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Chaerophyllum temulum
Chaerophyllum temulum, the rough chervil, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae.
Unlike several other species in the genus, Chaerophyllum temulum is poisonous.
Chaerophyllum temulum contains (mainly in the upper parts and fruits) a volatile alkaloid chaerophylline, as well as other (probably glycosidally bound) toxins, the chemistry and pharmacology of which has, as yet, been but little studied. Externally, the sap of the plant can cause inflammation of the skin and persistent rashes. If consumed, the plant causes gastro-intestinal inflammation, drowsiness, vertigo and cardiac weakness. Human poisonings have seldom been observed, because the plant lacks aromatic essential oils that could lead to its being confused with edible umbellifers used to flavour food. It is, however, used occasionally in folk medicine. Animal poisonings by the plant are commoner than those of humans, pigs and cattle thus intoxicated exhibiting a staggering gait, unsteady stance, apathy and severe, exhausting colic, ending sometimes in death. Such symptoms recall those caused by the toxic grass Lolium temulentum, the common darnel. Chaerophyllum bulbosum and Chaerophyllum hirsutum have also been reported to be toxic.
Chaerophyllum temulum is found throughout most of Europe, although it is rare in the Mediterranean region. Its range also extends into the Maghreb and Western Asia, including Turkey and the Caucasus.
Chaerophyllum temulum has been used in folk medicine, in small doses, to treat arthritis, dropsy, and chronic skin complaints, and as a spring tonic. The early modern physician Boerhaave (1668–1738) once successfully used a decoction of the herb combined with Sarsaparilla to treat a woman suffering from leprosy – in the course of which treatment temporary blindness was a severe side effect following each dose.
Broad Leaved Chervil · Golden Chervil · Azores Chervil · Turnip-root chervil · Chaerophyllum byzantinum · Mountain Myrrh · Chaerophyllum elegans · Hairy Chervil · Chaerophyllum libanoticum · Spreading chervil · Hairyfruit chervil · Chervil
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Chaerophyllum temulum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
