Scurvey-Grass

June 26th, 2008

Botanical Name: Cochlearia officinalis (LINN.)
Family: N.O. Cruciferae/Brassicaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Brassicales
Synonym: Spoonwort,
Part Used: Herb.
Habitat: Abundant on the shores in Scotland, growing inland along some of its rivers and Highland mountains and not uncommon in stony, muddy and sandy soils in England and Ireland, also in the Arctic Circle, sea-coasts of Northern and Western Europe and to high elevations in the great European mountain chains.

Description: It is a small, low-growing plant, annual or biennial, with thick, fleshy, glabrous, egg-shaped, cordate leaves with a fleshy texture (hence its name of spoonwort). The upper leaves are sessile - lower ones stalked, deltoid orbicular or reniform entire or toothed angularly. Flowers all summer in white short racemes - pods nearly globular - prominent valves of the mid-rib when dry. It has an unpleasant smell and a bitter, warm, acrid taste, very pungent when fresh.he flowers are white with four petals and are borne in short racemes.

It is a genus of about 30 species of herbs in the cabbage family Brassicaceae.

Selected species

About 30 species are usually accepted; several others usually treated as subspecies of C. officinalis are accepted as distinct species by some botanists.

* Cochlearia acutangula
* Cochlearia aestuaria – Estuarine Scurvy-grass
* Cochlearia alatipes
* Cochlearia anglica – English Scurvy-grass
* Cochlearia aragonensis
* Cochlearia changhuaensis
* Cochlearia cyclocarpa – Roundfruit Scurvy-grass
* Cochlearia danica – Early or Danish Scurvy-grass
* Cochlearia fenestrata – Arctic Scurvy-grass
* Cochlearia formosana
* Cochlearia fumarioides
* Cochlearia furcatopilosa
* Cochlearia glastifolia
* Cochlearia groenlandica – Greenland Scurvy-grass
* Cochlearia henryi
* Cochlearia hui
* Cochlearia lichuanensis
* Cochlearia longistyla
* Cochlearia megalosperma
* Cochlearia microcarpa
* Cochlearia oblongifolia – East Asian Scurvy-grass
* Cochlearia officinalis – Common Scurvy-grass (including C. excelsa, C. pyrenaica, C. scotica)
* Cochlearia paradoxa
* Cochlearia rivulorum
* Cochlearia rupicola
* Cochlearia sessilifolia – Sessile-leaved or Alaskan Scurvy-grass
* Cochlearia sinuata
* Cochlearia tatrae
* Cochlearia tridactylites – Three-fingered Scurvy-grass
* Cochlearia warburgii

Two species formerly included in the genus Cochlearia are now usually treated in separate genera:

* Horseradish Armoracia rusticana (previously Cochlearia armoracia)
* Wasabi Wasabia japonica (previously Cochlearia wasabi)

Cook’s scurvy grass, Lepidium oleraceum, was used by James Cook to prevent scurvy, but is now almost extinct.

Constituents: Leaves abound in a pungent oil containing sulphur, of the butylic series.

Medicinal Action and Uses: Formerly the fresh herb was greatly used on sea-voyages as a preventative of scurvey. It is stimulating, aperient, diuretic, antiscorbutic. The essential oil is of benefit in paralytic and rheumatic cases; scurvy-grass ale was a popular tonic drink.

The infusion of 2 OZ. to a pint of boiling water is taken in frequent wineglassful doses.

Scurvy-grass was extensively eaten in the past by sailors suffering from scurvy after returning from long voyages, as the leaves are rich in vitamin C, which cures this deficiency disease resulting from a lack of fresh vegetables in the diet. The leaves, which have a strong peppery taste similar to the related horseradish and watercress, are also sometimes used in salads.

Scurvy-grass Sorrel (Oxalis enneaphylla) is an unrelated plant from southern South America and the Falkland Islands that was also used to treat scurvy.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/scurvy35.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scurvy-grass