Bog bean, or Menyanthes
trifoliata belongs to the family of botanical plants known
as the gentians. These bitter herbs tend to be used as treatments
for digestive disorders e.g. indigestion. Bog bean was used to strengthen
weak stomachs in the Glencoe area. Bog bean is still used as a treatment
for constipation. Its main use in the past was as a remedy for scurvy.
In the Isle of Man the earliest uses for Bog Bean was to dull tooth
ache.
No formal tests on the efficacy of bog bean
have been carried out.
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