Words to the Wise: Daphne is thought to contain resin compounds that can have an effect on latent malignant cells. Daphne contains cocarcinogenic compounds which do not cause malignant growth, even when applied repeatedly, but they act in a synergistic way with carcinogens, causing rapid malignant cell division when applied after a carcinogen.[225] However, daphne has also been found to contain anti-tumor agents (genkwadaphnin and yuanhuacine) in the root.[226] Licorice Glycyrrhiza glabra root interferes in the action of daphne.
Daphne fruits are particularly toxic when eaten, producing a violent irritation of the intestinal mucosa of the digestive tract, resulting in vomiting, sometimes containing blood. Daphne fruits can cause death – especially in children. Symptoms appear 15 minutes to four hours after ingestion. Daphne can cause contact dermatitis.
Watch for signs of Toxicity Specific to Daphne: loss of body weight, choking sensation, vomiting, hyper catharsis, and kidney irritation.
Dried Flower Bud Abortifacient Decoction: 1.5 – 3 g flower bud powder (called flos genkwa in TCM), fry in one cup (250 ml) vinegar for five minutes, then add 2 cups (500 ml) of water. Simmer for fifteen minutes. Then take orally, 4 - 8 oz. (125 – 250 ml), two to three times a day. Decoction can be used for abortifacient vaginal pessary.
Dittany
A branch of healing Dittany she brought, which in the Cretan fields with care she sought. Rough is the stem, which woolly leaves surround, the leaves with flowers, the flowers with purple crowned.
- Virgil’s Aeneid, 25 BC
AKA: Dittany of Crete, hop marjoram, dictamnus, winter sweet, and d'ctamo de Creta.
Parts Used: Leaves, flower tops, and seeds.
Medicinal Properties: Antioxidant, antibacterial, antimicrobial, aphrodisiac, oxytocic, stomachic, and vulnerary.
Effects on the Body: Stimulant, relieves gas, increases menstrual flow, and hastens childbirth. Soothes stomach, digestive system, and rheumatism. Helps heal wounds when applied.
Abortifacient Action: Research suggests it stimulates prostaglandins and may inhibit implantation.
Contains: Carvacrol and thymol.
Description: Endemic to Crete, where it grows in the cracks of rocks lining steep ravines in the Cretan Mountains, dittany is a low-growing tender perennial evergreen plant, height 1 ft. (0.3 m). Dittany has procumbent white, woolly stems with small heart-shaped velvety light green to grey leaves and pink or purplish flowers in summer.
Pliny the Elder (AD 23-79) claimed that “of all emmenagogue drugs, dittany had efficacy… so powerful it should not be in the same room as a pregnant woman.” Dioscorides commented that dittany “shakes out a dead embryo.”[227] Hippocrates in his writings on gynecology recorded that dittany was used to regulate menses. In ancient times, it was believed that a snake (anciently symbolizing phallic power) would allow itself to be burned to death rather than cross the path of dittany of Crete.
Like so many abortifacient herbs, Cretan dittany’s herbal powers were woven into the myths and legends of ancient Crete. Cretan dittany is endemic to Crete where locals call it ‘eronda,’ meaning love, for its aphrodisiac properties. In flower language, dittany symbolizes passion. Dittany’s name is derived from Mount Dikte in central Crete. In ancient times, Mount Dikte was presided over by the Mother of Mountains, Cretan Goddess Dictynna, who as the great earth mother was pictured on ancient seals suckling griffons, gripping divine snakes, or holding a double-bladed axe. In ancient times, young Cretan men would climb the very steep rock faces on the sides of the valleys of Crete to gather dittany and offer it as a token of their love and strength to their beloved. Even in the modern day, some Cretan locals believe dittany is magical and can cure anything.
In Europe, Steinmetz’s herbal classic Materia Medica Vegetabilis, lists dittany as an emmenagogue.[228] A 16th century German pharmacist documented that Cretan dittany was infused in warm water “to expel a dead fetus without any peril to the mother.”[229] King’s American Dispensatory of 1898 said of dittany, “A warm infusion produces diaphoresis, and tends to promote menstruation when recently suppressed from cold.” Cretan dittany is featured repeatedly in women’s patent medicines of the early 20th century, which were often taken by women to cause abortion. A leaf infusion of dittany is used today by midwives to ease painful labor.
Scientific study has suggested that Cretan dittany inhibits implantation. In 1996, the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute published information indicating that dittany may contain or stimulate the production of prostaglandins.[230] Prostaglandins are hormones that are responsible for cervical ripening and the production of uterine contractions that induce labor.
Gathering: Cretan Dittany is sold in Crete for herbal teas where cultivated plants are the main source of supply. Above ground parts of dittany are best harvested as soon as blooming begins. Cretan dittany is difficult to gather in the wild as it prefers the cracks of tall steep cliffs. Gathering in the wild is not recommended as this plant is considered a vulnerable plant on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened plant species 1997.
Preparation: To promote menstruation a warm infusion of the plant is used the week prior to an expected menstruation. For abortive purposes the seeds are used up to the third month of pregnancy. Dittany flowering tops are used in infusion. Sometimes dittany is combined with chaste tree berries to promote menstruation. Dittany seeds are soaked overnight, ground to paste, and added to sweetened water to temper the bitter taste.
Words to the Wise: Stay out of the sun when taking Cretan dittany; phytodermatitis can result from contact or consumption of Cretan dittany and sun exposure. Cretan dittany essential oil has recently become available. Dittany essential oil should not be used internally.
Watch for signs of Toxicity Specific to Dittany: Negative side effects have yet to be documented for Cretan dittany. Reduce dosage or discontinue use if negative side effects appear.
Emmenagogual Infusion: Add ¼ tsp. (1 g) of dittany leaves and flowers to ½ cup (125 ml) of water, and let it simmer covered for seven to ten minutes. Take three to four times a day, for up to seven days.
Emmenagogual Seed: 0.5 g seed/day for no more than five days. Abortifacient Seed: 3 g seeds/day, for no more than three days.
Garlic
Garlic is good to chew and fumigate.
-8th Century BC Assyrian Health Guide
AKA: Garlic.
Parts Used: Bulb.
Medicinal Properties: Alterative, anthelmintic, antibacterial, antispasmodic, estrogenic, expectorant, diaphoretic, diuretic, hypotensive, and stimulant.
225
Nancy J. Turner and Adam F. Szczawinski.
226
I. H. Hall, R. Kasai, R. Y. Wu, K. Tagahara, K. H. Lee, “Antitumor Agents LV: Effects of Genkwadaphnin and Yuanhuacine on Nucleic Acid Synthesis of P-388 Lymphocytic Leukemia Cells,”
229
Eucharius Rösslin,
230
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (May 8-10 1996), CIHEAM, Vallezano-Bari, Italy.