ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

Temulentum or Lolium temulentum, also known as Danka, Zuan, Kharitan, Shalem, Shalm, Shulm, Jilif, Baraqiq, Galab, Kitib, Bist, Behmi, is a type of plant that belongs to the genus Lolium and family Poaceae.

Botanical description
Temulentum is an annual herbaceous plant that grows in a circular shape. It has a long stem with several branches growing on top of each other. The outer skin of the plant has hairs at its tips, similar to wheat, and it spreads as a weed.

Distribution of plants
The plant spread from the Middle East to all over Europe through the cultivation of grains, particularly wheat, because this plant follows a very similar biological cycle to wheat and matures at the same time. Its size is also similar to that of wheat grain. Thus, temulentum spread worldwide in this way until the advent of modern machinery allowed for the separation of its seeds from other grains for marketing. However, the distribution of temulentum has decreased significantly due to the use of herbicides and fertilizers that promote the growth of grains compared to temulentum.

Poisoning and permitted quantities in human or animal food products
It was common for temulentum to be infected with an internal fungus from the genus Neotyphodium. The infected grains become toxic because the fungus produces psychoactive compounds (such as timolene). In the past, cases of poisoning occurred among humans when wheat flour or ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) was contaminated with temulentum. Poisoning can also occur through animals that graze in fields containing temulentum or feed on contaminated hay. The symptoms caused by these toxins include loss of balance and visual disturbances, which sometimes lead to death. Therefore, it is called the "intoxicating zuan" in Arabic. Its scientific name has the Latin attribute temulentum, meaning intoxicated.

Use in folk medicine
Due to the risk of poisoning, many countries have set a maximum allowed quantity of temulentum that can be present in food products (for both humans and animals). It is essential to note the distinction between temulentum (Lolium temulentum) and Canary grass (Phalaris canariensis), which is edible and belongs to the same family Poaceae, often referred to as "zuan" in various Arabic dialects.

Despite this, temulentum has been used in European folk medicine as a medicinal substance for skin diseases and wounds. Wheat flour from temulentum is commonly used to treat skin diseases such as gangrene and festering wounds. It is also used with salt and radish roots to cleanse the skin of scrofula and quinsy. By adding a small amount of vinegar and sulfur, it can dissolve tumors and ulcers. A extract from it can be mixed with honey for washing affected organs by gout, and temulentum flour can be used as a poultice to remove splinters.

Culture
Temulentum has become known worldwide under the title "Wheat and Temulentum" and dates back to the parable of the Lord in the Gospel according to Matthew: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away." When the wheat grew and its ears ripened, the weeds also appeared. The laborers asked the owner, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where did these weeds come from?' The owner replied, 'A man who does not work but disobeys me will be beaten with many blows. But as for this wickedness, you have persisted in it since the time of your ancestors. Then he ordered, 'Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers to gather up the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"