Centaury Health Benefits, Properties, and Uses

Scientific Name: Centaurium erythraea

Common Names: Feverwort

Properties: Antiseptic, Sedative, Digestive stimulant, Tonic, Febrifuge, Antirheumatic, Stimulant, Diaphoretic, Emetic, Wound-healing

What is Centaury?

Centaury is an annual plant with a yellow-colored, woody root and a stiff stem. The centaury plant grows up to 12 inches tall. It produces smooth, shiny leaves that are pale green in color. Its botanical name is Centaurium erythraea and it is native to southern Europe. Centaury is also found in Northern Africa and Western Asia and has been naturalized in North America. It was used in Ancient Greek culture for medicinal uses and healing purposes.¹ As a natural remedy, the entire herb can be used and is often dried and turned into a powder, tea or tonic. Centaury is closely related to another herb, gentian, which is used in similar medicinal purposes as a cleansing tonic.²

Centaury Health Uses and Health Benefits

There are many centaury health benefits when used as a tonic, tea or in dried powder form. These centaury health benefits include:³

Improves digestive health, including treating worms
Reduces indigestion and heartburn
Purifies the liver
Cleanses the blood of toxins
Improves kidney function
Helps stimulate appetite
Improves muscle health by reducing inflammation
Treats venomous bites by snakes and other animals
Controls fevers
Manages gout symptoms
Reduces pain
Heals lesions

Centaury medicinal uses include being a natural treatment for the following conditions:

Anorexia Nervosa - Centaury is a natural appetite stimulant, which can help improve nutrition and eating patterns in people suffering from anorexia nervosa.
Rheumatism - Traditional centaury medicinal uses have included reducing inflammation to help treat rheumatic conditions like gout and muscular rheumatism.
Constipation - Centaury is used as a tonic for helping improve digestive function, which can help prevent constipation.
Intestinal Worms (Helminths) - Centaury has widely been used as a traditional remedy for expelling intestinal worms from the body. Taking a decoction of centaury is known to eliminate helminths and cleanse the body of associated impurities.
Diabetes - Century helps to cleanse the liver and kidney, which can help regulate insulin production in those with diabetes.

Centaury Side Effects and Precautions

There are no known centaury side effects or adverse reactions. There are also no known reports of toxicity caused by consuming centaury in high doses.⁴

References