Dog's mercury (Mercurialis perennis)

Hey dear Hiveans, first of all I wish you a nice day and a good start to the new weekend, which will hopefully conjure up one or the other great experience in your life! I would like to present you a plant today and hope you can learn something new about nature!

I photographed it in the forest and the common name is Dog's mercury and scientifically Mercurialis perennis. It is usually found on neutral and moist soils and the height of growth is usually between 20-40 cm. By the way, the name of the genus Mercurialis is derived from the Roman god Mercury.

It is common in Europe and Western Asia and often found in coniferous forests and usually grows in larger groups and the species was already mentioned by Rudolf Jakob Camerarius in 1694. It spreads naturally over foothills and the flowering period begins from April and the yellow flowers are rather inconspicuous in appearance.

I found out that Dog's mercury is a medicinal plant and I am always happy to learn new things from this area! Already in the Middle Ages, ointments and tinctures were obtained from it and was used against various types of diseases such as skin diseases, stomach pain, bronchitis and more. Attention: As with more medicinal plants, the active ingredients are partly toxic and should only be used in finished preparations. In general, it is important to learn that you should always ask your doctor about the correct use as well as dosage and side effects.

It is also often found in ancient writings in mythology and has also been used a lot by witches for the production of different medicine. The plant was also already revered by the ancient Germans and used as a medicinal plant and was associated with the god Odin, even the ancient Celts already used it.

Many thanks for stopping by and I hope you like my new entry! I used my camera Sony Alpha 6000 and Sony SEL-55210 Telephoto Zoom Lens (55-210mm) to take these pictures.