Herb: Wood Anemone


Latin name: Anemone nemorosa


Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family)



Medicinal use of Wood Anemone:

The leaves are antirheumatic, rubefacient and tonic. The plant is sometimes used externally as a counter-irritant in the treatment of rheumatism. The herb is gathered in spring before the plant comes into flower. Various parts of this herb used to be recommended for a variety of complaints such as headaches and gout, though the plant is virtually not used nowadays. A homeopathic remedy has been made from the leaves.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
15 cm
(6 inches)

Flowering:
March
to May

Habitat of the herb:

Woodland and shady hillsides in all but the most base deficient or water-logged soils.

Propagation of Wood Anemone:

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the summer. Surface sow or only just cover the seed and keep the soil moist. Sow stored seed as soon as possible in late winter or early spring. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15°C. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first year. When the plants are large enough, plant them out in the spring. Division in late summer after the plant dies down.

Cultivation of the herb:

Woodland and shady hillsides in all but the most base deficient or water-logged soils.

Known hazards of Anemone nemorosa:

This species is slightly poisonous, the toxic principle is destroyed by heat or by drying.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.