Holy Buttercups, Batman!

The Buttercups (Ranunculus californicus) are up in California! Children know that if you hold one under your chin and it reflects yellow, that means you like butter (and who doesn’t?). 

Buttercups not only have the cool ability to reflect yellow through its glossy flowers, making it fun for children, they also have had medicinal uses through the ages, including with the Native Americans. 

Surprisingly, some Buttercups, when prepared correctly, are also edible. But know your preparation methods as the entire genus is known for its ability to wage chemical warfare when you go to eat it. Ranunculin is a glycoside present in the genus and on its own isn’t so much a problem. But when the plant cells are crushed an enzymatic reaction happens turning it into Protoanemonin—a yellow oil that is very irritating and toxic at certain quantities. 

#buttercups #ranunculus #edibleplants #medicinalplants #poisonousplants #children #weeds #wildflowers #nativeamericans #california #ethnobotany #ethnopharm. 

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