Additional notes (click to expand)

Commemorative

Teucrium is named after king Teucer (who lived in the era between 1400 and 1000 BC) the first King of Troy.
Oakeley, Dr. Henry F. (2013). Wellcome Library notes. link

Medicinal

Culpeper: ‘Chamaedris. Germander. ... cuts and brings away tough humours, opens stoppings of the liver and spleen, helps coughs and shortness of breath, strangury and stopping of urine, provokes the terms.’
Culpeper, Nicholas. (1650). A Physical Directory . London, Peter Cole.

Nomenclature

Teucrium is named after king Teucer (who lived in the era between 1400 and 1000 BC) the first King of Troy. The species name chamaedrys comes from the Greek words chamai meaning 'on the ground' and drys, meaning 'oak', originally used by Theophrastus for a low growing plant with oak-like leaves (Stearn, 1994).
Oakeley, Dr. Henry F. (2013). Wellcome Library notes. link

Chamaedris. Germander.
Culpeper, Nicholas. (1650). A Physical Directory . London, Peter Cole.

Other use

Teucrium chamaedrys L. Lamiaceae. Wall Germander. Distribution: Europe. Teucrium is named after king Teucer (who lived in the era between 1400 and 1000 BC) the first King of Troy. Dioscorides named a medicinal herb after Teucer, and Linnaeus consolidated this in 1753; (Stearn, 1994). Lyte (1578) recommended it for cough, shortness of breath, dropsy, strangury, for inducing menstruation, hardness of the spleen, and cataracts.
Oakeley, Dr. Henry F. (2013). Wellcome Library notes. link

Toxicity

Notes: Germander used to be used in France to induce weight loss, but has been banned since 1992 after 26 cases of severe hepatitis associated with its use were reported. Diterpenoids are thought to be responsible (MCA, 1992 and others).
Medicines and Health Care Regulatory Agency , MCA. (2002). Medicines and Health Care Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for restricted or prohibited herbal medicines. Medicines and Health Care Regulatory Agency . link

Hepatotoxicity due to neo-cleridine diterpenoids.
Professor Anthony Dayan, 2021

Humans, harmful if eaten.
HTA Guide to Potentially Harmful Plants, 3rd Edition (2022)

Geographical distribution

  • Africa, Northern Africa, Algeria
  • Africa, Northern Africa, Morocco
  • Africa, Northern Africa, Tunisia
  • Asia-Temperate, Caucasus
  • Asia-Temperate, Middle Asia, Turkmenistan
  • Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Iran
  • Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Lebanon-Syria
  • Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Turkey
  • Europe, Eastern Europe, Ukraine
  • Europe, Middle Europe
  • Europe, Southeastern Europe
  • Europe, Southwestern Europe

Teucrium chamaedrys L.

Family: LAMIACEAE
Genus: Teucrium
Species: chamaedrys L.
Common names: Wall Germander
Pharmacopoeia Londinensis name: Chamaedrys
Distribution summary: C. & S.Europe
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: H4 - Hardy; average winter
Habitat: Scrub and waste land
Garden status: Currently grown
Garden location: Classical Europe & Middle East (I), Pharmacopoeia Londinensis 1618 'Leaves' (HSE 5B), Poisons garden (PETO)
Flowering months: July
Reason for growing: Medicinal, toxic


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