Medicinal Herb InfoA reference archive of plants and their traditions
Not medical advice. This site documents how plants have been described and used historically. It is a botanical and folklore reference, not guidance for treating illness, and it carries no dosing instructions. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before using any plant medicinally — herbs interact with medication and some are toxic.

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Pimpernel

Botanical reference entry

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Parts Usually Used

Rootstock for both

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Pimpinella magna: Greater pimpernel is a European perennial plant; reaches a height of 3 feet, the stem bears alternate, odd-pinnate leaves on long petioles dilated at the base. The leaflets are ovate and coarsely toothed, the terminal leaflet more or less 3-lobed. The small, purple or bluish flowers grow in compound umbels from June to September. Pimpinella saxifraga: Burnet saxifrage is a European perennial plant; a gnarled, twisted rootstock produces a round, finely grooved, branched stem with alternate, pinnate leaves.

The leaflets are variable in shape, ranging from ovate to oblong-lanceolate, and from coarsely toothed to ternately incised. White or yellow-white flowers grow in compound umbels from July to October. Another variety: Pimpinella anisum is reported on elsewhere as anise.

Where Found

Pimpinella magna: Grows along the edges of woods, in marshy meadows, and in other wet places. Pimpinella saxifraga: Found on slopes and pastures, among bushes, and along the edges of woods, shorelines, and roadsides.

Medicinal Properties

Pimpinella magna: Antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic Pimpinella saxifraga: Antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, stomachic

Legends, Myths and Stories

Burnet saxifrage is used to flavor wine. David Conway, in his book The Magic of Herbs , states that pimpernel is named Anagallis arvensis of the family Primulaceae. Use of the herb is different from Pimpinella, description is different. Care should be taken to identify the correct plant before using it.

Uses

Historical herbals recorded a decoction of Pimpinella magna as a gargle for sore throats, colds, bronchitis, and laryngeal inflammation. Traditional practitioners also employed the plant for digestive complaints, flatulence, and diarrhea, utilizing the fresh root for bowel issues and a tincture for heartburn. For Pimpinella saxifraga, herbalists traditionally administered the powdered rootstock for articular rheumatism, gout, bladder stones, and kidney inflammation.

A cold infusion was historically recommended for dyspepsia, while the seeds, noted for their similarity to anise, were used to promote lactation. Traditional external applications of Pimpinella saxifraga included preparations for cuts, wounds, sores, toothache, sore throat, earache, and hemorrhoids.

Bibliography

, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England.

(Out of print) The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr. A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023