Xanthium strumarium
| Xanthium strumarium | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Mid Fall |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Xanthium strumarium (common name: cocklebur)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ[1]. The seed requires plenty of moisture in order to germinate.
Cultivation: Requires a sunny position, succeeding in most soils. Prefers a poor dry soil[1].
Hardy to about -15°c[1].
Plants often self sow and in some parts of the world have become noxious weeds[1].
Range: A cosmopolitan plant, a locally established casual in Britain[2].
Habitat: River banks, lake shores, cultivated ground and pastures[3].
Edibility: Leaves and young plants - cooked[4][5][6]. They must be thoroughly boiled and then washed[7]. Caution is advised, the plant is probably poisonous[8].
Seed - raw or cooked[9]. It can be used as a piñole[10]. The seed can be ground into a powder and mixed with flour for making bread, cakes etc[5][10]. The seed contains about 36.7% protein, 38.6% fat, 5.2% ash[7]. It also contains a glycoside[7] and is probably poisonous.
Medicinal: The leaves and root are anodyne, antirheumatic, appetizer, diaphoretic, diuretic, emollient, laxative and sedative[11][12][13][14]. The plant is considered to be useful in treating long-standing cases of malaria[15] and is used as an adulterant for Datura stramonium[11]. An infusion of the plant has been used in the treatment of rheumatism, diseased kidneys and tuberculosis[10]. It has also been used as a liniment on the armpits to reduce perspiration[10].
The fruits contain a number of medically active compounds including glycosides and phytosterols[16]. They are anodyne, antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, antirheumatic, antispasmodic, antitussive, cytotxic, hypoglycaemic and stomachic[1][16]. They are used internally in the treatment of allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, catarrh, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, constipation, diarrhoea, lumbago, leprosy and pruritis[1][10]. They are also used externally to treat pruritis[1]. The fruits are harvested when ripe and dried for later use[1].
The root is a bitter tonic and febrifuge[15]. It has historically been used in the treatment of scrofulous tumours[14]. A decoction of the root has been used in the treatment of high fevers and to help a woman expel the afterbirth[10].
A decoction of the seeds has been used in the treatment of bladder complaints[10]. A poultice of the powdered seed has been applied as a salve on open sores[10].
Usage: The dried leaves are a source of tannin[17].
A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves[13].
The seed powder has been used as a blue body paint[10].
The dried plant repels weevils from stored wheat grain[13].
The seed contains an essential oil[18].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Known Hazards: Poisonous[19][20]. Most members of this genus are toxic to grazing animals and are usually avoided by them[14]. The seed also contains toxins[14].
Also Known As: X. canadense. Mill.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Davis, Ray and Frank Craighead. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. The Riverside Press, 1963.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea. World Health Organisation, 1998.
- ↑ Singh, Gurcharan and Premnath Kachroo. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1976.
- ↑ Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.
- ↑ Cooper, Marion. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. The Stationery Office, 1984.