Gnaphalium leontopodium

Its botanical name is Leontopodium alpinum. It is commonly known as edelweiss. It is a perennial plant grows up to 15-25 cm on lime rocks of Alps at the altitude of 3000m. Leaves and stems are covered by white fine hair due to which it appears woolly. Leaves are entire and oblong-oblanceolate; as they age, they shed the wool from upper surface. Each stem bears 7-9 closely crowded, discoid flower heads, about 5-6mm across, in a terminal cyme surrounded by a tuft of densely and persistently white-wooly, oblong or lanceolate floral leaves that far surpass the heads.

 

It is distributed to mountainous are Europe, Apennines, Asia, mountains of Balkan Peninsula. Leontopodium spices is a protected plant in many countries, including Mongolia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Switzerland (since 1878), France, Norway, Iran, India Zanskar region, Italy, Serbia, Malaysia.

It contains flavonoids, caffeic acids and leontopodic acid.

It is covered by Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India. It mother tincture is prepared from the whole flowering plant.

It is used as an astringent and wound healer. When applied externally it protects skin from UV radiation. In herbal medicine it is used natural anti-ageing medicine. It is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial. In traditional medicine it was used as a medicinal herb in decoction with milk and honey to combat heartburn, difficult digestion and anti-aging.

Recommended dose – Φ in drop doses diluted in water.

References:

1. Zheng, Xing & Wang, Wei & Piao, Huishan & Xu, Weiqiang & Shi, Haibo & Zhao, Chengai. (2013). The Genus Gnaphalium L. (Compositae): Phytochemical and Pharmacological Characteristics. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 18. 8298-318. 10.3390/molecules18078298.

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leontopodium_nivale