–  VERMEULEN Frans,
Led.

Ledum palustre

If you are lonely while you are alone, you are in bad company.
[Jean-Paul Sartre]
Signs
Ledum palustre. Marsh Tea. Labrador Tea. N.O. Ericaceae.
CLASSIFICATION The Ericaceae or Heath family is a large family, containing some 100 genera and about 3,000 species, including such well-known genera as Rhododendron, Erica [heath], Calluna [heather], Vaccinium [blueberries, cranberries, bilberries etc.] and Gaultheria [wintergreen]. Most of the members are woody, varying in size from dwarf undershrubs to large shrubs or even small trees. A very large number of them fails completely in calcareous soils.
DISTRIBUTION In the tropics the members are essentially plants of high altitudes, although certain genera often form a distinctive part of the vegetation of peat soils in swamps and moorlands. “Considered overall, the family is found in almost all parts of the world. It is, however, absent from most of Australia where it is largely replaced by the related family Epacridaceae. The distributions of some of the genera are of more interest than that of the family as a whole. The two largest genera are Rhododendron, with about 1,200 described species, and Erica with over 500 species. Both of these genera show remarkable concentrations of species in relatively small areas. … Almost all members of the family are found in acidic habitats, and all that have been examined are dependent to some extent on a fungal mycorrhiza for successful growth.”1 Many of them are able to survive in a cold soil lacking minerals but rich in organic acids.
FEATURES “The leaves are always simple and without stipules, usually alternate, and often evergreen. The leaves of several genera show adaptations to dry conditions: such leaves are needle-like or folded, presenting a reduced surface area to the environment, and occur in Erica, Calluna and Cassiope, among others. The inflorescences of the Ericaceae are extremely variable, ranging from unbel-like racemes to clusters or to single flowers. The flowers are usually regular and bisexual. Many species of Ericaceae are poisonous to stock and man.”2 To conserve warmth in the rough northern winters, Ledum reflexes its leaves close to the stem and rolls in the margins; being covered with downy hairs serves the same purpose. Ericaceae reproduce primarily vegetatively [through sprouting rhizomes], but can reproduce by seed. Depth and length of rhizomes are greatly influenced by soil and moisture characteristics.

LEDUM Ledum was formerly called Rhododendron tomentosum [‘woolly rhododendron’]. This indicates that the plant belongs to the same family as Rhododendron and is not a separate family, as was claimed in the past. Ledum palustre is common in marshes in the arctic and alpine regions of the northern hemisphere; hence it is native to Lapland [Norway, Sweden, Finland], Iceland, Alaska, Greenland and Canada. It is a small evergreen shrub of 60-120 cm high, with dense, terminal clusters of sweet-scented, white flowers. The plant needs cool conditions and a lime-free soil to thrive. It has become adapted to drought, to violent storms, and to long periods of ice and snow.
NAME The name Ledum is thought to come from Gr. ledos, a woollen cloth, in allusion to the woolly underparts of the leaves, or to refer to ledon, the Greek name for Cistus. Both Ledum and Cistus are shrubby, evergreen, fragrant, [partly] woolly, and have been used as tea substitutes. The specific name palustre means ‘growing in marshes.’ In some of the local Swedish names the plant is connected with the goat, either because the goat allegedly is the only animal eating the plant with impunity or because the plant is said to smell like a goat.
CONSTITUENTS Andromedotoxin; ericolin; catechin-tannins; arbutin; quercetin; ledol. Andromedotoxin is a diterpene, widespread in the Ericaceae and considered to be the toxic principle of the family. Ericolin, a resinous, odourless, bitter-tasting glycoside, decomposes with water into sugars and ericinol. This combination readily absorbs water and during the flowering period of the plant forms hydroericinol, a thick fluid with a peculiar odour. The flowering tops also yield 1-2% of a volatile oil named ledol or ledum camphor. Ledol effects the mucous membranes and large doses may lead to cramps and respiratory paralysis. Arbutin occurs frequently in members of the family Ericaceae and has diuretic and anti-inflammatory [urinary] effects. Quercetin is quite common in plants and has been reported to possess strong anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties.
MAD HONEY Andromedotoxin, or grayanotoxin I [first isolated from Leucothoe grayana], is known to occur in certain species of Rhododendron, Leucothoe, Azalea, Menziesia, Ledum Pernettia, Pieris, and Kalmia. Grayanotoxin are produced exclusively by several genera of Ericaceae and the compound is probably more widespread in the family than is now known. The leaves, twigs, flowers, pollen, and nectar all contain andromedotoxin. The toxin gets into honey from nectar collected by bees from flowers of Ericaceae species. Although this honey is extremely bitter, honey poisoning has been reported in Turkey, Japan, Nepal, Brazil, Europe, and some parts of North America. Consumption of the toxic honey causes watering of mouth, eyes and nose, gastrointestinal upset, slow pulse and hypotension, and weakness. Severe poisoning results in respiratory depression, convulsions, loss of consciousness, and slow and progressive paralysis until death. The condition has been called ‘mad honey poisoning’, of which the most famous case involved an entire army, described in 401 BC by Xenophon: “There were swarms of bees and the soldiers who ate the honey all lost their senses, had to vomit and suffered from diarrhoea. No one could stand on his feet; those who took only a little of the honey acted as if they were drunk, while those who ate much of it seemed insane and, some of them, seemed to be dying.” The toxic honey in this case was from Rhododendron ponticum, but toxic honey also results from Ledum palustre, which is used as an inebriant in Siberia. Toxic glycosides from ericaceous honeys may be the active principles of the inebriating kinnikinniks, the name given by numerous native peoples of North America to smoking mixtures. The most widespread of these smoking mixtures contains leaves of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi [bearberry], a member of the Ericaceae. The leaves were smoked ‘to cause intoxication’ and the effects are giddiness and loss of control of body movements. Ledum species, in particular L. palustre and L. groenlandicum, contain substances similar to those found in the related Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, which further explains the intoxicating effects of Ledum palustre as experienced by Nordic cultures.
ODOUR When flowering, Ledum emits a strong aromatic, or rather an almost narcotic odour, which not infrequently gives rise to headache. This is due to the constituent hydroericinol. After flowering the odour fades away, and rubbing the leaves of the plant will give only a slight indication of it. Bees are said to be the only insects attracted by the smell of Ledum. Too much Ledum in their honey, however, will turn it into a bitter substance.
USES The leaves have been used as a tea substitute and can be employed to produce an aromatic oil with medicinal and insect-repellent properties. “People in the north, such as the Lapps and the Finns, have since the 13th century used it against vermin and as an insecticide against bugs, lice and moths. In Lapland, on account of its strong, stupefying antiseptic odour, its branches are placed among the grain to keep away mice. The Canadians use the leaves in their hunting excursions as a substitute for tea; and one reads that in the days of the War of Liberation between England and America Ledum or Marsh Tea was used in the States of America when this young colony voluntarily gave up ordinary tea in the time of George III. … Ledum Tea producing inconvenient and even harmful effects on repeated use, though acceptable to hardy travellers in the cold, forbidding north, was not the ideal substitute for tea, it lacked the flavour and the delicate aroma of tea.”3 In Scandinavia Ledum leaves are used for their high oil-content to light fires; vodka is still spiced with the plant. In Russia the leaves are used for tanning leather. Ledum has a widespread reputation as an insect-repellent. The Canadian Pharmaceutical Journal launched in 1874 Ledum palustre as “a new insecticide to replace pyrethrum, said to destroy fleas, bed bugs, lice, beetles and their larvae and many other insects. An alcoholic tincture of the plant to which a little glycerine is added is said to drive away mosquitoes from any surface to which it has been applied. It is also said to be remedy for mosquito bites. The fresh plant is best for all these purposes but the dry plant is also effective. Try the powder of the plants for the potato beetle.”4
BEER Known as ‘the brewers’ herb’ Ledum has been used in Germany, Switzerland, and Scandinavia to adulterate beer in order to fortify it in place of hops, which it resembles from its bitter taste. Such beers were strongly intoxicating and were apt to cause an obstinate hangover with headache and vertigo. In Scandinavia it was commonly known that Ledum-beer evokes rage and cramps, and some even claim that its consumption will make one ‘go berserk’. According to Hahnemann, Ledum increases the intoxicating effects of beer to “a hurtful extent and in a criminal manner, to which the police authorities should pay more attention.”
FOLKLORE There are several references to Ledum in Scandinavian folklore and folk medicine. Like various other plants it had a reputation as both an aphrodisiacum and an abortifacient. The leaves were worn in shoes to prevent tiredness of the feet. An ancient Swedish name for the plant, ‘appetithäva’ [literally: ‘appetite-remover’], refers to the curious custom of strewing Ledum flowers under tables during feasts in order to prevent guests from eating all the food of their host. In flower language Ledum is believed to befit those born on April 24, and the question asked by presenting the flower is ‘Are you making a fool of me?’
MEDICINE The medicinal value of Ledum was well known to the Cree Indians of North America, who used it as a pectoral and tonic, and in small doses in the treatment of coughs, irritation of air passages, dyspepsia, and dysentery. The leaves were also employed for malignant sore throats. The roots of Labrador Tea and Wild Cherry, dried, powdered and mixed but not cooked, were by the Chippewa Indians applied to a severe burn or ulcer or any condition in which the flesh was exposed. After the powder had been on the flesh for a time it was removed when it became damp, after which the sore was washed and a fresh application made. The annual shoots together with the unopened [flower] buds were sold in Swedish pharmacies under the name Herba Ledi and commonly used, internally and externally, for rheumatism and skin diseases.
HOMOEOPATHY The Heath family is divided into five subfamilies. Members of three of these subfamilies are used in homoeopathy. Andromeda [Oxydendron in homoeopathy], Kalmia, Ledum, and Rhododendron belong to the subfamily Rhododendroideae. Arbutus, Epigaea, Gaultheria, Vaccinium, and Arctostaphylos [Uva ursi in homoeopathy] are members of the Vaccinioideae, while Calluna is the sole representative of the Ericoideae. In some taxonomic systems the Pyrolaceae, traditionally recognized as a separate family, is included in the Ericaceae as the subfamily Pyroloideae, of which the species Chimaphila and Pyrola are employed in homoeopathy.
PROVINGS •• [1] Hahnemann – 7 provers; method: unknown.
•• [2] Lembke – 2 self-experimentations, 1848 and 1865; method: repeated doses of 5-80 drops of tincture over a period of 7 weeks, and repeated doses of 10-30 drops of tincture over a period of 13 days.
[1-2] Heywood, Flowering Plants of the World. [3] Shepherd, A Physician’s Posy. [4] Erichsen-Brown, Medicinal and Other Uses of North American Plants.
Affinity
Fibrous tissue [JOINTS (small); tendons; eyes; heels]. Capillary circulation [SKIN; lungs]. Periosteum. Blood. Nerves. * Left side. Right side. LEFT UPPER and RIGHT LOWER.
Modalities
Worse: Warm [covers; stove; air]. Injury. Motion. Night. Alcohol. Eggs. Walking. Lying down [cough]. Scratching at night.
Better: Cold [bathing; air]. Holding feet in ice-water. Getting out of bed. Reposing. Eating [headache].
Main symptoms
M LONER. Seclusion.
Aversion to company; dread of men.
M MISANTHROPY and hatred.
• “Dissatisfied; hates his fellow-beings.” [Clarke]
• “Subject is apt to be cross, morose, discontented with everybody, ‘everything is disagreeable’, a similar mental state to that of alcoholics between bouts.” [Gibson]
G Constitutions broken down by alcohol; with craving for whisky. [Mathur]
G Plethora.
• “The subject is usually of full-blooded plethoric build, portly, robust and red of visage, possibly with large pupils.” [Gibson]
G Feeling of intoxication.
Uncontrollable intoxication. [Linnaeus]
• “All day long violent vertigo, even when sitting still, which is increased by stooping, and when walking amounts to falling forwards, as if from intoxication, with feeling of heat throughout the body, esp. in the face, without thirst, with pale cheeks and forehead.” [Hahnemann]
G Syphilitic miasm.
G COLD and CHILLY.
Yet heat of bed and external heat intolerable [on account of HEAT in LIMBS].
• “Better in warm air but worse in warmth of bed.” [Mathur]
• “When sitting, he gets a sensation of coldness only in the legs, but they were not actually cold.” [Hahnemann]
G Nocturnal PERSPIRATION, with inclination to UNCOVER.
G < NIGHT. G < MOTION. < MOTION of AFFECTED part. G PUNCTURED WOUNDS. Wounded parts cold to the touch, but not cold subjectively to the patient. > Cold applications.
STINGS of INSECTS [> external cold].
Tetanus with twitching of muscles near wound.
G LONG-lasting discolouration after injuries; black or blue spots turn green. [Nash]
G Rheumatism/gout begins BELOW [feet] and TRAVELS UPWARDS.
Balls of big toes painful, swollen, tendons stiff.
< Stepping and walking. Pain in heels as if bruised. • “Joints are very stiff, can only be moved after bathing with cold water; desire to put feet in ice-cold water.” [Gibson] • “The soles of the feet are painful when walking as if they were filled with blood.” [Hahnemann] G Desire to stretch. [This seems to be a common characteristic of members of the subfamily Rhododendroideae, since it can be found in Ledum, Kalmia, and Rhododendron.] P Black eye; > external cold.
• “Unequalled for black eye from a blow.” [Pain in eyeball itself: Symph.]
Haemorrhage into anterior chamber after iridectomy. [Allen]
P Intense ITCHING of feet and ankles.
< Scratching and warmth of bed. [Allen] Rubrics Mind Answering, refuses to answer [1]. Aversion to friends [2]. Aversion to company, avoids the sight of people [2]. Content with himself [1]. Delusions, people, someone is behind him [1]. Discontented during daytime [1]. Disgust with everything [2]. Fear of death, fear he will die if he goes to sleep after a nightmare [1]. Hatred and revengeful [1]. Abundant ideas, clearness of mind, on closing the eyes [1]. Restlessness, must move constantly [2]. Sadness, with aversion to company and desire for solitude [2]. Head Falling backward during vertigo [1]. Sensitiveness to stepping [2]. Eye Ecchymosis [3]. From injuries [2]. Sunken sensation [1]. Vision Colours, black, floating [1]. Flickering when looking intently [1]. Face Eruptions, acne, with rheumatism [1]; burning, in open air [2/1]; crusty, around mouth [2], around nose [1/1]; painful, when touched [1]. Stomach Nausea, from spitting [1/1]. Cough Before an attack of gout [1/1]. After wine [1]. Chest Palpitation, < motion of arms [1]. Back Pain, spine, on breathing deeply [1]. Limbs Arthritic nodosities, pinching and cracking on motion [3/1]. Coldness, yet warm bed unendurable [3]. Feeling of heat in joints [3]. Numbness, joints [2]. Pain, > cold application [3], on beginning to move [2], rheumatic, driving out of bed at night [1]. Sensation of paralysis, at night [2/1]; joints, at night [2/1]. Perspiration, joints only [2]. Stiffness, joints, > cold application [2/1].
Dreams
Being busy [1]. Humiliation [1]. Being pursued by wild animals [1].
Skin
Coldness, of injured parts [3]. Itching, of perspiring parts [1], in spots [2], on becoming warm [2].
Generals
Convulsions, tetanic rigidity, injured parts become cold as ice and spasms begin in the wound [3/1].
Food
Desire: [2]: Alcohol; brandy, whisky; cold drinks. [1]: Tobacco.
Worse: [2]: Beer; brandy, whisky; wine. [1]: Eggs.

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