Legumes, Spurges and Geraniums 161Another ancient wound herb like Anthyllis vulneraria, Lotus corniculatus also
features hardly at all in the folk records despite its prevalence as a plant of the
British Isles. That the only record of use—as an eyewash—comes from South
Uist in the Outer Hebrides,^3 however, makes it a more convincing candidate
for genuine folk status.
Lathyrus linifolius (Reichard) Bässler
L. montanus Bernhardi
bitter-vetch
Europe
Under the name carmele, a contraction of the Gaelic corra-meille (and no
connection with caramel), dried root tubers ofLathyrus linifolius have had an
age-old reputation in the Highlands and Western Isles for their property of
allaying the pangs of hunger on long journeys, if chewed at frequent inter-
vals.^4 Martin Martin^5 and James Robertson^6 also found a deep-rooted belief
in Skye and Mull, respectively, that if chewed before drinking strong liquor,
they prevented intoxication. A cure for diseases of the breast and lungs^7 as
well as for indigestion^8 was further credited to the tubers. They were found to
keep for many years, and a supply was often laid in for future use.
In Ireland, interestingly, knowledge of the plant’s value extended to Done-
gal, where in the mid-nineteenth century it had some renown as making ‘an
excellent stomach drink’.^9 A ‘vetch’ from which a decoction of the roots has
been used as a rub for backache in Wicklow^10 is as likely to have been this
plant, too, as any of the species ofVicia.
Trifolium dubium Sibthorp
lesser trefoil
Europe; introduced into North and Central America, Australasia
Trifolium repens Linnaeus
white clover
Europe, north and western Asia, North Africa; introduced into North
and South America, eastern Asia, South Africa, Australasia
(Folk credentials questionable) Studies by botanists^11 have shown that the
plant most often identified as the mythical seamróg is the lesser trefoil,Tr i -
folium dubium,or, rather less often, white clover,T. r epens.It may be that
both these species are phytochemically inert. Nevertheless, one or the other
is most likely to have been the ‘shamrock’ recorded in use in folk medicine for
coughs in Kerry,^12 liver ailments in Cavan^13 and toothache (for which it was
smoked in a pipe) in the Isle of Man.^14