Chelidonium majus
(Greater celandine)
Therapeutic Actions:
- Analgesic, from components chelidonine, a-allocryptopine and
sanguinarine
- Antibacterial, from components protopine, sanguinarine,
chelerythrine, and chelidonine
- Anti-inflammatory
- Antispasmodic, specific for bile ducts and bronchi but disappears with prolonged storage of the dried herb
- Antitumor
- Cholagogue, stimulates the liver and gallbaldder
- Diuretic
- Hepatoprotective, causing the liver to secrete a less viscous and more profuse bile and prevents formation of biliary calculi
- Increases production of urine
- Inhibits development of anaphylactic sock
- Lipotropic
- Lowers arterial blood pressure
- Relaxes smooth muscle spasms, including bronchospasm, from
component chelidonine
- Stimulates digestive enzymes
- Weak central nervous system sedative
Clinical Indications:
- Bronchitis
- Cholecystitis
- Cholelithiasis
- Endometriosis
- Headache, including migraines due to bilious complaints that usually present with pain around the right scapula extending up into the back of the neck, behind the right ear and over the head and around the area of the right eye
- Cataracts, fresh juice is used directly in the eye
- Hepatitis
- Warts, latex from the plant is used to dissolve them
Contraindications:
- Children due to the potential toxicity
- Pregnancy, due to the alkaloids chelidonine, sparteine, protopine, chelerythrine and berberine
Drug/Nutrient Interaction:
Chemical Constituents:
- Alkaloids including:
Allocryptopine
Berberine
Chelamine
Chelerythrine
Chelidonine
Coptisine
Magnoflorine
Protopine
Sanguinarine
Sparteine
Carotene
Chelidonic acid
Chelidoniol
Choline
Histamine
Tyramine
Vitamin C
Saponins
Toxicity:
- Symptoms:
Burning in the mouth and throat
Coma
Nausea
Vomiting
Death
Treatment:
Charcoal
Emesis or gastric lavage
Copyright 1998 - 2008 by L. Vicky Crouse, ND and James S. Reiley, ND. All rights reserved (ISSN 1527-0661).