Heather

Calluna vulgaris

Heather - an evergreen shrub with wiry branching stems growing 1-2 feet tall. Minute needlelike leaves, 1/16- 1/8 inch long, are arranged in opposite pairs, crowded in four rows along short green twigs. Occasionally white but usually purplish-pink flowers (July-September) are somewhat bell-shaped.

"No' a flow'r that man can gather. ..can beat the bonnie, bloomin' heather"; so goes one of the innumerable Scottish verses extolling heather. And proud the Scots may be for this shrub that flourishes on the moors and heaths of their country, as in other temperate parts of the world, has served them well. They have used the wiry branched stems for roof thatch and brooms and boiled the tops and flowers to make a yellow dye for Scottish wools. Heather blossoms yield a coveted brownish honey that, it is said, is added to Scotland's famous Drambuie liqueur. The Scots regard white heather (C. vulgaris var. alba) as a good luck charm and tuck heather into bridal bouquets.

Heather's many medicinal assets were recounted by the British herbalist John Parkinson, who wrote Theatrum Botanicum, published in 1640. He cites its use by ancient physicians as an antidote "against the stings or bitings of... venomous creatures" and as a diuretic to be drunk for 30 mornings and evenings, with the result that it will "absolutely breake the [kidney] stone and drive it forth." Modern herbals mention heather as a diuretic, sedative, and antitussive (agent that suppresses coughing).

Other names

• Scotch Heather

Parts used

Flowering tips.

Uses

Heather is a good urinary antiseptic and diuretic, disinfecting the urinary tract and mildly increasing urine production. Besides its role in treating cystitis and inflammatory bladder conditions, heather has been used to treat kidney and bladder stones. Heather is a cleansing and detoxifying herb, helpful for rheumatism, arthritis, and gout. The macerated flowering tips produce a liniment to be rubbed on affected joints. A hot poultice of heather tips is a traditional remedy for chilblains.

Habitat & cultivation

Heather grows in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Heather is found on heaths, moors, bogs, and in open woods. The herb is gathered when in flower in late summer.

Constituents

Heather contains flavonoids, arbutin, tannin, and an alkaloid, ericodin.  This constituent has a strongly disinfectant effect within the bladder and urinary tubules.

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