JERUSALEM OAK or AMERICAN WORMSEED (Chenopodium anthelminticum; C. ambrosioides; CHENOPODIACEAE)

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=90 BGCOLOR="#996600" TEXT="#080000" background="04e785a3.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFBF0" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I><IMG SRC="ccb4c550.png" border=0 width="76" height="85" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The Complete Writings of</I></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFBF0" FACE="Times New Roman" > Dr. John R. Christopher.</FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dr. John R. 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Lercheana; A. maritima var. pauciflora; A. maritima var. Stechmanniana; A.  Chamaemelifolia; COMPOSITAE)</A></div> <div> <A HREF="snh_hyssop.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HYSSOP (Hyssopus officinalis LABIATAE)">HYSSOP (Hyssopus officinalis; LABIATAE)</A></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>JERUSALEM OAK or AMERICAN WORMSEED (Chenopodium anthelminticum; C. ambrosioides; CHENOPODIACEAE)</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Common names:</B></I></div> <div> Jerusalem oak, American wormseed, wild wormseed, stinking weed, goose foot, Jesuit's tea, Jerusalem tea; Anserine Vermifuge (Fr.); Amerikanischer Wurmsamen (Ger.); Herba Sancti Mariae, apasote, pazote (Span.).</div> <div> <I><B>Identifying characteristics:</B></I></div> <div> Stem           Herbaceous, angular, coarse, stout, erect, furrowed or grooved, branched, 2-5 feet high.</div> <div> Leaves       Alternate, yellowish-green, oblong  - lanceolate, gland-dotted beneath (with small resinous particles), toothed (upper ones entire and tapering at both ends), slightly petioled.</div> <div> Flowers      Small, very numerous, same color as leaves, in clusters of dense leafy, globular spikes (in the axis of slender, lateral, leafy branches), 5-cleft calyx, ovate and pointed lobes.</div> <div> Fruit           Small, irregular (obtusely angled), depressed globular, size of pin head, perfectly enclosed in the calyx, greenish-gray or greenish-yellow or brown, glandular, 1/12 inch in diameter, membranous pericarp.  Seed; small, smooth, glossy, solitary, lenticular, brownish-black, obtusely edged, albumen contains curved embryo.</div> <div> Root          Branched.</div> <div> Taste         Acrid, bitter, astringent, turpentine-like.</div> <div> Odor         Strong, peculiar (camphoraceous) and resembling eucalyptus, aromatic.</div> <div> <I><B>Part used:</B></I></div> <div> Seeds, oil, herb.</div> <div> <I><B>Therapeutic action:</B></I></div> <div> Anthelmintic (vermifuge), antispasmodic, febrifuge, nervine, aromatic, expectorant, emmenagogue, tonic, diffusive, stimulant, diuretic, cardiac stimulant, diaphoretic.</div> <div> The leaves and seeds of Jerusalem oak was an old American Indian remedy for worms and painful menstruation.  The principal use has been in the form of the powdered seeds, which is one of the best vermifuge remedies in nature.  The seeds are rich in a volatile oil that may be used apart.  It is a useful expectorant for pulmonary complaints.  It increases the power of the heart, and promotes secretions of the bronchi, kidneys, and skin.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 115</div> <div> <I><B>Medicinal uses:</B></I></div> <div> Round worms, hookworm (oil), tapeworm (especially good for children), intermittent fevers, hysteria, chorea, nervous affections, painful menstruation, pulmonary congestion, bronchitis, asthma, flatulent dyspepsia, chronic malaria.</div> <div> <I><B>Preparation:</B></I></div> <div> Decoction, fluid extract, infusion, juice, oil, powder, tincture.  Do not use the oil during pregnancy, because of its potent emmenagogic effect.</div> <div> Decoction     Simmer 1 ounce of the fresh plant for 20 minutes in 1 pint of milk or water.</div> <div> Infusion         The bruised leaves may be used in this manner, cover to preserve volatile oil.</div> <div> Juice             Express the juice from the fresh plant.</div> <div> Oil                The seed is very high in the medicinally valuable volatile oil.</div> <div> Powder        The seed should be bruised or powdered before using.</div> <div> <I><B>Dosage:</B></I></div> <div> Decoction         1 tablespoonful - 2 fluid ounces</div> <div> Fluid Extract     1/2 - 1 teaspoonful</div> <div> Infusion             2 fluid ounces</div> <div> Juice                 1 tablespoonful</div> <div> Oil                    3-20 drops; children: 3-10 drops</div> <div> Powder            1/4 - 2 teaspoonfuls (1-8 drams); children: 1-2 grams</div> <div> Tincture            1/2 - 1 fluid teaspoon</div> <div> <I><B>Administration:</B></I></div> <div> Usually the powdered seeds in honey, syrup, or jam is the favored method, but the other forms are also good.</div> <div> <I><B>Oral</B></I></div> <div> <I>Round worms:</I></div> <div> Give 1-2 grams of powdered seeds or 3-10 drops of oil to children; and generally give 1-2 teaspoonfuls of the powdered seed or 10-20 drops of oil to adults; the powdered seeds should be administered according to the procedure indicated on <A HREF="snh_wormwood_page_108.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WORMWOOD or ABSINTHIUM (Artemisia Absint">page 108</A>.  Also the fluid extract, fresh juice, decoction, or electuary (1-2 grams of powder for children) may be used.</div> <div> <I>Pulmonary congestion, asthma, painful menstruation:</I></div> <div> Use a decoction of the herb.</div> <div> <I><B>Formulas:</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Round worms:</B></I></div> <div> 1 ounce     American worm seed or Jerusalem oak (Chenopodium anthelminticum)</div> <div> 1 ounce     Pink root (spigelia marilandica)</div> <div> 1 ounce     Manna, exudation (Fraxinus Ornus)</div> <div> <I>Preparation:</I></div> <div> Pour 1 quart of boiling-hot water over the herbs, cover well, and steep for 1 hour; strain, sweeten, bottle and keep in a cool place.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 116</div> <div> <I>Dosage:</I></div> <div> 4 ounces 4 times daily on an empty stomach.</div> <div> <I><B>Potter's emmenagogue:</B></I></div> <div> 1 part     Wormseed (Chenopodium anthelminticum; or Artemisia santonica)</div> <div> 1 part     Black hellebore root (Helleborus niger)</div> <div> 1 part     Valerian root (Valeriana officinalis)</div> <div> 1 part     Mugwort herb (Artemisia vulgaris)</div> <div> <I>Preparation:</I></div> <div> Steep (cover) 1 teaspoonful of mixed herbs to each cupful of boiling hot water.</div> <div> <I>Dosage:</I></div> <div> 2-3 fluid ounces (warm).</div> <div> <I><B>Growth characteristics:</B></I></div> <div> Perennial or annual (depending on the climate); found in almost all parts of the United States, native of Central and South America, West Indies, also found in Europe and North Africa, cultivated in Maryland</div> <div> for the oil; grows along roadsides and in waste places, about dwellings and in manured soils; flowers</div> <div> July-September.</div> <div> <I><B>Collection:</B></I></div> <div> The fruits ripen successively in autumn and should be gathered in October.</div> <div> <I><B>Sister plants:</B></I></div> <div> Mexican Tea: (Chenopodium ambrosioides; Herba Botryos Mexicanae; CHENOPODIACEAE); fruit or seed, herb; medicinally similar to Jerusalem oak and resembles it, except that it is more strongly aromatic, leaves more deeply toothed (lower ones almost pinnatifid) spikes more elongated, usually leafless; found in Europe and Asia.</div> <div> Feather Geranium or Jerusalem oak or Ambrosia (Chenopodium Botrys; CHENOPODIACEAE); herb; worms, catarrh, asthma; leaves on the small plant resemble oak leaves in shape and appearance (even turning red and yellow like oak leaves), are 1 inch long, the leaves diminish to almost nothing as the plant grows 2-3 feet high, and feathery branches develop; self-sows profusely; native to Europe and Asia.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page 117</div> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=24 BGCOLOR="#FFFBF0" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="cc203181eearkz.gif"> <div>  <A HREF="snh_pomegranate.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="POMEGRANATE (Punica Granatum PUNICACEAE ">SNH Pomegranate</A> < Previous  |  Next > <A HREF="snh_kousso.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="KOUSSO or KUSSO (Brayera anthelmintica H">SNH Kousso</A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>