Viagro
Well-Known Member
Last night I brought in some plants and flowering hanging baskets to overwinter inside my breezeway. When I went out this morning a skunky aroma walloped my senses. I thought, damn...wtf? Everyone thought it was the neighborhood skunk, but I soon realized it was one of the plants I'd brought in.
So, I'm thinking this is possibly a perfect decoy scent, an adjunct to odor control...sort of in reverse. What do you think?
(I'll track down the type of plant and edit this, but there must be many plant varieties with similar properties.)
Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar Periwinkle)
The herb called the rosy periwinkle is a much branched perennial shrub which can reach 2 1/2 feet in height when fully mature. The rosy periwinkle has oval shaped leaves which have a peculiar glossy skin. The herb is also characterized by white to pinkish flowers that have five lobed petals. Rosy periwinkle also bears downy textured seedpods which are cylindrical in shape.
The Madagascar periwinkle known by the botanical name as C. roseus (earlier Vinca rosea) is one of the few plants that have generated recent interest in the scientific and medical communities around the world. The scientific and medical communities became interested in the properties of the herb sometime in the middle of the 1950's. It was at that time, that herbal researchers first came upon the traditional "periwinkle tea" used by people in Jamaica as a folk remedy. These researchers started to study the properties of the plant and tried to analyze its anecdotal anti-diabetic abilities - the main use for the herb in Jamaica. The research on the plant was very satisfactory as many of the properties hoped to be gained by the researchers was displayed by the plant, for example, the researchers found that the herb contained at least two anti-cancer alkaloids - the compounds vincristine and vinblastine - these two compounds were found to be capable of inhibiting the growth of tumors in the human body. The first alkaloid compound vincristine has proven to be of greater effectiveness when used in the treatment of childhood leukemia in affected children. At the same time, the second alkaloid compound called vinblastine was found to be effective in the treatment of testicular cancer and the condition known as Hodgkin's disease - which is the name for a malignant cancer affecting the lymphatic system of patients. Side effects which are similar to those induced by many chemical medications used during chemotherapy, were found to be inducible by these two alkaloids - taking the alkaloids induced nausea and hair loss in patients.
Different healing and medicinal properties are also evident in the Madagascar periwinkle; such abilities are also seen in the related herbs such as the lesser periwinkle, the rauvolfia herb, and all the other members of the dogbane family of plants. At least, seventy confirmed alkaloid agents have been extracted from the herb - some of these alkaloid compounds have distinct medicinal properties. Of the many types of alkaloids found in the plant, an ability to decrease blood sugar levels has been observed in some, while other alkaloids have been found to reduce the blood pressure in patients with elevated blood pressure problems.
Traditionally and historically, the Madagascar periwinkle has been used by many folk healers in many different cultures, for treating a variety of ailments much before the present day modern researchers studied and confirmed the plants varied and valuable healing properties. For example, this plant was used by the folk healers of the India, in treating wasp stings by a topical application of the juice from crushed leaves. External bleeding in the body was traditionally healed in Hawaii by using an extract of the boiled plant as a topical application. The plant was also used by the people in Central America and some parts of South America to make an oral gargle for easing the pain of sore throats along with ailments affecting the chest region. Traditional herbal eyewash made from the extract of the flowers was also applied to affected eyes by the peoples of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and other Caribbean islands. The majority of the traditional uses of the herb in these lands continue to this day. -more
So, I'm thinking this is possibly a perfect decoy scent, an adjunct to odor control...sort of in reverse. What do you think?
(I'll track down the type of plant and edit this, but there must be many plant varieties with similar properties.)
Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar Periwinkle)
The herb called the rosy periwinkle is a much branched perennial shrub which can reach 2 1/2 feet in height when fully mature. The rosy periwinkle has oval shaped leaves which have a peculiar glossy skin. The herb is also characterized by white to pinkish flowers that have five lobed petals. Rosy periwinkle also bears downy textured seedpods which are cylindrical in shape.
The Madagascar periwinkle known by the botanical name as C. roseus (earlier Vinca rosea) is one of the few plants that have generated recent interest in the scientific and medical communities around the world. The scientific and medical communities became interested in the properties of the herb sometime in the middle of the 1950's. It was at that time, that herbal researchers first came upon the traditional "periwinkle tea" used by people in Jamaica as a folk remedy. These researchers started to study the properties of the plant and tried to analyze its anecdotal anti-diabetic abilities - the main use for the herb in Jamaica. The research on the plant was very satisfactory as many of the properties hoped to be gained by the researchers was displayed by the plant, for example, the researchers found that the herb contained at least two anti-cancer alkaloids - the compounds vincristine and vinblastine - these two compounds were found to be capable of inhibiting the growth of tumors in the human body. The first alkaloid compound vincristine has proven to be of greater effectiveness when used in the treatment of childhood leukemia in affected children. At the same time, the second alkaloid compound called vinblastine was found to be effective in the treatment of testicular cancer and the condition known as Hodgkin's disease - which is the name for a malignant cancer affecting the lymphatic system of patients. Side effects which are similar to those induced by many chemical medications used during chemotherapy, were found to be inducible by these two alkaloids - taking the alkaloids induced nausea and hair loss in patients.
Different healing and medicinal properties are also evident in the Madagascar periwinkle; such abilities are also seen in the related herbs such as the lesser periwinkle, the rauvolfia herb, and all the other members of the dogbane family of plants. At least, seventy confirmed alkaloid agents have been extracted from the herb - some of these alkaloid compounds have distinct medicinal properties. Of the many types of alkaloids found in the plant, an ability to decrease blood sugar levels has been observed in some, while other alkaloids have been found to reduce the blood pressure in patients with elevated blood pressure problems.
Traditionally and historically, the Madagascar periwinkle has been used by many folk healers in many different cultures, for treating a variety of ailments much before the present day modern researchers studied and confirmed the plants varied and valuable healing properties. For example, this plant was used by the folk healers of the India, in treating wasp stings by a topical application of the juice from crushed leaves. External bleeding in the body was traditionally healed in Hawaii by using an extract of the boiled plant as a topical application. The plant was also used by the people in Central America and some parts of South America to make an oral gargle for easing the pain of sore throats along with ailments affecting the chest region. Traditional herbal eyewash made from the extract of the flowers was also applied to affected eyes by the peoples of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and other Caribbean islands. The majority of the traditional uses of the herb in these lands continue to this day. -more
