Summer
Wolfstrapp
Lycopus europaeus
Rhythm, Cooling, Efficiency
familyLamiaceae (Labiates)
LocationRiverbanks, ditches, damp meadows; wet, nutrient-rich soils
HarvestJuly
ProcessingMortar method
Botany and nature of the plant
Botany
The Common Water Horehound (Lycopus europaeus L.) is a plant reaching over 100 cm in height, belonging to the mint family (Lamiaceae). Its square stems are hairless or sparsely hairy and usually have prominently projecting side ridges. They are upright and bear opposite, lanceolate leaves 3 to 8 cm long. These are sharply pointed and more or less coarsely serrated to lobed. In its vegetative state, Water Horehound is occasionally mistaken for Greater Nettle.
From July to September, the flowers emerge in the leaf axils. They are very small, only 4 to 5 mm long – a peculiarity for an insect-pollinated plant. Because the flowers are so small, they do not disrupt the rhythmic structure of the plant, which is created by the opposite leaf arrangement and their serrated, lobed shape. The plant has a cool, metallic-sounding aroma.
Nature of the plant
Rhythm, Cooling, Efficiency
Wolfstrapp vibrates with an intense life rhythm that cannot be disrupted. When the various activities of life follow one another in harmonious succession, carried by a clear rhythm, this leads to high efficiency. That is to say, much is achieved with little energy.
If the rhythm is lost, as in stressful situations where several tasks are done simultaneously and incompletely, the energy demand for the same performance increases, meaning the efficiency decreases. The organ that determines the efficiency in the body is the thyroid gland. If it is overactive, the basal metabolic rate rises, meaning more energy is consumed than is needed to maintain basic functions. Wolfstrapp cools the overheating, the thyroid’s overactivity, restoring rhythm and efficiency to the energy balance.
With regard to female rhythms as well, Wolfstrapp possesses a stabilising effect. When rhythmic processes such as the rise and fall of hormone levels during the female cycle burden soul and body, Lycopus provides relief. Even when one's personal rhythm cannot be aligned with an externally imposed one, the plant acts to harmonise and balance.
Lycopus europaeus
Wolfstrapp
familyLamiaceae (Labiates)
Height20–100 cm
Flowering periodJuly–September
Harvest monthsJuly
LocationRiverbanks, ditches, damp meadows; wet, nutrient-rich soils
DistributionEurope; scattered in lower altitudes in Switzerland
Ceres procurementOrganic and Demeter cultivation
Plant partFresh flowering herb
Common namesWolfstrapp, Europäischer Wolfstrapp, Zigeunerblume, Gypsywort
Signature & impact
From shape to healing power
The structure of Wolfstrapp is rhythmic in every respect. Let us first consider the arrangement of the leaves. At each node, there are two opposite leaves. The pairs of leaves stacked above each other are positioned at right angles to one another.
Viewed from above, the leaves form a cross. This leaf arrangement is known as decussate opposite. If one imagines a harmonious connecting line between the tips of pairs of leaves lying above each other on each diagonal side, one obtains regular, upward tapering wave lines. Any plant expert will be surprised that I attribute significance to this leaf arrangement, since many plants have decussate opposite leaves.
This leaf arrangement is typical for the Lamiaceae family, to which Lycopus belongs. What is special about Wolfstrapp is that the rhythmic pattern generally present in this leaf arrangement is not disturbed by the flowers. When we look at other plants with decussate opposite leaves, there are often more or less large flowers between the leaf whorls, interrupting the wavy overall pattern that the leaves alone would form. There are also Lamiaceae with flowers as small as those of Wolfstrapp (Melissa, peppermint), but these have such small or irregular leaf spacing that they cannot be described as rhythmic.
Rhythm in its highest perfection. Next, let us look at a leaf. We follow with our eyes the regular, deep notches running around the entire leaf margin.
Now let the overall shape of the leaf impress upon you. Can you sense a strong, rhythmically oscillating force shaping the construction of this leaf form? Of course, there are many other notched or serrated leaves, such as those of nettles or ground ivy. However, it is subtle nuances in form and size of the notches that convey a very different character.
In nettles, the jagged shape of the teeth expresses the plant’s aggressive nature, whereas in Wolfstrapp, the notches on the inside and outside are slightly rounded, so that they flow harmoniously into one another. Depending on the location, Wolfstrapp is very variable in its overall shape. In forests, damp ditches and by paths we find highly branched plants with smaller, light green leaves, while in drier, nutrient-rich areas we find less branched plants with dark green, large leaves. However different the plant may appear, the mentioned rhythmic character is invariably the dominant principle in all forms.
Harvest timeJuly
ProcurementOrganic and Demeter cultivation
Origin & harvest
Organic and Demeter cultivation
Wolfstrapp is widespread in Europe and Western Asia and grows in moist, shady locations: banks of streams, ponds and ditches, floodplain forests, and marsh edges. In Switzerland, it is common in the Central Plateau and lowland areas.
Ceres uses Wolfstrapp from organic or Demeter cultivation. The fresh flowering herb is harvested in summer.
Historical context
Traditional Use
Wolfstrapp is traditionally used for mild hyperthyroidism, vegetative nervous disorders, and sensitivity or pain in the mammary glands. The plant is attributed with antigonadotropic and antithyreotropic effects. The use of Lycopus europaeus L. in hyperthyroidism has become established in various therapeutic approaches today, which is considered exceptional in the field of medicinal plants. Thyroid dysfunctions are often accompanied by palpitations, restlessness, anxiety, irritability, and sleep disturbances. Such specific symptoms can be alleviated with Lycopus europaeus L.
Sources
1. Hänsel, R. & Steinegger, E. Hänsel / Sticher Pharmakognosie Phytopharmazie. (Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft GmbH, Stuttgart, Deutschland, 2015).
2. BGA/BfArM (Kommission E). Lycopi herba (Wolfstrappkraut). Bundesanzeiger 22a, (1990).
3. AL-SNAFI, A. E. A Review on Lycopus europaeus: A Potential Medicinal Plant. IOSR J. Pharm. 9, 80–88 (2019).
4. Beer, A. M., Wiebelitz, K. R. & Schmidt-Gayk, H. Lycopus europaeus (Gypsywort): Effects on the thyroidal parameters and symptoms associated with thyroid function. Phytomedicine 15, 16–22 (2008).
5. BGA/BfArM (Kommission D). Lycopus europaeus. Bundesanzeiger 213, (1989).
6. Kalbermatten, R. & Kalbermatten, H. Pflanzliche Urtinkturen. (AT Verlag, Aarau, Schweiz, 2018).
7. Kalbermatten, R. Wesen und Signatur der Heilpflanzen. (AT Verlag, Aarau, Schweiz, 2016).
Manufacturing
Ceres mortar process — gentle, cold and complete.
Freshly harvested, hand-picked, ground at room temperature and aged for years. No heating, no pressure - the plant's full vitality is preserved.