Periwinkle
Vinca minor
Evergreen shrub
In leaf Jan.-Dec. Flowering time April-May.

Common Names / Habitat / Magickal Uses / Edible Uses / Medicinal Uses / Cultivation / Propagation

 

Common Names: Sorcerer's Violet, Blue Buttons, Lesser Periwinkle, Myrtle *POISON*

Habitat: Fields, woodland edges, copses and hedgerows

Magickal Uses: Feminine, Venus, Water.

Patron herb of Wiccans. Love, Lust, Mental Powers, Money, Protection. Best when gathered when the moon is one night old, nine nights old, 11 nights old, 13 nights old, or 30 nights old. The dried flowers may be added to any magickal mixture to enhance the working. Banishes negative energy. Makes one feel desirable. Add dried flowers or root to amulets to bring necessary changes to one's life to attract a loving partner. Plant on graves of children. Helps grieving parents heal from their loss. Keeps memory of lost child alive without unhealthy attachments.

Edible Uses: None

Medicinal Uses: Antispasmodic; Astringent; Bitter; Detergent; Homeopathy; Hypotensive; Sedative; Stomachic; Tonic.

The plant is sedative and tonic. It contains the alkaloid 'vincamine', which is used by the pharmaceutical industry as a cerebral stimulant and vasodilator. Since the discovery of vincamine in the leaves, the plant has been used herbally to treat arteriosclerosis and for dementia due to insufficient blood supply to the brain. The leaves are bitter, detergent and stomachic. Taken internally, they are used in the treatment of internal bleeding, heavy menstrual bleeding and nosebleeds. When crushed and applied to wounds they have astringent and healing properties. A mouthwash is used to treat gingivitis, sore throats and mouth ulcers. The leaves are gathered in the spring and dried for later use. The root is antispasmodic and hypotensive. It is used to lower the blood pressure. The root is gathered in the autumn and dried for later use. The fresh flowers are gently purgative, but lose their effect on drying. A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh leaves. It is used in the treatment of haemorrhages.

Cultivation: A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in almost any soil but prefers those that are on the richer side. It grows well in heavy clay soils. Plants are very shade tolerant but they do not flower so well in deep shade. It grows well under deciduous trees, and in such a position it can succeed in dry soils. Established plants are drought tolerant. A very ornamental and polymorphic plant, there are some named forms selected for their ornamental value. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits. It spreads rapidly by long trailing and rooting stems once it is established and will swamp out smaller plants.

Propagation: Seed - we sow the seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if possible. Sow stored seed in late winter in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring just before active growth commences, or in autumn. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring. Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth, 5 - 10 cm long, October in a cold frame. Roots quickly. High percentage.

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