Common Centaury

Did you know

• Legend says the plant was named after the centaur Chiron, who used it to heal a wound from a poisoned arrow.
• The intensely bitter taste of centaury has made it a key ingredient in digestive bitters and aperitifs for centuries.
• The flowers only open in fair weather and full sunshine, closing on cloudy days and in the evening.
• Nicholas Culpeper, the famous 17th-century herbalist, called it 'an herb of the Sun' and prescribed it widely.
• Common centaury is still used in modern herbal medicine as a digestive tonic and appetite stimulant.

Color meanings

Uses

• herbal medicine
• digestive bitters
• wildflower meadow