Bellis, Daisy

Consolida minor, Bruisewort
Picture Flora von Deutschland (16), Kohler, 1884

Botanical name:


Bellis perennis
Greater and Lesser varieties were known and used.

Parts used:


Herb, fresh or dried

Temperature & Taste:


Cool, dry. Sweet

Uses:


1. Moves the Blood, Clears Stasis, Stops Pain:
-bruising from Trauma, all types of Swellings, Aches and Pains associated with Blood stasis.
-fresh plant tincture is taken for Lumps, Thickening, Knots or Kernals of the flesh following Trauma (ie. Hematoma)
-internally and externally for Swellings and Lumps of the Breast.
-Heart Pain, Myocarditis
-Venous Congestion.
-Joint Pain associated with heat and/or blood stagnation; Gout and hot Swollen Joints
-small doses for difficulty walking during pregnancy

2. Clears Liver Heat:
-Liver heat: Headache, Red Eyes, Irritability etc
-Hepatitis, Fever from Liver Heat.
-Depression and Lack of Clarity of thought, and was also
-‘a most excellent remedy’ against Hectic Fever

3. Clears Heat, Benefits the Eyes:
-all types of eye disorders coming from Heat and Inflammation.
-as an Eyewash or an ointment around the eyes
-fresh juice was dropped into ‘Running Eyes’.
-some older herbalists claimed it to be superior to other eye herbs.

4. Externally:
-all internal and external Wounds
-Ulcers of the Mouth, Tongue and Throat, as well as of the Genitals.
-fresh Leaves are bruised and applied to all types of Inflammations including those of the Breast and Testicles.
-ointment is applied to Wounds with Inflammation.
-Hernias and other Ruptures.





Dose:


Infusion or Brief Decoction: 3–9 grams
Tincture (1:5): 2–4 mls. 5 drops 3 times daily was recommended during pregnancy.

Main Combinations:


1. Internal Bleeding, with Walnut leaf (Meyer)
2. Bleeding from the Lungs, with Willow leaf, Periwinkle, Knotgrass (Meyer)
3. Consumption, with Snails, Pearl Barley, Sea Holly root as a decoction (Fuller)
4. Myocarditis, with Hawthorn berry and Calendula (Wonder in Weeds, W. Smith)
5. As a wash for knots, kernels and swellings, with Agrimony

Cautions:


None noted

Main Preparations used:


Distilled Water

1. Conserve of Daisy:
i. Daisy flowers (1 part), Sugar (2 parts). Beat together.

2. Syrup of the Juice of Daisy:
i. Daisy juice, depurated and reduced to half by evaporation (9 oz.), Sugar (16 oz.). Boil, strain. (Pharmacopoeia Wirtembergica, 1798)

Use during Last Trimester:


‘In the last month of pregnancy, some ladies will complain that it is difficult for them to walk about. A very short walk seems to tire them out. Here Tr. Bellis Perennis (English daisy) is the remedy, 5 drops 3 times a day’. (A Journal of Therapeutic Facts for the Busy Doctor, Jones and Bremser, 1913)