Fumitory Root pieces Fumaria officinalis

LATIN NAME: Fumaria officinalis

COMMON NAME: Fumitory

Fumitory is the small, grey-green plant of the old field edges, with a name from the smoke. The low, spreading, annual or short-lived perennial carries the finely divided, feathery, grey-green leaves and the small, tubular, pink or purple flowers with the darker tips, carried in the slender spikes through the summer. The plant has a very long record in the old practice of the West, and it is a fine, soft presence of the border, the meadow edge and the wild patch. It is a plant of the open, sunny, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The fumitory is a small, old name in the plant science, studied for the finely divided leaves and the chemistry of the plant. Researchers have looked at the compounds of the leaves and the stems, which have a very long record in the old practice of the West, and it keeps showing up in the work on the traditional herbs, the alkaloid plants and the members of the poppy family. The slender spikes of the small, pink flowers and the low, spreading habit have also made it a fine garden plant, and the fumitory is a regular subject of the studies of the old herbs of the field edges.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The fumitory is a small, quiet plant with a long record in the old practice. The slender spikes of the small, pink or purple flowers open through the summer, and the feathery, grey-green leaves give the plant its soft, old look. The plant has a very long record in the old practice of the West, and it remains a steady figure of the traditional herbal work and the study of the old field herbs. It has drawn attention in the international botanical and the herbal press for the fine foliage and the very long record of use, and it is a fine, easy plant of the open, sunny, well-drained garden.

The fumitory is one of the small, old herbs of the field edges, and the feathery, grey-green leaves give the plant its soft, old look. The slender spikes of the small, pink flowers open through the summer.

To grow the fumitory from seed, sow the small, round seeds on the surface of a tray of moist seed compost, pressing them in lightly, keep the tray in a bright, open spot and water gently. The seedlings come up within a couple of weeks and grow on steadily. Give them the sun and the well-drained ground, and the pink spikes will open through the summer.

Common name:Fumaria

Fumitory is a small climbing herb with weak stems, deeply indented leaves, and spikes of small flowers of a pinkish hue, topped with purple or, white. It is native to Europe and North Africa, but grows quite well all over the planet.

The ancient Romans, according to the historian Pliny, named this useful plant Kapnos, which means smoke, because the juice of the plant brings on such a flow of tears that the sight becomes dim as with smoke. It was also said that the plant did not grow from a seed, but from the fumes rising up from the underground. Fumitory was used in Roman medicine to treat problems of the eyes, and also a smoke for expelling evil spirits.

Nicholas Culpepper, in his work The Complete Herbal (1652) wrote that it was good for all types of afflictions of the skin, and suggested using the whole plant, although modern thought is that only the leaves may be necessary. As late as the early twentieth century, fumitory was a primary herb for treating the “leprous afflictions” described the great herbalist M. Grieve and also for liver disease. The modern uses of fumitory in herbal medicine are less dramatic. Fumitory is taken internally to treat acne, eczema, and indigestion, and used in eyewashes to treat conjunctivitis.

In magick this herb is generally used for all types of banishment and exorcism.  It is particularly powerful when used as an incense or smoke to cleanse large areas or houses.  If you choose to use it this way, be sure that all windows are open.  To a lesser extent it has also been used for money spells, and can be added to your wallet to bring prosperity.