Round Leaved Pyrola
Pyrola rotundifolia
[py-ROH-luh
ro-tun-dih-FOH-lee-uh]
Family: Pyrolaceae
Pharmaceutical Name: Herba
Pyrolae
Names: Shinleaf,
wintergreen, false wintergreen, canker lettuce, pear
leaf pyrola, pyrola, Round-leaved wintergreen,
Pyrole A Grappes, Rond Wintergroen, Rondbladig
Wintergroenkruid, Round American Wintergreen,
Holzmangold, Large Wintergreen, Lu Ti Ts'Ao, Pirola,
Pyrola -leaved Wintergreen, Sundew, Vintergron;
Vitpyrola vintergröna; vanlig vitpyrola (Swedish);
Lækjevintergrøn (Norwegian); Mose-Vintergrøn
(Danish); Isotalvikki (Finnish); Bjöllulilja
(Icelandic); Rundblättriges Wintergrün (German)
Description: Low perennial
evergreen. The leaves are radical, ovate, nearly 2
inches in diameter, smooth, shining and thick,
resembling pipsissewa and used similarly. The
petioles are much longer than the leaf. The large,
white, fragrant and drooping flowers are many and in
blossom from June to July. The fruit is a
five-celled many-seeded capsule
Cultivation: Prefers a moist sandy woodland soil
in a cool position with partial shade. Requires a
peaty or leafy but not very acid soil that remains
moist in the summer. Plants are hardy to at least
0°F. This is a very ornamental but difficult plant
to grow. It requires a mycorrhizal relationship in
the soil and therefore needs to be grown initially
in soil collected from around an established plant.
It is also very difficult from seed as well as being
intolerant of root disturbance which makes division
difficult. Sow the seed as soon as it is ripe if
this is possible. Sow it into soil collected from
around an established plant, only just covering the
seed, and put the pot in a shady part of a cold
frame. Pot up any young seedlings as soon as they
are large enough to handle, once again using soil
from around an established plant. Plant out into
their permanent positions when the plants are large
enough. You should not need to use soil from around
an established plant to do this since the soil in
the pot will contain the necessary micorrhiza.
Division with great care in the spring. Pot up the
divisions using some soil from around an established
plant, grow on in a lightly shaded part of a
greenhouse or frame and do not plant out until the
plants are growing away vigorously. The leaves are
harvested in mid to late summer and can be used
fresh or dried.
Constituents: The plant
contains arbutin, a proven diuretic and
antibacterial agent that is used as a urinary
antiseptic, this hydrolyzes in the body into the
toxic hydroquinone.
Properties: astringent,
diuretic, tonic, antispasmodic,
Antirheumatic;
Cardiotonic; Contraceptive; Diuretic; Ophthalmic;
Tonic.
Medicinal Uses: administer
internally for gravel, ulcerations of the bladder,
bloody urine and other urinary diseases; useful in
the relief of a scrofulous taint from the system;
also for epilepsy and other nervous affections. The
decoction will be found beneficial as a gargle for
sore throat and mouth and as an external wash for
sore or ophthalmic eyes. It is also used in
injections for whites and various diseases of the
womb. A decoction of the leaves is used in the
treatment of skin diseases, as a gargle and a wash
for the eyes. It is used internally in the treatment
of epilepsy and other nervous afflictions.
Homeopathy: a tincture
prepared from the flowering plant is used for the
above conditions
Solvent: boiling water
Dosage: 1 teaspoonful of
the herb to 1 cupful of boiling water, steeped 10
min or more and taken three times a day at meal
times. Of the extract, 2-4 grains.
References:
Indian Herbalogy of North America, Alma R.
Hutchens, Shambhala, 1973; ISBN: 0-87773-639-1
Plants for a Future Database
