Daffodils have been used in traditional and folk medicine for centuries, but its most recent contribution to human health is surprisingly connected to Alzheimer’s. The cheery spring flower contain galantamine in its bulb and leaves.
This compound could help to slow the progression and manage early-stage Alzheimer’s, according to recent studies. It works by reducing the loss of a neurotransmitter responsible for processing memory and learning.
Daffodils’ medical potential was first uncovered in 1995 as a study published in the New Scientists noted that some patients experienced side effects from galantamine while “other patients show a significant improvement in several measures of brain function used to assess the progress of Alzheimer’s”.
More recently though, Welsh daffodils specifically were found to be extra valuable in the fight against Alzheimer’s. Known as the Black Mountain effect, flowers grown in Powys at 1,000 feet above sea level have far higher levels of galantamine.
It is believed this is because the flowers face far harsher conditions, causing them to create more of the protective compound.
Currently there are only two ways to get galantamine – a costly synthetic process, or extracting it from daffodils. Former sheep farmer Kevin Stephens has been growing daffodils in the Black Mountains and supplying it to pharmaceutical companies since 2008.
In 2019, Stephens said: “It’s amazing to think that the Welsh national emblem, the humble daffodil, has the potential to improve the lives of Alzheimer’s patients across the world. While providing an economic future for hill farmers and their families across Wales.”
But supplies are still scarce as it takes 100 daffodils to produce enough galantamine for a year’s supply of medication for just one Alzheimer’s patient. Additionally, having a dose that is too high can cause side effects such as nausea.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has started a hunt for daffodils as the flowers usually start blooming in February. The RHS is encouraging flower enthusiasts to join the hunt and mark out where they spot the flowers across the UK.
Enthusiasts can use the Daffodil Diaries project to mark where they see the blooms. The RHS is especially keen on tracking down three rare daffodils; pink Mrs RO Backhouse daffodils, white double-flowered Mrs William Copeland daffodils, and yellow and orange Sussex bonfire daffodils, according to the Guardian.