Herbs In Medicine

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Medicinal Plants of La Palma

Article & Photos By Ann Walker * except main photo

Luc

Caldera de Taruriente, La Palma, photo copyright Luc Viatour

My husband, Alan, and I spent two weeks in La Palma last Christmas. We have visited a number of the Canary islands before, but this was definitely the most interesting from a botanical point of view. The rainfall is higher than in the other islands, so there is more plant life. The island is volcanic and mountainous, and the varying altitudes create diverse habitats and ecosystems. Many plants are unique to La Palma (the correct term is endemic). In fact, almost all the wild plants growing in the Canaries are endemic to these islands, and at first sight, many seem very familiar. This is because the Canaries have their own unique version (species) of plants that we find commonly in Britain and Europe: Stinging Nettle, Fennel, Bindweed, Tansy, Mallow, Plantain, Elder and the list goes on....

In evolutionary terms, the Canaries are for plants what the Galapagos Islands were for Darwin’s animals. There are similar, but not exactly the same, plants on each island. It is easy to see this with the houseleeks: each island has several species and many are found only on one of the islands. We were lucky to see the spectacular ‘La Palma Giant Houseleek’ in flower.

<- La Palma Giant Houseleek (Aeonium palmense)

There were masses of them at low altitude – their conical yellow flowers lighting up entire hillsides. Similar species occur on the other islands and several are used in traditional medicine.

At sea level a common plant is the Canary Sorrel, which is found on all the islands. According to David Bramwell’s book “Flora of the Canary Islands” this herb is frequently used locally as a traditional remedy for its anti-inflammatory and decongestant properties.

Canary Islands Sorrel (Rumex lunaria)

Another common plant of the lowlands is Canary wormwood. This strong smelling plant has many medicinal uses for treatment of worm infections, water retention, stomach ache and flatulence.

Medicinal properties have been ascribed to many of the Canarian plants, although the details are not well recorded.

<- Canary Wormwood (Artemisia canariensis)

Even the very common and misnamed Paris Daisy – the most common of all the Canary daisies - has unspecified medicinal uses. [This plant was given the common name ‘Paris Daisy’ as it was first introduced into cultivation in Paris in the 18th century.]

Paris Daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens) ->

La Palma Cineraria (Pericallis papyracea)

Several species of Cineraria have been used to treat lung complaints, including coughs, colds and bronchitis. Cultivated varieties of Cineraria are familiar to us as a florists’ pot flower. The Canaries are great places to find diversity of this genus and many species are specifically endemic to a particular island.

<- La Palma Cineraria (Pericallis papyracea)

Some islands, like La Palma, have more than one unique species. The one in the photo is native to the high altitude forest in La Palma. Another forest plant that I was very pleased to find was the Canary St John’s wort. This takes the form of a shrub or small tree, and I managed to find a few out-of-season flowers to photograph. It is used locally for herbal medicine, but, again, details are hard to come by. Although a native of the forest, it can often be found at lower altitude in municipal plantings, as it has very showy yellow flowers earlier in the year.

Canary St John's Wort (Hypericum canariense)

Although a lot of the plants on La Palma are said to have medicinal properties, it should be remembered that these plants are very rare, being only found on these islands. Their fragile survival should not be further threatened by collection for medicinal purposes. However, proper documentation of the medicinal properties of the Canarian plants needs to be done to preserve information for future generations. Some of these plants may show therapeutic advantages over ones we currently use in herbal medicine, and new ways of cultivation may be developed in the future.

Ann Walker, Medical Herbalist and HS Council Member Jan 2012

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