BITTER ROOT or SPREADING DOGBANE or WANDERING MILKWEED (Apocynum androsaemifolium; APOCYNACEAE: ASCLEPIADACEAE)

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Canadensi">BARBERRY (Berberis vulgaris; B. Canadensis; BERBERIDACEAE)</A></div> <div> <A HREF="snh_butternut.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BUTTERNUT or WHITE WALNUT (Juglans ciner">BUTTERNUT or WHITE WALNUT (Juglans cinerea; JUGLANDACEAE)</A></div> <div> <A HREF="snh_mountain_flax.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="MOUNTAIN FLAX or PURGING FLAX (Linum cat">MOUNTAIN FLAX or PURGING FLAX (Linum catharticum; LINACEAE)</A></div> <div> <A HREF="snh_turkey_rhubarb.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TURKEY RHUBARB or CHINA RHUBARB (Rheum p">TURKEY RHUBARB or CHINA RHUBARB (Rheum palmatum; R. officinale, POLYGONACEAE)</A></div> <div> <A HREF="snh_senna.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SENNA, EAST INDIAN or TINNEVELLY (Cassia">SENNA, EAST INDIAN or TINNEVELLY (Cassia angustifolia; C. elongate, C. medica; CAESALPINIOIDEAE)</A></div> <div> <A HREF="snh_licorice.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LICORICE (Glycyrrhiza glabra G. glanduli">LICORICE (Glycyrrhiza glabra; G. glandulifera; LEGUMINOSAE)</A></div> <div> <A HREF="snh_mandrake.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="MANDRAKE or MAY APPLE Podophyllum peltat">MANDRAKE or MAY APPLE Podophyllum peltatum; BERBERIDACEAE)</A></div> <div> <A HREF="snh_wahoo.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WAHOO (Euonymus atropurpureus ANACARDIAC">WAHOO (Euonymus atropurpureus; ANACARDIACEAE: CELASTRACEAE)</A></div> <div> <A HREF="snh_balm_of_gilead.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BALM OF GILEAD or BALSAM POPLAR or TACAM">BALM OF GILEAD or BALSAM POPLAR or TACAMAHAC (Populus balsamifera; P. candicans; P. nigra; SALICACEAE)</A></div> <div> <A HREF="snh_balmony.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BALMONY (Chelone glabra SCROPHULARIACEAE">BALMONY (Chelone glabra; SCROPHULARIACEAE)</A></div> <div> <A HREF="snh_culver_s_root.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CULVERS ROOT or BLACK ROOT or TALL SPEED">CULVER'S ROOT or BLACK ROOT or TALL SPEEDWELL (Leptandra virginica; Veronica virginica, Eustachya purpurea; E. alba; SCROPHULARIACEAE)</A></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">BITTER ROOT or SPREADING DOGBANE or WANDERING MILKWEED (Apocynum androsaemifolium; APOCYNACEAE: ASCLEPIADACEAE)</B></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=366 width="100%" colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="102" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 ><NOBR><div> <head> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript">  </script> </head> <A HREF="javascript:myprint()" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="javascript:myprint()">Print this Page</A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <I><B>BITTER ROOT or SPREADING DOGBANE or WANDERING MILKWEED (Apocynum androsaemifolium; APOCYNACEAE: ASCLEPIADACEAE)</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Common names:</B></I></div> <div> Bitter root, spreading dog bane, milkweed, dog bane, flytrap, dog bane, honey-bloom, milk ipecac, wandering milkweed, bitter dog bane, western wallflower, catch-fly.</div> <div> <I><B>Identifying characteristics:</B></I></div> <div> Stem          Smooth, elegant, shrub by, 2-6 feet high, forked branches, leafy, spreading; exudes milky juice when any part of the plant is wounded.</div> <div> Leaves       Opposite, broadly ovate, narrow at base, 2-3 inches long, 1 inch wide, dark green above paler and somewhat hairy beneath, entire.</div> <div> Flowers     Delicate pink corolla, veined with a deeper shade, fragrant bellshaped, about 1/3 inch broad, 5-cleft calyx, borne in loose terminal comes; somewhat similar to the flower of lily-of-the-valley; serves as a trap to flies and certain insects.</div> <div> Fruit           Twin pods, about 4 inches long.</div> <div> Root          Rhizome, 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick, pale brown, transversely wrinkled and cracked bark, readily separated from white woody center; groups of stone cells in outer bark. Powder: Light brown.</div> <div> Taste         Bitter and astringent.</div> <div> <I><B>Parts used:</B></I></div> <div> Root.</div> <div> <I><B>Therapeutic action:</B></I></div> <div> Cathartic, emetic (large doses), tonic diuretic, (lithotriptic), stimulant, detergent, diaphoretic (sudorific), expectorant, cardiac stimulant, hepatic stimulant, depurant.</div> <div> Bitter root has a slow, persistent and extensive influence on intestinal digestion and elimination, stimulating the secretory functions of the liver (liver tubuli), gall ducts, gall cyst, and also the muscular and mucus coats of the kidneys and bowels. It is excellent for torpid conditions of the bowels, and it will produce a soft stool within 6-8 hours but it is not recommended for irritated or sensitive conditions.</div> <div> <I><B>Medicinal uses:</B></I></div> <div> Jaundice, dyspepsia, cardiac dropsy, kidney problems, liver problems, typhoid and other fevers, relaxed bowels, poor digestion, dropsy, worms, syphilis, rheumatism, neuralgia, diabetes, chronic Bright's disease, gall stones, diseases of the joints and mucous membranes, constipation.</div> <div> <I><B>Preparation:</B></I></div> <div> Fluid extract, infusion, powder, tincture. The root tends to deteriorate with age.</div> <div> <I><B>Dosage:</B></I></div> <div> <I>Large doses are emetic and tend to gripe.</I></div> <div> Fluid extract     10-30 drops every 3-4 hours.</div> <div> Infusion            2-3 tablespoonfuls 6 times daily.</div> <div> Powder            260 mg. - 2 grams.</div> <div> Tincture           10-20 drops.</div> <div> <I><B>Administration:</B></I></div> <div> Give in smaller and frequent doses as an alterative or tonic; use peppermint, ginger, aniseed, or other carminatives to offset possible griping.</div> <div> <I><B>Oral</B></I></div> <div> <I>General tonic, debility, dyspepsia:</I></div> <div> Take 5 grains of powder 3 times daily; it has also been used successfully in combination with yellow parilla (Menispermum canadense).</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 208</div> <div> <I>Jaundice:</I></div> <div> Give 3-5 drops of fluid extract every 2-3 hours combined with tincture of cayenne or some syrup of ginger, in water, etc.</div> <div> <I>Cardiac dropsy:</I></div> <div> Give 325 mg. - 1 gram of powder 3 times daily.</div> <div> <I><B>Formulas:</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Liver tonic:</B></I></div> <div> 1 1/2 ounces      Bitter root, powder (Apocynum androsaemifolium)</div> <div> 1/2 ounce          Culver's root, powder (Leptandra virginica)</div> <div> 2 ounces            White poplar or quaking aspen bark, powder (Populus tremuloides)</div> <div> 1/4 ounce          Ginger root, powder (Zingiber officinale)</div> <div> 2 ounces            Golden seal root, powder (Hydrastis canadensis)</div> <div> 1/4 ounce          Cayenne fruit, powder (Capsicum annuum; C. frutescens)</div> <div> <I>Preparation:</I></div> <div> Mix the powders well and place in "00" capsules.</div> <div> <I>Dosage:</I></div> <div> 1-2 capsules after each meal.</div> <div> <I><B>Growth characteristics:</B></I></div> <div> Perennial; found from Canada to Florida to the mid-West; grows best in dry, sandy soils, in fields, thickets, beside roads, lanes, and walls; flowers June-July. It usually grows associated with dog bane or Canadian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum), so it should be distinguished with care (see "Sister Plants").</div> <div> <I><B>Drying and preservation:</B></I></div> <div> The root tends to deteriorate with age, so the supply should be renewed each season unless preserved in an appropriate form (fluid extract, tincture, etc.).</div> <div> <I><B> <A NAME="sister_plants"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></I><I><B>Sister plants:</B></I></div> <div> Dogbane or Canadian Hemp or Black Indian Hemp (Apocynum cannabinum; A. pubescens; APOCYNACEAE; LAURACEAE); root; cardiac dropsy, intermittent and remittent fevers, amenorrhea, leucorrhea, emetic (10-30 grains), renal dropsy, dyspepsia; it has similar therapeutic properties and medicinal uses as bitter root, but its action is slightly different; the root bark is often sold for bitter root, but has a yellowish wood, is longitudinally wrinkled, and has no groups of stone cells in the outer bark; bitter root has a more spreading stem, broader leaves, thinner and tougher rhizome with a central pith, thinner bark with groups of stone cells, and the flower is pinkish (rather than dog bane's greenish-white cymes); this should not be substituted for bitter root.</div> <div> For a listing of cathartic herbs which may be used when the foregoing are not available, please see <A HREF="snh_17___herb_alternatives.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 17 Herb Alternatives">Chapter 17</A>. </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 209</div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=24 BGCOLOR="#FFFBF0" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="cc203181eearkz.gif"> <div>  <A HREF="snh_culver_s_root.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CULVERS ROOT or BLACK ROOT or TALL SPEED">SNH Culver's Root</A> < Previous  |  Next >                                                 </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>