Cowslip
Key of heaven, fairy cups, key flower, herb Peter, paigle; Herba paralysis
- Known today as
- Primula veris. An early-spring meadow flower related to the primrose, its yellow blooms nodding in a one-sided cluster.
- Kind
- Plant, in 1 older authority
- Constituents
- primulasaponin, primulaverin, primin
- Poisoning
- Saponin irritation
- Earliest authority here
- Culpeper (1616–1654)
- In other databases
- Plants of the World Online search · GBIF search · Wikidata search
Revised October 1, 2026: An older authority added from a text read in full. Version 1, first published September 27, 2026.
Cowslip: what was it used for?
The flowers made into wine and conserves; the root, rich in saponins, used as an expectorant; and the whole plant, once called Herba paralysis, applied for palsy and nervous complaints.
Cowslip: what does modern science say?
Its saponins are mildly expectorant; large doses can cause nausea, and some constituents can provoke allergic skin reactions.
Pharmacognosy & Toxicology
- Constituents
- primulasaponin5–10 per cent of the root
- primulaverina phenolic glycoside
- primin ChEMBLa contact allergen, chiefly in the related P. obconica
- Mechanism
- The root saponins irritate the stomach lining, and by a vagal reflex thin the bronchial secretions, which is the whole of a saponin expectorant; the flower is milder. Primula dermatitis is the commonest plant allergy of European florists.
- Toxic dose
- The root in excess vomits; otherwise safe. The flower wine is harmless.
- Syndrome
- Saponin irritation
- Standing
- EMA monographs (2013) for the root and the flower as expectorants in colds; the root is in the licensed German cough mixture Sinupret.
- EMA/HMPC (2013). Community herbal monograph on Primula veris L. and/or Primula elatior (L.) Hill, radix (EMA/HMPC/104095/2012). Verified against its record
- Hausen, B. M. (1978). “On the occurrence of the contact allergen primin in Primula species.” Archives of Dermatological Research 261. Verified against its record · doi:10.1007/bf00455301
Constituent names open the compound’s record at PubChem, and “ChEMBL” beside a name opens its record at ChEMBL, the European Bioinformatics Institute’s database of bioactive molecules. Where a mechanism line was checked against ChEMBL (ChEMBL 37, read 1 October 2026), the check is shown with the measured value and its source paper, or says plainly that nothing has been measured. Doses are as the references give them, for description only; this is not medical advice. Each source carries the result of its check against Crossref, PubMed, or the authority’s page: see Verification.
Cowslip: what lore surrounds it?
Its folk names, key of heaven, fairy cups, key flower, herb Peter, and paigle, read the drooping flower head as a bunch of keys, the attribute of St. Peter. Pliny already noted its early flowering, the apothecaries of medieval Florence sold it as St. Peter’s herb, and Hildegard of Bingen recorded its use while cautioning that it should be applied outwardly only.
Cowslip: what did the older authorities say?
- Culpeper
- Venus claims it, under Aries, and “our city dames know well enough the ointment or distilled water of it adds beauty”: the flowers more effectual than the leaves, an ointment of them takes away spots, wrinkles, sunburn, and freckles; they remedy vertigo, “ephialtes, false apparitions, phrensies, falling-sickness, palsies”; the Greeks named them Paralysis because they strengthen the brain and nerves; the conserve, the quantity of a nutmeg every morning.
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Primula veris.” Book, not indexed
- Culpeper, N. (1653). The Complete Herbal, “Cowslips, Or Peagles.” Project Gutenberg #49513. Primary text
Verification
- Checked
- October 1, 2026
- Passes
- Every sentence read against its sources, in the pass over the remaining 343 entries
- The Standing line checked against the authority it names (EMA, WHO, FDA, CITES, Commission E)
- Every dated or regulatory claim checked by category across the database
- Each quotation from the older authorities checked word for word against the text, read in full
- Sources
- 4 cited: 2 verified against its record, 1 primary text, 1 book, not indexed.
- Corrections
- None were needed.
What was checked, how, and what was found is set out on the Verification page. A checked source is one whose record was found; it does not make the entry medical advice.
Cite This Entry
Version 1 · first published September 27, 2026 · last revised October 1, 2026
- Chicago
“Cowslip.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified October 1, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/cowslip.
- MLA
“Cowslip.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 1 Oct. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/cowslip. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
- APA
Cowslip. (2026, October 1). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/cowslip
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See Also
Poisoned alike: saponin irritation
Eryngo · Solomon’s seal · Herb Paris · Sarsaparilla · the syndrome, with all of them →
Also in Nicholas Culpeper
Crabs’ eyes in Nicholas Culpeper · Chicory in Nicholas Culpeper · Devil’s-bit scabious in Nicholas Culpeper · Chamomile in Nicholas Culpeper · everything Nicholas Culpeper names →
Drawing on the same sources: Wikipedia, Culpeper, Hausen
Cyclosporin fungus · Corn smut · Cyprus powder · Cordial flowers and fruits · Dandelion · Laurel · the bibliography →
Nearby in the alphabet
Cornicello · Cramp rings (made from gold and silver offered at the cross) · Crow’s gall (The bile of a crow) · Coriander (seed and leaf) · Crucifix (The image of Christ on the Cross)
Historical description, not medical advice.