Cowslip

Primula veris

COMMON NAMES

• Cowslip
• European Cowslip
• Fairy Cup
• Keyflower
• Key Of Heaven
• Paigle

Cowslip - a perennial herb with oblong-oval, finely hairy leaves forming a basal rosette, European cowslip has pleasantly sweet-smelling yellow flowers (May-June) marked with orange dots; the flowers grow in a hanging cluster atop an unbranched, leafless flower stalk.

Shakespeare made seven mentions of the cowslip-a flower so beloved by Englishmen that they considered it a favorite of the fairies. European cowslip was held in equal esteem by herbal practitioners. The 17th-century English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper claimed that any woman who used an ointment or the distilled water of cowslip would become more beautiful.

To this day, herbalists make a skin-cleansing lotion from the herb. Cowslip also was once in wide use as a sedative, and herbalists still make a soporific tea from its sweet-smelling yellow flowers, which are said to contain mildly narcotic juices. Over the centuries, the dried flowers and sometimes the rhizomes served as an expectorant, to loosen phlegm in chest colds, and they were formerly recommended in the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism. Cowslip also had a reputation for analgesic and antispasmodic properties.

One of the first flowers to bloom in spring, cowslip is also called keyflower and key of heaven because its flowers suggest a bunch of keys, the emblem of St. Peter.

PARTS USED

Flowers, leaves, root.

USES

Cowslip is an underused but valuable plant. The root is strongly expectorant, stimulating a more liquid mucus and thus easing the clearance of phlegm. Cowslip is given for chronic coughs, especially those associated with chronic bronchitis and mucous congestion. The root is also thought to be mildly diuretic and antirheumatic, and to slow blood clotting. The leaves have similar properties to the root but are weaker in action. The flowers are believed to be sedative, and are recommended for over activity and sleeplessness, particularly in children. Cowslip flowers' antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties make them potentially useful in the treatment of asthma and other allergic conditions.

In herbal medicine, tea made of European cowslip has long served as a mild sedative to treat restlessness, headache, and insomnia. Herbalists recommend cowslip flower water as a skin lotion. People have at various times also used it as an expectorant, an antispasmodic, a mild painkiller, a laxative, and a diuretic. None of these uses have been verified scientifically.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

Cowslip grows in Europe and western Asia, preferring fields and pastures with chalky soils. The flowers and leaves are gathered in spring and summer, the root in autumn. This increasingly rare plant should not be picked from the wild.

CONSTITUENTS

Cowslip contains triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, and a trace of volatile oil. The flavonoids, mainly in the flowers, are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic. The triterpenoid saponins, which are concentrated in the root (5-10%), are strongly expectorant.

USUAL DOSAGE

Infusion for petals: pour a cup of boiling water onto 2 teaspoonfuls of the petals and let infuse for 10-15 minutes. This should be drunk three times a day.
Decoction for root: put 1 teaspoonful of the root in a cup of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Take a cup three times a day.
Tincture: take 2 - 4 ml of the tincture three times a day.

COLLECTION AND HARVESTING

The flower corollae should be gathered, without the green calyx, between March and May. Dry quickly in the shade. The roots should be unearthed either before cowslip flowers or in the autumn. Over collecting has led to this plant becoming increasingly rare. Only pick if present in abundance and then only pick limited amounts.

COMBINATIONS

For stress-related problems cowslip may be used with any of the relaxing nervines such as lime blossom or skullcap. For coughs cowslip may be used with coltsfoot and aniseed.

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