Episode 37: Cauldron Conundrums: Toe of Frog & Wool of Bat- Bulbous Buttercup & Ordinary Moss

Hello and welcome back to another week of Rooted! For part 3 of our planty potion series, we will actually be taking a closer look at 2 different ingredients- Toe of Frog, and Wool of Bat! 

Toe of Frog, more commonly known as  bulbous buttercup, is a species of wild flower native to western europe through northern mediterranean, but also introduced to the colder + wetter areas of North America, where it now grows in hay fields, along roads, and in large patches in fields and prairies. 

It’s botanical name is Ranuculus Bulbosus, which really sounds like a harry potter spell to make someone blow up like the frog balloon in shrek, but ANYWAY…

These guys are called bulbous buttercup not because of their flowers- which are the same tiny 4 leaved, cupped shaped flowers we all expect for buttercups, but because of their bulbous corm-like roots. If you remember from last week’s episode, Corms are a kind of root that allow perennials to spread and grow. In the case of bulbous buttercup, these corms look like teeny tiny turnips…but also like the sticky icky fingers of frogs and toads if you ask certain witches….

Their tiny turnip bottoms have also earned them the nickname “Saint Anthony's turnips” because, according to history Saint Anthony- the patron saint of lost things- was actually a  pig herder, and pigs notoriously love to munch on them while they move from place to place…

Pigs aren't the only ones feeling the love for these fat bottomed botanicals though! Pollinators also LOVE rubbing their little butts all over their tiny yellow blooms- this is mostly because for each bulbous buttercup plant, there can be hundreds of tiny blooms- all packed with pollen and waiting for those tiny little rumps to rummage around in them- spreading all of that pollen-y goodness to the next flower, and repeating the cycle over and over again. They are also very bright, making them an easy to spot snack for said bees and pals! 

While pigs and pollinators are shouting the praises of bulbous buttercup from the rooftops, I wouldn't be so quick to jump on the bandwagon- mostly because bulbous buttercup is poisonous to most of us. This is due to the glycoside Ranunculin that  it and the rest of the buttercup family contains. Ranunculin is contained in all parts  of the plant, and is released when it is chewed or eaten, where it metabolizes as both glucose and the toxin Protoanemonin, which can cause a painful rash, jaundice, and even acute hepatitis if ingested, or contact dermatitis if brushed against. It can also cause digestion issues in livestock (besides pigs) and people alike- meaning you absolutely should NOT kiss their heads if you see them, as it has developed this poison as a way to keep us from touching it. 

However, once the root is dried, the protoanemonin oxidizes, making it no longer poisonous, but still not a super tasty treat. However, an extra fun fact is that cows DO sometimes eat these when they get dried out with their hay- where they may act as a bit of a stimulant- kind of like your morning coffee- but with a WAY larger margin of error. 

Back in the day, bulbous buttercup was used to Symbolize new beginnings, as its brilliant little blooms pop up in early spring, and are some of the first pops of color to fill the countryside- serving as a sign of enduring life, and the hope we find in new beginnings. 

With that in mind, I would assume in the potion this would be used to manifest a brighter, happier, or more prosperous future. That’s really just my best guess though, as I really couldn’t find a ton of information about what role this would have played in spiritualism at the time. 

However, what I *Could* find more information on was the way these guys were used in traditional herbalism and healing- it turns out they were SUPER useful for treating warts, gout, and rheumatism..

Before we dive deeper into all of those amazing uses and how they work- I want to take a second to drop some newly acquired knowledge on you- Gout- the disease I think most of us assume only rich old white dudes like kings and benjamin franklin could get- is still alive, well, and impacting more people than you might realize. 

If you went to public school like me, or went through a long and slightly troubling Shakespeare/ Poe. Kaufka phase, there is a GREAT chance that when you pictured gout- it conjured up images of grossly inflamed and engorged men who drank to excess and ate exclusively red meat and those massive turkey legs they still give you at medieval times… and (wrongly) assumed it was kind of like scurvy….

BUT, gout is ACTUALLY a blood disease, where your blood decides it wants to turn against you, and like something out of a scifi movie- turns into these sharp little crystals and stabs you from the inside…. AWFUL, I KNOW. and it turns out that while overconsumption of meat or alcohol can cause it, the main determining factor is actually genetics- so even if you aren;t living life like a viking king or founding father, you might get the same painful disease as them.. 

OKAY, back to what you came here for-planty cures for ancient and modern ailments- 

Bulbous buttercup  was effective at treating warts, gout, and rheumatism due to the very same reaction I mentioned earlier….

The stems or root were cut, then applied directly to the inflamed joints- causing painful blisters, but also increasing blood flow- helping to ideally reduce inflammation and encourage healing in those areas. 

Apparently it was also sometimes used to treat shingles and sciatica, where a few drops would be mixed with wine, then either drunk or dropped onto the skin to fight against those ailments by increasing the flow of blood and other healing bodies. 

Today I am happy to report that we have found MUCH safer and effective treatments for every ailment listed, so it’s safe to say this guy doesn't need a spot in your medicine cabinet unless you are stranded in an area with no other options…but even then, I would look into other options. 

While we aren’t leaning on this plant to treat our problems, there is still PLENTY it can tell us about ourselves- most notably if we are in love. 

IF you grew up around any kind of buttercu, you are probably familiar with this infamous test- the idea is that if you hold a bright yellow buttercup up against your chin and it reflects yellow- or leaves some pollen under your face you are in love….or you love butter- but I mean, who among us doesn’t? Or at least butter substitutes for all of my vegans out there? 

While buttercups have LONG been letting us know when someone is in love- with butter OR a person, they have an even more established lore than that! 

While there are many different kinds of butter cup (they have their own FAMILY for goodness sake) there are only a few origin stories and bits of folklore I could find…

In the pacific northwest region of the united states, it is told that once their was a playful coyote who loved to play fetch- so much so that when he couldn't find anything to throw he would use his own eyes. He would throw them SUPER high into the air, then run to catch them… kind of like an early gory version of ball and cup- but before we really had either of those. 

One day, Eagle saw Coyote throwing his eyes in the air, and decided to teach him a thing or two- after all, Coyote clearly couldn't understand the value of his eyes if he was so willing to just toss them around…so, Eagle swooped down and stole Coyote’s eyes. 

Blinded, scared, and unable to find Eagle, Coyote searched for an alternative. That’s when he stumbled upon the brilliant and reflective patch of buttercups, which he quickly plucked off of their stems and into his eye sockets- thus explaining why even today, coyotes have such bright, reflective yellow eyes. 

Meanwhile in europe, there was a greedy man who loved gold, and valued it more than anything. He loved gold so much, that he refused to spend it- even on things he needed. He ate only one egg, one carrot, one apple, and one piece of CRUST a day, just so he could avoid spending a single cent more than he had to- even if it meant being miserable his whole life…. No avocado toast or starbucks for this man. 

He took it so far that he even refused to get a hair cut or even buy scissors to cut his own- letting his long, crusty, dry ass locks drag the ground- collecting dust, leaves, and tangles with every step. 

After several years of living the saddest life of all time, this man had so much gold that he was practically scrooge mcduck- but instead of diving into his giant gold piles like a pool, he had all of his gold coins neatly stacked in his house, which he could barely squeeze into because it was so filled with gold.

One day, our unkempt and unpleasant billionaire was walking home with yet another bag of gold to oggle at and hoard, when he stumbled across some fairies who where in depesperate pursuit of a roof for the new house they had just built. As luck would have it, the gold coins were the exact size and shape they needed. 

Thrilled to have found a solution, they quickly asked the man if they could have just one gold coin- and in exchange, they would use their magic to send all of his remaining gold home for him- saving him the trouble of a long and unpleasant walk through the country side with a hefty bag of gold. 

Irritated and irate at the idea of SHARING, this man swatted at the fairies, and shouted at them to go away and work a little harder if they wanted gold…practically telling them to pick themselves up by their bootstraps. 

Frustrated by this man’s unwillingness to even CONSIDER their offer and solution, the fairies decided the next best thing would be to turn this man’s obnoxious hoard of gold into buttercups- that way everyone could enjoy and share some of the wealth, AND they could still have a wonderful roof.

So, with som quick thinking, they used a sharp blade of grass to cut a hole in his bag, letting all his gold slowly fall to the ground. Then, they turned all of the gold coins into seeds, allowing the wind to carry them far and wide. Soon, the whole country side was FILLED with brilliant buttercups, and the fairies had an even better roof than the coin would have been… 

And the man, well, he made it home, wondering why the bag was so light, but not managing to notice any gold was missing. 

While bulbous buttercups have long been used to teach us lessons and tell us more about ourselves, today they are mostly seen as weeds and wildflowers, not really being cultivated or used in landscaping, medicine, food, or witchcraft- but that doesn't make them any less beautiful or important to the ecosystems they are native to, as they provide an excellent and vital source of food and protection to many other animals, plants, and other species in the region they come from.