Creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans)
- This grows abundantly on Cowbar alongside the Cleveland Way footpath, in the verge grass and along the bund and the flat soil beside it.
- Its flower can easily be mistaken for a buttercup but is in the same family as silverweed (potentilla anserina) while buttercups are in the Rannunculus group.
- The leaves are very distinctive – palmate with 5 to 7 leaflets (basis for the name ‘cinquefoil’) and it has long red trailing rooting runners. (‘reptans’ is Latin for creeping or crawling.)
- Other common names are common cinquefoil, five finger grass, five leaf, Mary’s five fingers and sink-field.
- It flowers between June and September. The flowers close on dull days but are popular with bees and other insects when open.
- The cinque foil was sometimes used by knights in heraldry in medieval times.
- It was also said to scare off witches, increase a fisherman’s catch when tied to fishing nets and also used by lovers to create love potions.
- Cinquefoil has a long history of being used as a remedy for many conditions. Traditionally it was used to stop haemorrhaging and to treat disorders like fever.
- It could be gargled to relive the pain of a toothache and to help with oral sores and a sore throat.
- The root bark was often made into a topical paste to help heal wounds, sores, ulcers, bruises, relieves pain, anti-wrinkle, sunburn and stop nose bleeds.
- The roots or leaves were used in a tea or tincture to help with diarrhoea, other digestive problems, enteritis, bleeding gums, canker sores and dysentery.
