AYURVEDIC PRACTITIONER
| Couch Grass, ©2008 Todd Caldecott |
Botanical Name: Agropyron repens, Poaceae Botanical synonyms: Elytrigia repens, Triticum repens Common names: Couchgrass, Quackgrass, Doggrass, Twitchgrass, Wheatgrass Plant description: Couchgrass is a member of the Hordae genera of the Poaceae, or grass family. This is a large and diverse group of plants, despite the fact that most people consider all grasses to be more or less the same. Their complexity however often requires a hand lens, or even a microscope. Fortunately this rhizomatous perennial is so common that once one becomes familiar with it, it isn't too difficult to find it somewhere. It is noted for its jointed, wiry, tough creeping rhizome, white to yellowish in color, 1-2 cm thick, each joint giving off a tuft of fibrous roots. The stems form in thick clumps, each up to 1 m in height, with 3-6 joints. The leaves are flat, firm and usually hairy but can be hairless, 6-20 cm long and 5-10 mm wide. The inflorescence is a spike, 5-25 cm long, comprised of several spikelets, 10-15 mm long, each with 5-9 flowers that bloom from June into August in most regions. The seeds are elliptical, pale yellow to brown, 10mm long and less that 2 mm wide. Habitat, ecology and distribution: Couchgrass is a weedy species of Eurasian grass that has naturalized almost everywhere in North America except for the gulf states of Florida and Texas. It is the bane of farmers, invading fields and pastures, producing chemicals that inhibit the growth of other plants, while growing itself at a rate of up to 3 meters per year. It is most commonly found in disturbed sites, along roadsides, abandoned areas, beaches, farms, gardens and lawns. Couchgrass is an important habitat for small rodents, birds and waterfowl. It is often crossed with other Agropryon spp. to create hybrids for grazing. Recently these hybrids have been used to revegetate mine tailings in Nova Scotia. Part used: fresh rhizome, recently dried rhizome History: The genus name Agropyron comes from the Greek agros (field), and puros (wheat). Its common name 'couch' from the Anglo-Saxon civice, meaning 'vivacious.' Despite being a troublesome weed in North America, the hay is widely used as a fodder in Europe and Asia, and the rhizome an emergency food in times of scarcity. Grieve states that Dioscorides mentioned it as a useful remedy in "…suppression of urine and stone in the bladder," an indication that was similarly found in the writings of Pliny (1971, 370). Couch-grass rhizome was at one time popular in Europe as a decoction taken in early spring to purify the blood. Culpepper states that its other common name of Doggrass is due to watching dogs when they are sick, which chew and swallow the grass to induce vomiting. Culpepper closes his comments on Couchgrass saying that despite being a nuisance to gardeners, "…a physician holds half an acre of them to be worth five acres of carrots twice told over." Constituents: Couchgrass has a variety of interesting constituents, some of which can be noted upon tasting its sweet, licorice-tasting rhizome. The carbohydrates include simple sugars like fructose and glucose, as well as inositol, mannitol, pectin, and most importantly a mucilage that comprises upwards of 10% of the plant. The characteristic taste is most likely due to its volatile oils, which is stated to be either agropyrene (95%), or a mixture of monoterpenes including carvacrol,anethole, carvone, thymol, menthol, and menthone, as well as cymene and three sesquiterpenes. Couchgrass also contains a variety of glycosides including flavonoids (e.g. tricin), saponins, cyanogenetic glycosides and the phenolic glycoside vanillin. Couchgrass is also high in minerals such as calcium, potassium and phosphorus. The aerial parts are stated to be high in protein, on par with alfalfa (Newall et al 1996, 91; Duke 2002). Medical Research: There is almost no medical research on Couchgrass, despite its popularity as a traditional remedy for urinary tract problems. Newall et al report diuretic and sedative properties in rats and mice, and a broad spectrum antibiotic activity for its volatile oil agropyrene and its oxidative derivative (1996, 91). Toxicity: Newall et al report that the flavonoids constituents may be phytotoxic (1996, 91). Herbal action: diuretic, demulcent, antilithic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepatic Indications: cystitis, urethritis, prostatitis, benign prostatic hypertrophy, renal calculi, renal backache, gout, arthritis, prostatic adenoma, BPH Contraindications and cautions: none Medicinal uses: Couchgrass is an excellent diuretic, admirably suited to any kind of irritability of the bladder, decreasing frequency, burning sensations and painful urination. It is an important and gentle remedy in cystitis and chronic urinary irritability, praised by the Eclectics in "...incipient nephritis, pyelitis and other catarrhal and purulent urinary affections" (Felter and Lloyd 1893). In pregnancy it is a safe remedy for chronic cystitis. It was once considered an important adjunct in the treatment of sexually transmitted infections, and is equally useful in men as for women, indicated in chronic prostatitis, mentioned by Weiss in prostatic adenoma (1988, 255). The traditional use of Couchgrass as a spring cleanse suggests that usefulness in congestive conditions generally, gently acting upon the kidneys to break up stones and discharge metabolic wastes. Thus Couchgrass was also considered an important remedy in the treatment of gout and arthritis, although it cannot be considered a powerful one. Gerard states that Couchgrass "…openeth the stoppings of the liver and reins without any manifest heat," recommended by the Dutch physician Hermann Boerhaave in obstruction of the viscera, particularly in cases of "scirrhous liver and jaundice" (Grieve 1971, 370). Pharmacy and dosage:
REFERENCESBradley, Peter R. ed. 1992. British Herbal Compendium. Bournemouth, UK: British Herbal Medicine Association. |