1. What is Celandine ?

Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria L.) or lesser celandine, one of the very earliest of spring flowers, its cheery, starlike blossoms lighting up our hedges even before winter is quite spent, is distributed throughout Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa, in these islands, growing up the hillsides in Wales to a height of 2,400 feet.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, celandine comes from the Latin chelidonia, meaning swallow: it was said that the flowers bloomed when the swallows returned and faded when they left. The name Ranunculus is Late Latin for "little frog," from rana "frog" and a diminutive ending.

2. What are the clinical implication of Celandine ?

The extract acts to relieve cramps in bile ducts and in the gastro-intestinal tract.

Celandine is reported to be useful in treating digestive disorders, eye irritation, and hepatic disease. For digestive disorders, it is found to stimulate the flow of bile and pancreatic enzymes in treating biliary inflammation and obstruction and gallstones.