''Sigesbeckia'' is a genus of annual plants in the family
Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae ...
. St. Paul's wort is a common name for some of the species. ''Sigesbeckia'' is widely distributed and has been traditionally used for the management of chronic diseases, including arthritis.
Origin
''Sigesbeckia'' is named for a botanist
Johann Georg Siegesbeck
Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name '' Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning " Yahweh is Grac ...
, who was a strong critic of
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...
's botanic classification system. He was known to refer to it as "loathsome harlotry" because of the focus of the system upon the presence of (or lack of) sex organs in plants and their locations and groupings. Siegesbeck tried to refute Linnaeus' sexual classification system, but was unable to provide sound scholastic arguments to support his arguments. Linnaeus proposed in '' Critica Botanica'' that there should be a link between the plant and the botanist after whom it was named. Considering the feud between Siegesbeck and Linnaeus, it is not unsurprising that in the classification book ''
Hortus Cliffortianus
The ''Hortus Cliffortianus'' is a work of early botanical literature published in 1737.
The work was a collaboration between Carl Linnaeus and the illustrator Georg Dionysius Ehret, financed by George Clifford in 1735-1736. Clifford, a wealthy A ...
'', Linnaeus named a pungent weed ''Sigesbeckia''.
Classification
''Sigesbeckia'' is related to a group of South American plants variously known as subtribe Espeletiinae or the ''
Espeletia
''Espeletia'', commonly known as 'frailejones' ("big monks"), is a genus of perennial subshrubs, in the family Asteraceae. The genus, which is native mainly to Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, was first formally described in 1808. The genus was ...
'' complex, which include genera such as '' Axiniphyllum'', ''
Espeletia
''Espeletia'', commonly known as 'frailejones' ("big monks"), is a genus of perennial subshrubs, in the family Asteraceae. The genus, which is native mainly to Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, was first formally described in 1808. The genus was ...
'', ''
Polymnia
''Polymnia'' is a genus of American plants in the sunflower family. It is the only genus in the tribe ''Polymnieae''. Several species are known by the common name leafcup.
; SpeciesSmallanthus
''Smallanthus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Millerieae within the family Asteraceae.
Taxonomy
The following species are currently recognized:
*'' Smallanthus apus'' – Mexico
*'' Smallanthus cocuyensis'' – Colombia
*'' Small ...
Three species of ''Sigesbeckia'' are used in traditional medicine: ''Sigesbeckia orientalis'', ''Sigesbeckia pubescens'', and ''Sigesbeckia glabracens,'' although the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, only recognizes two species, with ''Sigesbeckia pubescens'' considered a subspecies of ''Sigesbeckia orientalis''. In traditional medicine, the aerial parts of the plant are used to treat rheumatic conditions such as arthritis, joint pain, muscle pain, sciatica. It is also used to treat hypertension. Use of ''Sigesbeckia'' as a traditional medicine dates back to at least 659 AD, when it was first referenced in Chinese materia medica. The traditional Chinese medicine is called ''xi xian cao'', and is used to "dispel wind-dampness, to strengthen sinews, and for wind-heat-damp pain obstructions".