Aethusa cynapium
L.
Apiaceae
Common Name: Fool's Parsley
General Information
Aethusa cynapium is an erect, branched annual plant that can grow from 5 - 120cm tall[
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine.
Known Hazards
The entire plant is poisonous though less so than Conium maculatum (q.v.)[
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
,
10- Title
- Poisonous Plants and Animals.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Altmann. H.
- Publisher
- Chatto and Windus
- Year
- 1980
- ISBN
- 0-7011-2526-8
- Description
- A small book, reasonable but not very detailed.
,
19- Title
- Poisonous Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Stary. F.
- Publisher
- Hamlyn
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-600-35666-3
- Description
- Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.
]. Small amounts can cause pain, confusion of vision and vomiting[
268- Title
- The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism
- Publication
-
- Author
- Stuart. M. (Editor)
- Publisher
- Orbis Publishing. London.
- Year
- 1979
- ISBN
- 0-85613-067-2
- Description
- Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.
]. The dried plant might be safe to eat[
10- Title
- Poisonous Plants and Animals.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Altmann. H.
- Publisher
- Chatto and Windus
- Year
- 1980
- ISBN
- 0-7011-2526-8
- Description
- A small book, reasonable but not very detailed.
].
Botanical References
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
Range
Europe - Norway, south to Spain, east to Turkey and the Caucasus, and through the Russian Federation to Ciscaucasia
Habitat
Grows in waste places and is also a common weed of cultivated ground but rarer in the north of Britain[
9- Title
- Edible and Medicinal Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Launert. E.
- Publisher
- Hamlyn
- Year
- 1981
- ISBN
- 0-600-37216-2
- Description
- Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
,
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual |
| Height | 1.20 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Self-fertile | Yes |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
All parts of the plant have an unpleasant smell reminiscent of hemlock (Conium maculatum)[
245- Title
- Scented Flora of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Genders. R.
- Publisher
- Robert Hale. London.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
- 0-7090-5440-8
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
].
Edible Uses
Leaves - raw or cooked[
105- Title
- Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
- Publisher
- Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
- Year
- 1976
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
]. It is very inadvisable to eat this plant, see the notes above on toxicity[
177- Title
- Plants for Human Consumption.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kunkel. G.
- Publisher
- Koeltz Scientific Books
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 3874292169
- Description
- An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
].
Medicinal
Although fairly toxic, fool's parsley has occasionally been used in folk medicine[
268- Title
- The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism
- Publication
-
- Author
- Stuart. M. (Editor)
- Publisher
- Orbis Publishing. London.
- Year
- 1979
- ISBN
- 0-85613-067-2
- Description
- Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.
]. The herb is sedative and stomachic. It has been used in the treatment of gastro-intestinal problems, especially in children, and also to treat convulsions and summer diarrhoea[
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
,
61- Title
- A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Usher. G.
- Publisher
- Constable
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
- 0094579202
- Description
- Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
,
268- Title
- The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism
- Publication
-
- Author
- Stuart. M. (Editor)
- Publisher
- Orbis Publishing. London.
- Year
- 1979
- ISBN
- 0-85613-067-2
- Description
- Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.
].
Extreme caution in the use of this herb is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
The plant is used in homoeopathy. The characteristic symptoms relate mainly to the brain and nervous system, connected with gastro-intestinal disturbance. It is used especially for young children during teething or when, particularly during summer, there is diarrhoea, a marked inability to digest milk, and poor circulation[
].
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - we have no details on this species but suggest sowing the seed in situ as soon as it is ripe or in spring.
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
