Herb's Introduction
Ranunculus sceleratus L. (Family: Ranunculaceae) is an erect annual or perennial herb commonly known as the Cursed Buttercup, Poisonous Buttercup, or Celery-leaved Buttercup. The plant is notable for its highly toxic nature when fresh, due to the presence of the glycoside ranunculin, which converts to the extremely acrid and irritant substance protoanemonin upon mastication or bruising. Despite its significant toxicity, it has been utilized for centuries in traditional medicine, particularly for its counter-irritant and blistering properties, especially when used externally.
Name in Different Countries
The herb's common and vernacular names often allude to its toxic nature or its celery-like leaves: English: Cursed Buttercup, Poisonous buttercup, Celery-leaved buttercup, Blister buttercup Sanskrit: Kandakatuka, Kandira, नससंवेदना (Nasasamvedana) (suggesting a strong, possibly painful, sensory effect) Hindi: Shim, Aglaon, जलधनिया (Jaldhaniya) (meaning 'water coriander' or 'water dill,' referring to its aquatic habitat and leaf shape) Manipuri: Lalukaoba Marathi: khajakollathi, Kulagi Nepali: नाककोरे (Nakkore) Arabic: زغلنته (zāghalantah) Chinese: 石龙芮 (Shí Lóng Ruì) Dutch: Blaartrekkende boterbloem (Blister-drawing buttercup) Finnish: Konnanleinikki French: Renoncule scélérate, Renoncule à feuilles de Cèleri (Celery-leaved Ranunculus) Romanian: boglari Swedish: Blåsranunkel (Blister Ranunculus)
Terminology
Family: Ranunculaceae (The Buttercup Family) Synonymy: The plant has several synonyms, indicating historical and geographical variation in its naming, such as Adonis palustris, Batrachium sceleratum, and Ranunculus indicus. Active Principle: The key toxic compound is protoanemonin, an unstable, volatile irritant oil. It is derived from the non-toxic glycoside ranunculin when the fresh plant tissue is damaged (crushed, bruised, or chewed) through an enzyme-mediated conversion. Protoanemonin spontaneously dimerizes into the less active compound anemonin, and further drying or heating generally destroys the active toxins, making dried parts significantly less hazardous. Toxicity: The plant is one of the most virulent of the native buttercups. It is a potent vesicant (causes blistering) and a strong irritant to the skin and mucous membranes.
Availability
Habitat and Range: Ranunculus sceleratus has a wide circumpolar distribution across the Northern Hemisphere, being native to temperate and boreal regions of North America and Eurasia, including Europe, Central Asia, Siberia, China, and Japan. It is often found in wet and moist habitats, such as along slow streams, ditches, shallow ponds, boggy shorelands, and tidal wetlands. It prefers mineral-rich water and muddy bottoms. Availability Form: The herb is typically collected from the wild for traditional medicinal use, and is used in its fresh state when its blistering action is strongest. It loses its potent acridity and effects when dried.
External Look
Habit: It is an erect annual or short-lived perennial herb, typically growing up to 0.6 meters (2 feet) tall. The stems are often hollow, thick, sulcate (grooved), glabrous (hairless), or sparsely puberulent, and usually much-branched. Roots: The plant has thickened rootstocks and fibrous roots. Leaves: Leaves are a notable feature, giving rise to its common name 'Celery-leaved Buttercup.' Basal Leaves: Have long petioles, and the blades are typically reniform (kidney-shaped) or oval-cordate in outline, often deeply parted into 3 wedge-shaped, lobed, or toothed segments. Cauline (Stem) Leaves: Alternate, progressively smaller up the stem, and more deeply divided, becoming narrow-lobed or sometimes unlobed towards the top. Both basal and stem leaves are typically fleshy and glabrous. Flowers: The small flowers are borne on pedicels at the stem ends. Size/Color: They are relatively small, typically 5-10 mm across, with 3 to 5 pale yellow petals. Sepals/Petals: The sepals are about as long as the petals, yellowish-green, and are reflexed (bent sharply backward). The petals are shorter than the sepals and contain a nectariferous pit. Fruit: The fruit consists of numerous (100-250) small achenes (small, dry, one-seeded fruits) borne in a dense, elongated, cylindrical cluster (receptacle) that can be up to 14 mm long.
Healing Properties
The plant's medicinal application is primarily rooted in its strong irritant property, which is used as a counter-irritant. Counter-Irritant & Vesicant: The acrid juice, containing protoanemonin, is used externally to produce a blister (vesicant action) on the skin, which acts as a counter-irritant to alleviate deeper pain or inflammation, such as in cases of rheumatism and arthritis. Anti-Inflammatory/Analgesic: Traditionally used as an anodyne (pain-relieving) and anti-rheumatic agent for external use, despite the initial pain it causes. Emmenagogue & Galactagogue: The herb is traditionally mentioned as an emmenagogue (promoting menstrual flow) and a galactagogue (promoting lactation), though internal use is highly hazardous. Antimicrobial/Antifungal: Protoanemonin is known to possess fungicidal and strong antibiotic properties. Other Traditional Uses: The plant is noted as a diaphoretic (induces sweating) and antispasmodic.
Advantages
The main "advantages" of Ranunculus sceleratus lie in its unique and potent chemical profile, specifically for traditional, externally applied purposes: Potent Counter-Irritancy: It offers a strong, fast-acting, and localized counter-irritant effect, which was a valuable method in traditional medicine for drawing out or distracting from internal pain. Antimicrobial Action: The protoanemonin compound provides a natural, potent antiseptic and fungicidal action when applied externally to wounds or skin disorders like eczema. Toxicity Mitigation: The toxic substance, ranunculin, is largely destroyed by drying or heating/boiling, offering a theoretical way to mitigate the hazard, though this also removes the desired medicinal acridity in external preparations.
Uses
The uses of the plant are divided between external medicinal applications, internal/food use (with extreme caution), and other applications: Medicinal Uses (Primarily External) Skin Disorders: Paste of leaves or whole plant ground with oil (like Brassica oil) is applied externally on eczema, ulcers on the feet, and for other skin conditions like scabies and leucoderma (vitiligo). Counter-irritancy: Used to raise blisters on the skin as a counter-irritant for treating arthritis, rheumatism, and chronic pain. Erectile Dysfunction: In some traditional practices, a paste of the roots with mustard oil is applied externally to increase erectile power and combat impotence (extreme caution needed due to vesicant property). Tonic/Systemic (Internal/Minimal Dose): The seed is traditionally considered a tonic and used in China and Vietnam to treat colds, rheumatism, general debility, and to promote appetite and digestion (often involving specific preparations like eating seeds, which carry inherent risk and require professional preparation). The plant juice is also mentioned for bronchitis and cough. Other Uses Insecticide/Pest Control: Whole plant decoction is used as an insecticide. The powdered plant mixed with flour and sugar can be used as rat poisoning. Poison: Historically used as a poison for arrow points.
Using Way
❗ It is critical to note that due to its severe toxicity, especially when fresh, Ranunculus sceleratus should only be used externally and strictly under the guidance of a qualified traditional medicine practitioner. Internal use is highly dangerous and potentially lethal. ❗ External Application (Poultice/Paste): Blistering/Counter-Irritant: Fresh leaves or whole herb are bruised, crushed, or ground into a paste (sometimes with oil like mustard or Brassica oil) and applied directly to the skin over the affected area (e.g., arthritic joints) for a short period. The protoanemonin causes redness and blistering (rubefacient/vesicant action), which is intended to draw inflammation away from deeper tissues. The application must be carefully monitored to prevent severe tissue damage. Skin Conditions: A paste, often mixed with an oil, is applied topically to external skin lesions or swellings. Internal Use (Highly Risky): Traditional internal use of the seeds or decoctions of the whole plant exists in some regions (e.g., for appetite or bronchitis), but this involves extremely small, controlled doses of prepared materials where the toxicity may be reduced, and the risk of severe gastrointestinal irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and even convulsions remains very high. This is not recommended or safe for general use. Detoxification for Food: The young plants have been historically recorded as being eaten (edible rating 1/5) only if the plant is boiled with the water discarded multiple times to remove the toxins, or if the roots are boiled until mild. This practice is dangerous and is rarely, if ever, done safely today.
Conclusion
Ranunculus sceleratus, the Cursed Buttercup, is a quintessential example of a plant with a dual nature in herbalism: it is a potent poison and a powerful, though hazardous, medicine. Its toxicity stems from protoanemonin, an acrid principle that makes the fresh plant unsafe for ingestion by humans and livestock. However, this very toxicity has given it value in traditional external medicine for centuries as a vesicant and counter-irritant to treat deep-seated ailments like rheumatism, and for its antimicrobial properties in skin conditions. While it is a historically significant herb, its use today requires extreme caution and professional supervision due to the high risk of severe blistering, inflammation, and internal poisoning. Its names, such as "Cursed Buttercup" and "Poisonous Buttercup," serve as a constant and necessary warning regarding its dangerous potency.
