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Bearded Darnel
Bearded Darnel:
Bearded Darnel (Lolium temulentum) is also known as "Cheat" or "Tare." An annual grass weed, Bearded Darnel grows in moist areas in fields and along the sides of the road.
Bearded Darnel may have been used as medicine by the ancient Romans and Greeks, although neither Hippocrates nor Celsus mentioned the herb by name as a remedy. Bearded Darnel grows abundantly in the Middle East. It is mentioned in the Bible in a parable in which someone’s enemies sneak into a wheat field and sows tares among the wheat plants, which indicates that people in Biblical times knew the plant as dangerous to eat.
The stiff, hollow stalk of the Bearded Darnel plant grows up to three feet in height and has long, flat leaves that are rolled up when the plant is young. Bearded Darnel flowers grow on a spike and include long, stiff bristles that point upward with seeds that are small, yellowish brown, and oval-shaped.
Bearded Darnel seeds contain two unique substances, glojalico and lalico. Lalico may possess narcotic qualities because it is chemically similar to opium. The toxic element of Bearded Darnel seeds has been called loliin, a slightly acidic, water-soluble material that can cause short-lived weakness and sedation. No antidote is known for loliin poisoning, but because it is short-acting, emergency care generally involves supporting the patient’s vital systems until the effects wear off.
Because Bearded Darnel has a similar appearance to wheat and other cereal grains, and because it often grows in wheat fields, it is sometimes mistakenly harvested with cereal grains and becomes a contaminant to grain feed or grain products. Accidental ingestion of Bearded Darnel by humans or livestock results in bodily trembling as well as nausea and other central nervous system symptoms such as dizziness, fainting, hallucinations, and seizures. Like Aconite, Bearded Darnel appears to change blood circulation to the brain.
Bearded Darnel is sometimes used in homeopathic remedies to treat the same conditions it causes, such as trembling, stomach pain, and dizziness.
Bearded Darnel seeds were sometimes used as a folk remedy for:
Gout
Feelings of light-headedness
Stomach pain
Indigestion
Nausea
Flatulence
Insomnia
Menopausal symptoms
Meningitis, when it was used as a (sometimes successful) medication of last resort in dying patients
Abortion, to help the body expel a dead fetus.
Bearded Darnel was sometimes also recommended in a tea or poultice to be applied externally as an herbal remedy for skin complaints such as:
Shingles
Herpes blisters
Dandruff and other flaky or scaly skin conditions
Open skin wounds such as blisters
Ulcerated wounds such as those caused by bed sores
Gangrene, an infection in which body tissue in a limb dies and decays, usually caused by lack of circulation after an injury.
It is now known that Bearded Darnel is highly toxic in large quantities. The toxicity may stem from a fungus (ergot) that attacks rye grasses rather than from the plant itself. Most herbalists recommend against using Bearded Darnel for medicinal purposes because safer herbs are available that accomplish the same effects. Consult an experienced health care professional before attempting to use Bearded Darnel as a medicinal treatment.
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