cut-finger in English. The part used is leaf and aerial part. Smooth leathery leaves, bitter and markedly astringent, almost odourless.
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.
LESSER PERIWINKLE
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- lesser periwinkle
- Scientific name
- Vinca minor L.
- Family
- Apocynaceae
Form
- Part used
- leaf and aerial part
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Western
- bitter · astringent
Temperature
- Western
- cool, drying
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- blood · circulation · nervous system · mucous membranes
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Western
- astringent, haemostatic, bitter tonic, cerebral circulatory stimulant (vincamine)
Cautions
Contraindications: avoid in pregnancy, in constipation, and where blood pressure is already low or brain tumour is suspected
Toxicity: large doses may lower blood pressure sharply and irritate the gut; the alkaloids are potent
Interactions
- Western
- antihypertensives: additive lowering of blood pressure · anticoagulants: vincamine may affect platelet function and bleeding
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