ARTYKUŁ

Jacek Drobnik, Elżbieta Drobnik

Uwagi o nazewnictwie i dawnym zastosowaniu bobrka trójlistkowego (Menyanthes trifoliata L.)
2007-01-16

About nomenclature and former uses of bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata L.). We study the origin of nomenclature of Menyanthes trifoliata L. in some national European languages and in pharmaceutical Latin. Herbal stock, Menyanthidis folium (formerly called Folium Trifolii fibrini) is used as amarum purum. In folk medicine of many European countries there exist national names derived from the habitat of this plant and leaf shape; translated as water clover or beaverís clover. In German however, M. trifoliata is known as febrile clover. This may result from the exact translation of medieval Latin term trifolium fibrinum or trifolium febrinum into German and its traditional usage against gastritis. The use of this herbal drug might subsequently and erroneously concern other diseases in which fever symptoms are observed, e.g. tuberculosis and rheumatism. English name bogbean comes from the similarity of leaves to kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), broad bean (Vicia faba) or soya bean (Glycine max) leaves. Another name bog hop originates from usage of bitter bogbean leaves in brewing as a bitter surrogate of hop cones.