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Common Name: Lesser Dodder

General Information

Cuscuta epythymum is an annual plant that can grow up to 1.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine..

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Europe, including Britain, from Norway to Spain and east to the Caucasus and central Asia.

Habitat

Parasitic on heather and gorse[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

This is a parasitic species that is devoid of leaves, roots or chlorophyll and so is totally dependant upon its host[]. A climbing plant, it must be grown close to a host plant around which it will twine itself and which it will penetrate with suckers in order to obtain nutriment[, ].
The flowers emit a remarkably sweet perfume that is especially pronounced towards evening[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Lesser dodder is considered to be a valuable though little used herbal remedy that supports the liver, being used for problems affecting the liver and gallbladder[].
The whole plant is antibilious, appetizer, carminative, cholagogue, mildly diuretic, hepatic, laxative and antiscorbutic[, ]. A decoction of the stems is used in the treatment of urinary complaints, kidney, spleen and liver disorders, jaundice, sciatica and scorbutic complaints[]. It also has a reputation as an anticancer agent and as a specific for gout[]. The plant should not be used by anyone suffering from haemorrhoids[].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn, by lodging it among the stems of a host plant[].