Interesting facts

The generic name Chelidonium comes from the Greek word khelidon = swallow. Some people say the plant was given this name because the plant begins to flower when the swallows arrive and stops flowering when they depart for the south again. Others say it is because of the story that swallows used to open the eyes of their young with a branch of celandine. The epithet majus = large was originally used to distinguish it from Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) a plant which is in fact unrelated. The German name Schöllkraut has developed over the centuries from Chelidonium.
Dioscorides, Pliny and Theophrast already knew of the healing powers of Celandine and described its effectiveness in the treatment of jaundice, liver swelling, gallstones, constipation, warts and eye complaints.
Greater Celandine also has some more curious uses in its history: alchemists tried to make this oh so yellow plant into gold. And in some regions it was fed to cows which did not give enough milk.