Collinsonia canadensis
| Collinsonia canadensis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Collinsonia canadensis (common name: stone root)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed can also be sown in the spring, though it might be slower to germinate. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame. Plant them out in spring or early summer of their second year.
Division in spring[1].
Cultivation: Prefers a sandy peat in a moist situation but it is easily grown in ordinary garden soils[1] so long as they are not dry[2]. Prefers dappled shade[2].
The whole plant has a strong disagreeable odour and a pungent spicy taste[3]. Another report says that the foliage is strongly aromatic, with a lemon scent[4].
Range: Eastern N. America - Ontario and Vermont to Florida, west to Wisconsin.
Habitat: Rich damp woods[5][6].
Medicinal: The whole plant, but especially the fresh root, is alterative, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, diuretic, sedative, tonic, vasodilator and vulnerary[3][7][8][9][10]. A tea made from the roots is strongly diuretic, it is valuable in the treatment of all complaints of the urinary system and the rectum and is used in the treatment of piles, indigestion, diarrhoea, kidney complaints etc[3][6]. It has proved of benefit in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, mucous colitis and varicose veins[11]. The root is seldom used on its own but is contained in remedies with other herbs, especially Aphanes arvensis, Eupatorium purpureum and Hydrangea arborescens[4].
The roots contain more than 13,000 parts per million of rosmarinic acid, the same anti-oxidant that is found in rosemary[6].
The fresh leaves are strongly emetic[6]. Some caution is advised, see notes above on toxicity[6].
A poultice of the leaves or roots is applied to burns, bruises, sores, sprains etc[3][6][11].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Minute doses of the fresh leaves can cause vomiting[6], though the root is well-tolerated by the body[4].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Kavasch, Barrie. Native Harvests. Vintage Books, 1979.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.