Donal Hickey: Wealth of natural remedies known to 'bogmen' 

A new project by Trinity College scientists, called aims to find curative powers and commercial uses for native Irish bog plants and bog waters

Learned academics in universities are now beginning to tap into a potentially rich source of cures that plain people — often mockingly described as ‘bogmen’ — have been using for centuries.

A new project by Trinity College (TCD) scientists, called 'Unlocking Nature’s Pharmacy from Bogland Species', aims to find curative powers and commercial uses for native Irish bog plants and bog waters.

The discovery and production of such would be of enormous social, cultural, and economic significance to the local regions and the country, according to project leader Dr Helen Sheridan, Associate Professor of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science.

Bogs, portach as Gaeilge, have evolved over thousands of years and a number of plants found in peatlands have long been part of our folk medicine. Bogbean, for instance, has been used to treat aching joints, loss of appetite, and upset stomach.

The WebMB health website explains that bog bean has bitter chemicals that increase blood flow, saliva, and stomach juices which might improve appetite and relieve indigestion.

In rural Donegal, where the plant is known as bogbine, it was boiled, mixed with candy sugar and lemon, and then poured into jars. When the liquid became clear, it was deemed ready to drink, usually in the morning. “This medicine is good for the blood," Donegal collector Joe Bustard confidently reported in the 1938 Schools Folk Collection.

Sphagnum moss is the most dominant plant in the bog, soaking up nutrients and converting into peat over millennia, and is currently used for dressing wounds in Germany, for example. But old Gaelic documents record how moss was used for exactly the same purpose at the Battle of Clontarf, more than 1,000 years ago.

Wounded deer are known to drag themselves into beds of sphagnum, and the chief virtue of this moss as a dressing is, we’re told, its unrivalled power of absorption.

Arguably, the golden, shining sundew is the most beautiful of all bog plants. Traditionally used as a remedy for bronchial complaints and warts, it is mainly known for its ability to trap and digest midges and other insects. As a carnivorous plant, sundew may offer possibilities for pest control and combatting insect-spread diseases such as malaria.

Heather, one of the most emblematic of bog plants, has long been part of folk medicine, especially for urinary and diuretic conditions. It is often made into a liquid for treating rheumatism and arthritis, with a hot poultice being a historic remedy for chilblains.

An infusion of flowering heather shoots is used for treating coughs, colds, bladder, and kidney disorders. As a cleansing and detoxifying plant, it has also been used in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis, and gout.

Countless millions of people worldwide still depend on traditional herbal medicine.