2026 05 24 羊麻草（どくだみ）

教会敷地内その名も「ガリラヤ池」と、名付けられた水たまりの池の周りに咲いていました。初夏の訪れとともに、庭や道ばたの木陰で、白い花を咲かせる草

この草の持つ独特な香りは苦手な人が多いですね。

十字に開いた四枚の白い花びらのように見える姿が印象的な、

羊麻草（ようまそう）、ドクダミ です。

学名は Houttuynia cordata。

ドクダミ科ドクダミ属の多年草で、日本をはじめ東アジアの各地に広く自生しています。

実は、白い花びらのように見える部分は花ではなく「総苞片（そうほうへん）」と呼ばれる葉が変化したもので、花は中央に立つ穂の部分に集まって咲いています。

近づくと、小さな花がたくさん並んでいるのを見ることができます。

ドクダミには独特の香りがありますよね。

そのため苦手に感じる人もいますが、古くから薬草として利用されていて、「十薬（じゅうやく）」という別名も持っています。

民間では乾燥させてお茶にしたり、花を焼酎などのリカーにつけて虫よけや虫刺されのチンキにしたり、暮らしの中でさまざまに活用されています。

「ドクダミ」は、毒素を矯めて（正して）体から不要なものを取り除く働きがあると考えられ「毒矯め（どくため）」や、毒を溜める「毒溜め」が変化して定着したといういわれ。

一方、「羊麻草」という呼び名は、羊も食べない葉の形、草姿が麻に似ていることから付けられた名だそうです

どちらの名前にも、この植物が持っている独特な部分によって人々の暮らしと関わってきたことを知ることができますね。

聖書には、

「神は、きょうは野にあって、あすは炉に投げ込まれる草でさえ、このように装ってくださるの」

（マタイによる福音書 6章30節）という言葉があります。

華やかさは無いですが力強く根を張り、毎年変わらず花を咲かせる。普段は雑草として見過ごしてしまうような草花にも、思いがけない美しさや薬効などを持ち合わせたり、与えられた賜物の輝きがあるのですね。たとえ野原でその時を全うしても、その輝きはいつも伴っているのだろうなと、ガリラヤ池のふちに咲く羊麻草（ドクダミ）は今日もここで時を過ごしていますよ。

Around the small pond on the church grounds—affectionately known as the “Sea of Galilee”—a familiar wildflower is now in bloom.

With the arrival of early summer, this plant appears in shady corners of gardens and along pathways, bearing its distinctive white blossoms.

Many people find its unique fragrance rather strong.

Yet its cross-shaped white “petals” give it a simple and memorable beauty.

This is Yōmasō, better known as Dokudami (Houttuynia cordata).

A perennial herb of the Houttuyniaceae family, it grows naturally throughout Japan and many parts of East Asia.

In fact, the four white petal-like parts are not petals at all. They are modified leaves called bracts, while the true flowers are the tiny blossoms clustered on the upright spike in the center.

Looking closely, you can see many small flowers gathered together there.

Dokudami is well known for its distinctive scent.

Although some people dislike it, the plant has long been valued as a medicinal herb and is also known by the name　十薬 Jūyaku, meaning “the herb of ten medicines.”

Traditionally, its dried leaves have been used to make herbal tea, and its flowers have been steeped in alcohol to create tinctures used as insect repellents or remedies for insect bites. For generations, it has found many practical uses in everyday life.

The name Dokudami is said to come from words meaning “to correct or remove toxins,” reflecting the belief that the plant helped cleanse the body of unwanted substances. Another explanation links it to the phrase “gathering toxins,” which gradually evolved into the name used today.

The older name Yōmasō is said to refer to a plant that “even sheep will not eat,” while its leaves and overall form resemble hemp. Both names reveal how this humble plant has been connected with people's lives through its distinctive characteristics.

In the Bible we read:

“If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire...”

— Matthew 6:30

Dokudami is not a flashy flower.

Yet it sends down strong roots and faithfully blooms year after year.

What we often dismiss as a mere weed may possess unexpected beauty, healing properties, and gifts of its own. Every living thing carries a unique grace bestowed upon it.

Even if a wildflower spends its entire life unnoticed in a field, perhaps that God-given beauty never leaves it.

And so, along the edge of the church's little “Sea of Galilee,” the Dokudami flowers quietly continue their days, blooming in the place where they have been planted. 🌿🤍