Celandine
Chelidonium majus L.Papaveraceae // aerial parts · root
Overview
Plant parts
aerial parts, root
Known constituents
isoquinoline alkaloids including chelidonine and sanguinarine
Research corpus coverage
Chemistry notes
- CHEMISTRY: Relevant reported constituents include isoquinoline alkaloids including chelidonine and sanguinarine; constituent presence alone does not establish clinical efficacy.
Uses & Evidence
Traditional / historical use
Documented traditional use — not a claim of established efficacy.
TRADITIONAL: Celandine has been used for biliary and digestive complaints; warts topically; this records historical/traditional use and does not establish efficacy.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Modern evidence
EVIDENCE: For the major use set (biliary and digestive complaints; warts topically), the evidence assessment is insufficient: Insufficient efficacy evidence; multiple liver-injury cases led to regulatory restrictions.
LOW · observational/case series · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Preparation
Forms used traditionally
A listed form does not imply it suits every plant part, or that one preparation is interchangeable with another — see the plant’s own notes below.
PREPARATION: The medicinal material is aerial parts; root; traditional and modern forms include decoction, tincture, powder/capsule, standardized extract, infusion/tea, extract. No dose or potency is specified.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Preparation-specific evidence should not be generalized across extracts, teas, oils, or whole herb.
Safety
Additional safety notes (general, unstructured)
Free-text safety notes carried from their source — not broken out by species, route, or hazard type, and not equivalent to the structured records above. Each note names the kind of source it came from.
SAFETY: Major issues include Clinically apparent hepatitis, sometimes severe. Contraindications/cautions include Liver disease.
MODERATE · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements
SAFETY: Clinically relevant interaction concerns include Avoid with hepatotoxic drugs.
MODERATE · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements
Some interactions are theoretical or based on case reports/pharmacokinetics rather than outcome trials.
SAFETY: Pregnancy/lactation reference: Avoid in pregnancy/lactation.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph or evidence synthesis · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety.
Preparation × species risk matrix
Unknown means insufficient evidence was located — not that a form is safe.
Cats
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Dogs
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Identity
- Synonym
GBIF resolves Chelidonium laciniatum Mill. as a synonym of Chelidonium majus. The older name still appears in herbal and taxonomic literature.
HIGH · GBIF Species Match API
Botanical synonym
Chelidonium laciniatum Mill.
Taxonomic identity note
- Celandine is treated here as Chelidonium majus L. in the family Papaveraceae; recorded older names include Chelidonium laciniatum Mill..
Sources
Research records are source-linked but may not yet be editorially reviewed.
EMA monograph
NIH LiverTox monograph
- Plants of the World Online1 claim
botanical taxonomy database
WHO monograph
- GBIF Species Match API1 claim
authoritative taxonomic database