Wild Rosemary or Marsh tea is native to damp regions of the North of Europe. It got its generic name from the Greek word ‘Ledos’ which means woolly robe. It refers to the woolly hairs on the undersides of the plant leaves, which are collected for homoeopathic preparation once the flowering season sets in.

   Karl Linnaeus (1707-78) a Swedish Botanist is said to have used Ledum first for medicinally treating throat infections and cough.

   Dr.R.Hilbert, a German physician obtained very satisfactory results from the infusion of the leaves of Ledum as an expectorant in bronchitis. He also found that the pain in trachea disappeared suddenly after a few doses of Ledum.

   The Ledum leaves are still used in Sweden to increase the intoxicating power of beer. In Sweden a decoction of Ledum is used for freeing oxen and pigs from lice. But Linnaeus says that the same decoction if taken internally can cure violent headaches, cough and even angina.

J.H. Clarke		E.B. Nash

   According to Teste, one of the chief clinical authorities, “no animal except the goat eats Ledum Leaves, on account of the strong resinous smell of its leaves, which keeps off lice”. He characterizes it`s ‘Parasiticide action’. This made Teste to use Ledum as a remedy for bites of insects and for punctured wounds, since the symptoms of proving seemed to agree with it.

   Writing in an American Homoeopathy xxv.210, Ingalls commends a light paste of Ledum (equal parts of ledum , alcohol and water) as an application of carbuncles and simultaneously giving Ledum X1 internally gives miraculous cure.

   In Clarke’s Dictionary- The sphere of Ledum has a special action on the capillary in parts where cellar tissue is wanting and where a dry, resisting texture is present as in the fingers and toes.

   Ledum is a wonderful remedy for ‘haemoptysis alternating with the attacks of rheumatism”. Raue terms it is “Coxalgia alternating with haemoptysis”.
Nash believed Ledum in 200th potency for ‘Black eye, from a blow or contusion “. He found Ledum better than Arnica in such cases and he says, “there is no remedy equal to Ledum in 200th Potency.

   Kent calls Ledum as “a great remedy for the surgeon”. Ledum is closely associated in traumatism with Arnica and Hypericum, especially for injuries from stepping on tracks, puncturing with needles and punctured wounds. In punctured wounds, first think of Hypericum, but give Ledum at once, to prevent tetanus.

   It is quite appropriate to cite here:

   Hahnemann’s view about Ledum and Gout:

   In 80, Hahnemann refers to Gout and certain other diseases as independent diseases. In the 1st edition of Organon in 50 he says that, Gout, Membranous croup and Miller’s asthma, equally deserve to have their special names, because the group of symptoms remains on the whole tolerably the same in each and therefore they are capable of peculiar fixed mode of treatment.

   In 206. F.N. “Many years ago, a sprain – cause is much too insignificant to develop a chronic disease in a healthy body to keep it up for years, as is the case with all chronic disease from development of psora”.

   In 1798, we find him recommending in Hufeland’s Journal in an article, Ledum 6-7 grs for “ some kinds of continued and remittent fevers”.

   In Materia Medica Pura Vol.II he says, “the subjoined symptoms though they are by no means all that might be elicited by proving on the healthy, are yet enough to show that this very powerful medicine is suitable for the most part only for chronic maladies in which there is a predominance of coldness and deficiency of animal heat.