As a forager, all the medical claims that people put onto plants really bug me. So many folks give some long list of the medical uses of a plant, but they are just repeating what they read somewhere, without any actual experience or medical training. And quoting a journal article that a medically active compound has been found in a plant doesn't mean that the plant is medically useful. Often, folks follow up all their reporting with a giant caveat that they aren't medical professionals and are just relaying information. But it sets up expectations in people that plants can be substitutes for serious medicine. I prefer to focus on foraging for food, because we all eat, usually several times a day! So it's easier to build a base of actual experience.
There are some exceptions. For example, I know that the roots of Black Sampson (Echinacea angustifolia) are good for numbing toothache pain. It was great entertainment, as a kid in western Kansas, to get some other kid to put a chunk of the root in their mouth, up against their gums - or to do it myself. (Many times. There wasn't that much else going on out there in the grasslands.) In a few minutes, you can't feel anything. That said, I go to the dentist when I have a toothache!
FYI - The crocus in the image you are using is not the Colchicum plant you are writing about. It's not a pumpernickel, either. ; )
shhhhh it was the first I found on pixabay :P I'll try to get a better pic.
I only say that because the Crocus genus has some species prized for cooking, like Saffron (not Meadow Saffron, which is back to the toxic Colchicum. It's a good thing there are scientific names!). And there's so much misidentification on the internet, including Steemit. Just doin' my part to keep the botanicals straight! ; )
I'm a molecular biologist, plant identification isn't my strength, so thanks :P I hope my new picture fits better?
Now there's the Naked Ladies! :D (That's another common name for the Colchicum.) Thanks for putting out the effort to get the right image of that plant!
How could I call myself a scientist if I don't at least try to correct my mistakes xD
How could I call myself a scientist (in real life) if I don't point out mistakes, lol. ; ) It's all that peer review practice. I can't help myself!
It's always a chance to learn. And I can train handling criticism before I have my first publication peer-reviewed!