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Photo of Aristolochia clematitis

© Kurt Stüber [1] · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons

Aristolochia clematitis

Toxic🐾

Gewöhnliche Osterluzei · (Aristolochia clematitis)

Birthwort family (Aristolochiaceae)

Description

The curved, kettle-shaped flower tube of this birthwort-family plant is lined internally with downward-pointing hairs and attracts small flies with a carrion-like scent, briefly trapping them for pollination — a classic textbook example of a kettle-trap flower. The plant grows as a naturalised weed along vineyard edges and ruderal sites across Central and Southern Europe, flowering from May to July. Its German name Osterluzei and the English 'birthwort' both point to the long-obsolete historical use as a supposed childbirth aid in medieval folk medicine. This use is now considered entirely obsolete and dangerous: every plant part contains aristolochic acid, classified by IARC as a top-category carcinogen and known to cause severe, often irreversible kidney damage. A 1992–1994 scandal at a Brussels clinic involving a related species led to dialysis, transplants and cancer in over 100 women. WARNING: fully banned from medicinal products in the EU since 2001. There is NO safe dose — no use whatsoever.

  • CompressAerial partsExternalFolk medicine

    HISTORICALLY OBSOLETE — Antique and medieval wound treatment: Pliny the Elder (Naturalis Historia), Dioscorides (De Materia Medica) and medieval herbals recommended compresses of crushed Aristolochia leaves for purulent wounds, ulcers and snakebite — hence the generic name from Greek áristos (best) + locheía (birth/cleansing). Percutaneous uptake of aristolochic acid may also contribute to renal damage; external use is now likewise rejected. Pure ethnobotanical note, NOT a use recommendation.

    Sources: [2] [3] [5]

  • RawFlowerExternalFolk medicine

    Biological phenomenon — The flower of birthwort is an 'Aristolochia trap' (pitfall flower): the curved perianth tube is lined internally with downward-pointing trichomes and attracts small Diptera (especially fungus gnats) via a carrion-like scent. Insects fall into the kettle chamber and are detained until pollination; after pollen release the trichomes wither and free the exit. Classical textbook example of temporary kettle-trap flowers in botany; NO medicinal relevance, purely pollination ecology.

    Sources: [1] [2] [3]

  • RawWhole plantExternalFolk medicine

    OBSOLETE / RARE — Historically Aristolochia clematitis was cultivated as a monastery garden plant and apothecary 'hortus medicus' species (Hildegard tradition, Abbey of St. Gall, monastic pharmacies). Extremely rare in modern gardens, since toxic and banned in the EU as a medicinal plant; occasionally still seen in botanical collections and ethnobotanical demonstration gardens. Naturalized stands persist in vineyards and ruderal sites of Central and Southern Europe. Cultivation in domestic gardens is discouraged due to confusion risk (see poisoning warning).

    Sources: [1] [3] [8]

Historical documentation only — do NOT use

These internal applications are historically documented. This plant is highly toxic — self-treatment can cause severe poisoning or death. For documentation only, explicitly NOT a recommendation.

  • TeaRootInternalFolk medicine

    HISTORICALLY OBSOLETE AND DANGEROUS — Medieval and early modern folk medicine: infusions or decoctions of the root were considered a 'midwife' and labour-inducing remedy; the German name 'Osterluzei' and the English 'Birthwort' refer directly to this supposed obstetric use. Hildegard of Bingen mentions the plant (Physica) as a circulation-stimulating agent. The application followed the Doctrine of Signatures, since the curved perianth tube resembles a birth canal. Today NO application is permitted: aristolochic acid is nephrotoxic and a proven carcinogen (IARC Group 1); fully banned from medicinal products in the EU since 2001. Documentation purely ethnobotanical.

    Sources: [1] [2] [4]

  • TeaAerial partsInternalFolk medicine

    HISTORICALLY OBSOLETE AND HIGHLY DANGEROUS — In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Aristolochia species (Mu Tong, Guang Fang Ji) were prescribed as 'diuretic' and 'heat-clearing' drugs until the 1990s. From 1992 to 1994, accidental substitution of Stephania tetrandra by Aristolochia fangchi in a Brussels slimming clinic caused 'Chinese Herbs Nephropathy' (CHN, today Aristolochic Acid Nephropathy/AAN): over 105 mostly young women developed severe interstitial renal fibrosis; many required dialysis or transplantation, and urothelial carcinomas (ureter/bladder) emerged. This catastrophe led to the EU-wide ban. Documented purely as a warning — NO use.

    Sources: [4] [5] [6]

  • TeaRhizomeInternalFolk medicine

    HISTORICALLY OBSOLETE — Antique medicine (Hippocrates, Galen, Dioscorides) used root and rhizome decoctions of birthwort against intermittent fever, as a 'cleansing' postpartum agent (lochia-promoter) and against snakebite. Medieval pharmacopoeias (Macer Floridus, Salernitan Antidotarium) list it as 'Aristolochia rotunda/longa' for internal applications. We now know: such infusions contain free aristolochic acids I and II, which form DNA adducts (aristolactam-dA) on adenine residues and induce A:T → T:A transversions in TP53 — molecular signature of AA-induced carcinogenesis. NO use.

    Sources: [2] [4] [7]
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