Knautia macedonica Griseb. Dipsacaceae. Distribution: Macedonia. This honours the brothers Knaut, both physicians and botanists: Christof Knaut (also Knauth, 1638–94) and his brother Christian Knaut (1654–1716). The plant was traditionally used as a compress in its native Balkans to relieve dermatitis and itching. This use is a local survival of what was once a widespread application of this plant and its relations, and is an example of the doctrine of signatures in which the therapeutic benefit of a plant is suggested by some aspect of its anatomy

  • Dr Henry Oakeley
  • Digital Images
  • Online

Selected images from this work

View 1 image

About this work

Description

it has rough-textured leaves, so it was supposed to cure rough, itchy skin. It was locally called ‘Scabious’ and ‘Widow Flower’, the former because, like the genus Scabious, it was expected to cure scabies and itching (Oakeley, 2012) Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.

Contributors

Permanent link