Crow's Eye Four Leaf

Poisonous! Trilliaceae - Trilliaceae (formerly: Liliaceae - Liliaceae). Common names: crow, crow berries, cross-grass, bear berries, rannik. Parts used: whole plant with rhizomes. Pharmacy name: crow's eye herb - Paridis herba (formerly: Herba Paridis).

Botanical description. A stem about 30 cm high extends from a rhizome running horizontally in the soil. At the bottom it bears a scaly leaf split in two, and at the top there is a whorl, usually of 4 ovate-rounded leaves with reticulate venation and a pointed tip. True, you often come across plants with 3 or 5 leaves in a whorl. Above the leaves is a single unattractive greenish star-shaped four-membered flower. Much more noticeable than the flower is the fruit, which looks like a black pearl, the size of a large blueberry. These berries - like the whole plant - are slightly poisonous! When walking with small children, you need to make sure that they are not tempted by crow's eye berries. Nothing bad will happen from one or two berries, but with a larger quantity, poisoning with vomiting and diarrhea is possible. True, there are no known cases of fatal raven eye poisoning.

Blooms from May to June. The fruits ripen in July and August. It is found in shady deciduous forests, among bushes, in hedges and on damp rocks.

Active ingredients: saponins, organic acids.

Healing action and application. Both scientific and traditional medicine practically do not use the raven eye, but homeopathy still values ​​it.

Use in homeopathy. The homeopathic remedy Paris quadrifolia is prepared from fresh plants and given in dilutions D1-D6 for neuralgic pain in the head and face, as well as for frequently recurring inflammation of the larynx. This remedy also helps with conjunctivitis with eyelid twitching.

Side effects. All parts of the plant, especially the berries (least of all the leaves), are slightly poisonous. In case of poisoning, diarrhea, colic, and attacks of dizziness were noted; Therefore, self-medication is prohibited.

From the history of the plant. In the Middle Ages, they believed that “bewitched” people could be “disenchanted” with the help of a raven’s eye. The berries were worn on the body or sewn into clothes to protect themselves from the plague and other infectious diseases, for which they were collected from August 15 to September 8. But, in general, the raven eye was feared and therefore rarely used. In Mattiolus, for example, you can read: “Some say that these berries can put you to sleep if you eat them. I wouldn’t want to try them: you might not wake up.”