Read here about Eastern Cyclamen, Cyclamen coum, its medicinal properties and place in folklore.
Not to be confused with other cyclamens of taller stature and later flowering, the tiny pink petals of Cyclamen coum are among the earliest garden flowers to appear. Their low growing habit and almost miniaturised blooms make them easily overlooked amongst the shiny yellow winter aconites and the bright white bells of the snowdrops. They take a while to establish in any number, and hate being dry in the summer; but they tolerate some shade and don’t mind a north facing spot, while their brave splash of colour is a welcome sight from December right through March. Cyclamen coum is native to areas around the Black Sea, from Turkey to Bulgaria, and the Mediterranean from Turkey to Lebanon.
While the larger Cyclamen hederifolium had naturalised in the UK by the 17th century, Cyclamen coum has only recently appeared as a garden escapee, and so you will rarely see it in the wild. This image is of a modest specimen growing in the Physic Garden in late February, alongside the more prolific Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis). But if you want to see the impact these tiny blooms can produce, half an hour’s drive south from Congleton brings you to the Trentham Estate, where they encircle several large conifers in the Italian garden.
Medicinal Uses of Cyclamen
Several varieties of cyclamen, including Cyclamen hederifolium, have long been used in herbal medicine and by homeopathic practitioners. Extracts of cyclamen have been prescribed for colds, migraine, infected wounds, ringworm, headaches, oedema, indigestion and menstrual problems.
The part of the plant used in herbal medicine is the fleshy rootstock, harvested when the plant is in bloom and used when fresh.
Recent (2012) pharmaceutical studies suggest that extracts from cyclamen in a nasal spray may benefit people with acute rhinosinusitis (sinus infections).
WARNING It is always dangerous to self-medicate with natural plants, and ingesting cyclamen products in the wrong dosage could produce violent purging and vomiting.
Myth and Magic
Cyclamens being introduced to our gardens relatively recently, there is no northern European folklore associated with this plant.
However, in its naturally occurring habitat of the Eastern Mediterranean, it was well known. Dioscorides, the ancient Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist and author, recommended it as a cure-all – he thought it was efficacious for snakebite and other poisons, for cataracts and boils. The ancient Roman writer, Pliny the Elder, observed that Greek fishermen apparently crushed the cyclamen root and used it to stun fish rendering them easy prey.
It was also believed that eating cakes made of cyclamen would make you fall violently in love. (The actual violence might be purgative…)
More ‘myth and magic’ about cyclamen can be found on our page about Cyclamen hederifolium.
Acknowledgements– thanks to the following for much of the above
www.articles.mercola.com/herbs-spices/cyclamen.aspx
www.witchipedia.com
www.highdowngardens.co.uk
www.vithoulkas.com/learning-tools/online-materia-medica
www.st-andrews.ac.uk
www.herbal-supplement-resource.com
www.sycamoretrading.co.uk [for the featured image of Cyclamen coum]
