Editing Drosera (section)

== Uses ==
The [[corm]]s of the tuberous sundews native to Australia are considered a delicacy by the [[Indigenous Australians]].<ref name="Barthlott-2004"/>{{rp|100}} Some of these corms were also used to dye textiles,<ref name="Yusuf-2017">{{cite journal |last1=Yusuf |first1=Mohd |last2=Shabbir |first2=Mohd |last3=Mohammad |first3=Faqeer |title=Natural Colorants: Historical, Processing and Sustainable Prospects |journal=Natural Products and Bioprospecting |date=16 January 2017 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=123–145 |doi=10.1007/s13659-017-0119-9 |pmid=28093670 |pmc=5315675 |issn=2192-2195}}</ref><ref name="Plantarara">Plantarara (2001): [http://www.plantarara.com/carnivoren_information/karnivoren_arzneimittel/carnivorenarznei.htm Artzneimittle, Tee, und Likör aus fleischfressenden Pflanzen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618123220/http://plantarara.com/carnivoren_information/karnivoren_arzneimittel/carnivorenarznei.htm |date=2006-06-18 }}</ref> while another purple or yellow dye was [[Traditional dyes of the Scottish Highlands|traditionally prepared]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]] using ''D. rotundifolia''.<ref>Dwelly, Edward; "Dwelly’s [Scottish] Gaelic Dictionary" (1911) (Dath)</ref> A sundew [[liqueur]] is made using fresh leaves from mainly ''[[Drosera capensis|D. capensis]]'', ''[[Drosera spatulata|D. spatulata]]'', and ''D. rotundifolia''.<ref name="Plantarara"/>

===Traditional medicine ===
The [[Zafimaniry]] people in central Madagascar have been using ''[[Drosera madagascariensis]]'' as a remedy for dysentery and fever.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rakotondrafara |first1=Andriamalala |last2=Rakotondrajaona |first2=Roland |last3=Rakotoarisoa |first3=Marrino |last4=Ratsimbason |first4=Michel |last5=Rasamison |first5=Vincent Emile |last6=Rakotonandrasana |first6=Stephan Richard |title=Ethnobotany of medicinal plants used by the Zafimaniry clan in Madagascar |journal=The Journal of Phytopharmacology |date=December 2018 |volume=7 |issue=6 |pages=483–494 |doi=10.31254/phyto.2018.7606|doi-access=free }}</ref>

In Western medicine, sundews were used as [[herbal medicine|medicinal herbs]] as early as the 12th century, when an Italian doctor from the School of Salerno, [[Matthaeus Platearius]], described the plant as an herbal remedy for [[cough]]s under the name ''herba sole''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Drosera herba |url=https://www.altmeyers.org/en/naturopathy/drosera-herba-143953 |website=Altmeyers Encyclopedia - Department Phytotherapy |access-date=17 March 2022 |language=en |date=29 October 2020}}</ref> 
Culbreth's 1927 ''Materia Medica'' listed ''D. rotundifolia'', ''D. anglica'' and ''[[Drosera linearis|D. linearis]]'' as being used as [[stimulants]] and [[expectorant]]s, and "of doubtful efficacy" for treating [[bronchitis]], [[whooping cough]], and [[tuberculosis]].<ref name="Culbreth-1927">{{cite book |last1=Culbreth |first1=David M. R. |title=Materia Medica and Pharmacology |date=1927 |publisher=Lea & Febiger |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>  
Sundew tea was recommended by herbalists for dry coughs, [[bronchitis]], [[whooping cough]], [[asthma]] and "bronchial cramps".<ref name="Schilcher-1993">{{cite journal | last1 = Schilcher | first1 = H. | last2 = Elzer | first2 = M. | year = 1993 | title = Drosera (Sundew): A proven antitussive | journal = Zeitschrift für Phytotherapie | volume = 14 | issue = 50| page = 4 }}</ref>
The ''French Pharmacopoeia'' of 1965 listed sundew for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as asthma, [[chronic bronchitis]] and whooping cough.<ref name="Ghate-2016">{{cite journal |last1=Ghate |first1=N. B. |last2=Das |first2=A. |last3=Chaudhuri |first3=D. |last4=Panja |first4=S. |last5=Mandal |first5=N. |title=Sundew plant, a potential source of anti-inflammatory agents, selectively induces G2/M arrest and apoptosis in MCF-7 cells through upregulation of p53 and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio |journal=Cell Death Discovery |date=2016 |volume=2 |pages=15062 |doi=10.1038/cddiscovery.2015.62 |pmid=27551490 |pmc=4979533 |issn=2058-7716}}</ref>

''Drosera'' has been used commonly in cough preparations in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sundew |url=https://wa.kaiserpermanente.org/kbase/topic.jhtml?docId=hn-2171001 |website=Kaiser Permanente |access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref> In [[traditional medicine]] practices, ''Drosera'' is used to treat ailments such as [[asthma]], coughs, lung infections, and [[stomach ulcer]]s.<ref name="Hoffmann-2003">{{cite book |last1=Hoffmann |first1=David |title=Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine |date=24 October 2003 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-59477-890-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e10oDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT1474 |access-date=17 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

Herbal preparations are primarily made using the roots, flowers, and fruit-like capsules.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wichtl |first1=M. |title=Herbal drugs and phytopharmaceuticals : a handbook for practice on a scientific basis |date=1994 |publisher=CRC Press |location=Boca Raton, FL |isbn= |pages=178, 81 |edition=}}</ref> Since all native sundews species are protected in many parts of Europe and North America, [[extract]]s are usually prepared using cultivated fast-growing sundews (specifically ''D. rotundifolia'', ''[[Drosera intermedia|D. intermedia]]'', ''D. anglica'', ''[[Drosera ramentacea|D. ramentacea]]'' and ''D. madagascariensis'') or from plants collected and imported from Madagascar, Spain, France, Finland and the [[Baltics]].

Sundews are historically mentioned as an [[aphrodisiac]]<ref name="Wolf-2006">{{cite web |last1=Wolf |first1=E. |last2=Gage |first2=E. |last3=Cooper |first3=D.J. |title=Drosera rotundifolia L. (roundleaf sundew): a technical conservation assessment |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5250874.pdf |website=USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region |access-date=17 March 2022|date=29 June 2006 }}</ref> (hence the common name ''lustwort'').<ref name="Vogel">{{cite web |last1=Vogel |first1=A. |title=Drosera rotundifolia L. {{!}} Round-leafed Sundew |url=https://www.avogel.com/plant-encyclopaedia/drosera_rotundifolia.php |website=Plant Encyclopaedia |access-date=17 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref> They are mentioned as a folk remedy for treatment of warts, corns, and freckles.<ref name="Crowder-1990">{{cite journal |last1=Crowder |first1=A. A. |last2=Pearson |first2=M. C. |last3=Grubb |first3=P. J. |last4=Langlois |first4=P. H. |title=Drosera L. |journal=Journal of Ecology |date=1990 |volume=78 |issue=1 |pages=233–267 |doi=10.2307/2261048 |jstor=2261048 |bibcode=1990JEcol..78..233C |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2261048 |access-date=15 March 2022 |issn=0022-0477}}</ref>

=== As ornamental plants ===
Because of their carnivorous nature and the beauty of their glistening traps, sundews have become favorite [[ornamental plant]]s; however, the environmental requirements of most species are relatively stringent and can be difficult to meet in cultivation. As a result, most species are unavailable commercially. A few of the hardiest varieties, however, have made their way into the mainstream nursery business and can often be found for sale next to [[Venus flytrap]]s. These most often include ''[[Drosera capensis|D. capensis]]'', ''[[Drosera aliciae|D. aliciae]]'', and ''[[Drosera spatulata|D. spatulata]]''.<ref name="Rice-2006">Rice, Barry. 2006. ''Growing Carnivorous Plants''. Timber Press: Portland, Oregon.</ref>

Cultivation requirements vary greatly by species. In general, though, sundews require high environmental moisture content, usually in the form of a constantly moist or wet soil substrate. Most species also require this water to be pure, as nutrients, salts, or minerals in their soil can stunt their growth or even kill them. Commonly, plants are grown in a soil substrate containing some combination of dead or live [[sphagnum moss]], [[sphagnum]] [[peat moss]], sand, and/or [[perlite]], and are watered with [[Distilled water|distilled]], [[reverse osmosis]], or rain water.<ref name="D'Amato, Peter-1998"/>

=== Nano-biotechnology ===
The mucilage produced by ''Drosera'' has remarkable elastic properties and has made this genus a very attractive subject in biomaterials research. In one recent study, the adhesive mucilages of three species (''D.&nbsp;binata'', ''D.&nbsp;capensis'', and ''D.&nbsp;spatulata'') were analyzed for [[nanofiber]] and [[nanoparticle]] content.<ref name="Zhang-2010">{{Cite journal | doi=10.1186/1477-3155-8-20 | pmid = 20718990 | pmc = 2931452 | title = Nanofibers and nanoparticles from the insect capturing adhesive of the Sundew (''Drosera'') for cell attachment | year = 2010 | author = Zhang, M. | journal = Journal of Nanobiotechnology | volume = 8 | issue = 20 | last2 = Lenaghan | first2 = S.C. | last3 = Xia | first3 = L. | last4 = Dong | first4 = L. | last5 = He | first5 = W. | last6 = Henson | first6 = W.R. | last7 = Fan | first7 = X. | pages=20 | doi-access = free }}</ref> Using [[atomic force microscopy]], [[transmission electron microscopy]], and [[energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy]], researchers were able to observe networks of nanofibers and nanoparticles of various sizes within the mucilage residues. In addition, [[calcium]], [[magnesium]], and [[chlorine]] – key components of biological salts - were identified.<ref name="Zhang-2010"/> These nanoparticles are theorized to increase the viscosity and stickiness of the mucilage, in turn increasing the effectiveness of the trap.

More importantly for biomaterials research, however, is the fact that, when dried, the mucin provides a suitable substrate for the attachment of living cells. This has important implications for tissue engineering, especially because of the elastic qualities of the adhesive. Essentially, a coating of ''Drosera'' mucilage on a surgical implant, such as a replacement hip or an organ transplant, could drastically improve the rate of recovery and decrease the potential for rejection, because living tissue can effectively attach and grow on it. The authors also suggest a wide variety of applications for ''Drosera'' mucin, including wound treatment, regenerative medicine, or enhancing synthetic adhesives.<ref name="Zhang-2010"/> Because this mucilage can stretch to nearly a million times its original size and is readily available for use, it can be an extremely cost-efficient source of biomaterial.<ref name="Gaddam-2021">{{cite journal |last1=Gaddam |first1=Susmila Aparna |last2=Kotakadi |first2=Venkata Subbaiah |last3=Subramanyam |first3=Gunasekhar Kalavakunta |last4=Penchalaneni |first4=Josthna |last5=Challagundla |first5=Varadarajulu Naidu |last6=Dvr |first6=Sai Gopal |last7=Pasupuleti |first7=Visweswara Rao |title=Multifaceted phytogenic silver nanoparticles by an insectivorous plant Drosera spatulata Labill var. bakoensis and its potential therapeutic applications |journal=Scientific Reports |date=9 November 2021 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=21969 |doi=10.1038/s41598-021-01281-8 |pmid=34753977 |pmc=8578548 |bibcode=2021NatSR..1121969G |url=https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01281-8 |access-date=17 March 2022 |language=en |issn=2045-2322}}</ref>