Hydrangeas

Category: Medicines - plant based

Type

Voluntary

Introduction and description

Hydrangea, common names hydrangea or Hortensia, is a genus of 70–75 species of flowering plants native to southern and eastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea, the Himalayas, and Indonesia) and the Americas.

By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia, notably China, Japan, and Korea.

Most are shrubs 1 to 3 meters tall, but some are small trees, and others lianas reaching up to 30 m (98 ft) by climbing up trees. They can be either deciduous or evergreen, though the widely cultivated temperate species are all deciduous.

So why is it in the medicine section?

It is a very effective chelator of aluminium – not in us, but in the soil.  Thus if your soil is or has become toxic through aluminium, hydrangeas are bioremedial plants.  They have the potential, in other words, to make the land safer for us to grow food, but also safer in general. 

Description

Hydrangeas are popular ornamental plants, grown for their large flowerheads, with Hydrangea macrophylla being by far the most widely grown with over 600 named cultivars.

There are two flower arrangements in hydrangeas. Mophead flowers are large round flowerheads resembling pom-poms or, as the name implies, the head of a mop. In contrast, lacecap flowers bear round, flat flowerheads with a center core of subdued, fertile flowers surrounded by outer rings of showy, sterile flowers.

Hydrangea flowers are produced from early spring to late autumn; they grow in flowerheads (corymbs or panicles) at the ends of the stems.

In many species, the flowerheads contain two types of flowers, small fertile flowers in the middle of the flowerhead, and large, sterile bract-like flowers in a ring around the edge of each flowerhead.

If we now take one popular example, Hydrangea macrophylla, it is a deciduous Shrub that can grow to 3 m (9ft) by 3 m (9ft) at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone (UK) 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.

In some species the flowers are white, but in yet other species (notably H. macrophylla),they can be blue, red, pink, light purple, or dark purple. In these species the colour is affected by soil pH. 

For H. macrophylla and H. serrata cultivars, the flower colour is determined by the relative acidity of the soil and by the metals in the soil.  An acidic soil (pH below 7) and the presence of aluminium produces flower colours of a deep blue.  If the soil is alkaline soil (pH above 7) it will produce pinker flowers.

Cultivation

Using the example of Hydrangea macrophylla, it will grow in  light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.  It prefers the soil to be well-drained, but moist.  It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. The plant can also tolerate maritime exposure. Hydrangeas will grow in soil of any acidity, but their chelating ability, as we saw, is pH dependent.  It is also a very wind resistant plant when grown in mild areas, but not in colder areas.

A sudden unexpected frost whilst the plant is still in leaf in autumn can affect it badly, the leaves go black, although the plant does bounce back again in spring, as long as it is given some nutrients to help it.

There is a constant battle in our valley between a husband and wife whose garden is full of hydrangeas, as to when they should be pruned and if they should be pruned. 

It is noticeable that if not pruned regularly, the bushes become very 'leggy', on the other hand too brutal a pruning does weaken the plant. 

One thing that tends to resolve such arguments is that most garden varieties only flower on 'old wood'. Thus new wood produced after pruning will not produce flowers until the following season.

As the flowerheads when dry are ornamental in their own right, you can leave pruning until early spring, unless of course you want to use the dried flowers in a flower arrangement in the home.

But, if the objective is chelation, however, one needs to remember that flowers and root contain aluminium, so it would then be prudent to dig up the bush whilst it is in full flower and bury it in a deep pit, replacing it with new cuttings.

Hydrangeas can be grown from seed, but one other way is from cuttings of half-ripe wood, taken in around  July/August.  They need to be kept in a cold frame and over wintered in a greenhouse.  They can then be planted out in spring.  It is also possible, however, to use the left-overs from pruning.  At least it has worked OK for us.

Distribution

Hydrangeas are grown all over the world as an introduced species.  It might be easier to list those countries where they are not grown than those that are, because they are beautiful plants.

After having been introduced to the Azores, for example, H. macrophylla became widely grown, and Faial is now known as the "blue island" due to the vast number of hydrangeas present on the island.

Chelating properties

Although these seems to be evidence that a number of true hydrangeas will chelate aluminium from soils, it may be more helpful to look at the evidence of just one variety.

The importance of plants as an aid to chelating soil is best first described by this paper on the problem of heavy metals in general.

Now if we look at the damage done in more detail………………

Neuronal apoptosis is brain damage.

In essence, aluminium has the potential to cause brain damage and may be one of the causative agents behind a host of brain related problems such as Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimers.  All these diseases can have more than one cause, but the aim must be to try to gradually eliminate or minimise these causes from our environment.

And hydrangeas have the ability to help.

 

 

Related observations

Healing observations

• Dr Duke's list of Plants Containing QUERCETIN 021446
• Dr Duke's list of Plants containing SELENIUM 020550
• Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antiatherogenic and Antiatheroscleroticactivity 018349
• Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antidermatitic activity 018427
• Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antiglaucomic activity 019952
• Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antiherpetic activity 018391
• Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antitrypanosomic Activity of high potency 018272
• Dr Duke's list of Plants with Radioprotective activity at high chemical concentrations 018063
• Hydrangeas as chelators of aluminium in soil 017792
• Metal Complex Pigment Involved in the Blue Sepal Color Development of Hydrangea 017793
• Role of aluminum in red-to-blue color changes in Hydrangea macrophylla sepals 017794

In time

Synaesthesia, Pure or enhanced perception, Inter composer communication, Vision, Dream, Perception recall, Exploring group perception

• Danielou, Alain – On drugs you are possessed by the spirit being of the drug 022582