Pulsatilla

Anemone pulsatilla

Anemone Easter Flower Hartshorn Plant Pasque Flower Prairie Smoke Pulsatilla Twinflower Wild Crocus Windflower Parts used Uses Habitat and cultivation Constituents How much to take Collection and harvesting Combinations

Covered with silky hairs, pulsatilla is a perennial that reaches heights of about 18 inches. Pulsatilla has finely divided leaves and solitary pale violet flowers with yellow stamens, which become feathery seed heads after the blooms falloff.

A harbinger of spring, the pasqueflower was so named because it blooms at Easter time throughout much of its range. In some parts of the Midwest and West it is called prairie smoke, for after the flower has bloomed and the fruit head ripens, the long hairy threads to which the fruits are attached turn silky and feathery. When these feathery tails are blown by wind gusts, the resulting effect gives the illusion of smoke crossing the prairie. The name wild crocus also denotes the plant's role as a herald of spring. The Latin species name patens alludes to the spreading fashion of the plant's petal like sepals. Because the pasqueflower usually produces two flower stems, the Dakota Sioux Indians gave it a name that in English means "twinflower."

In the language of flowers, the windflower speaks of being forsaken. The jealous Greek goddess Flora turned the nymph Anemone into a windflower when she had attracted the attention of her husband, Zephyr. He abandoned Anemone, leaving her blowing in the wind. The flower is also said to have sprung from the blood of Adonis, as Aphrodite, the goddess of love, wept over his slain body.

Some Indians, it is reported, found practical uses for the pulsatilla. They stuffed the sepals up the nose to help halt bleeding, and they crushed the leaves and applied them externally to relieve rheumatism.

PARTS USED

Whole plant.

USES

Pulsatilla is employed as a homeopathic remedy to treat certain eye and genital diseases, as well as diseases of the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts. Pulsatilla lowers arterial tension, dilates the pupils, and reduces respiration. While there are no known hazards or side effects to the appropriate administration of extremely small therapeutic doses, pulsatilla is poisonous. In improper doses pulsatilla can cause coma, convulsions, and death by asphyxiation. People should also avoid touching the fresh plant, as it can produce severe reaction on contact. Pregnant women should avoid ingesting it. Experts in Germany who have reviewed the studies and the uses of this herb recommend avoiding it except in homeopathic remedies.

Pulsatilla is less commonly used now in herbal medicine than in the past, though it is still considered a worthwhile remedy for cramps, menstrual problems, and distress. Pulsatilla is considered a specific treatment for spasmodic pain of the reproductive system, both male and female, and is given quite frequently for premenstrual tension and period pain, especially when these are accompanied by nervous exhaustion. Pulsatilla also relieves headaches. In France, pulsatilla has traditionally been used for treating coughs and as a sedative for sleep difficulties. Pulsatilla is also used to treat eye problems such as cataracts. The fresh plant is not used because it is strongly irritant. Pulsatilla is one of the most commonly used of all homeopathic remedies.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

Native to Europe, pulsatilla thrives in dry grassland in central and northern parts of the continent, preferring chalky soil. The aerial parts are  harvested when it flowers in spring.

CONSTITUENTS

Pulsatilla contains the lactone protoanemonin (which on drying forms anemonin), triterpenoid saponins, tannins, and volatile oil.

HOW MUCH TO TAKE

Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water onto 1/2 - 1 teaspoonful of the dried herb and leave to infuse for 10 - 15 minutes. This should be drunk three times a day or when needed.
Tincture: take 1 - 2 ml of the tincture three times a day.

COLLECTION AND HARVESTING

The stalks should be gathered at the time of flowering, which is in March or April.

COMBINATIONS

For painful periods pulsatilla will combine well with cramp bark. For skin conditions pulsatilla combines with Echinacea.