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Native Perennials with Pharmaceutical Pasts

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Native Perennials with Pharmaceutical Pasts CommerCially marketed Herbal Natives They reach between two and four feet tall, miNt-Family mediCiNals Among the most well known and well re- and bloom all summer long. Many native plants with herbal prop- searched medicinal native perennials are Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis, Zones erties belong to the mint family (Lami- coneflowers (Echinacea spp.). Ethnobotan- 4–9, 8–4) is another widely used and well aceae). They share traits such as square ical studies have revealed that numerous known medicinal native perennial. Histori- stems, opposite leaves that may be aro- Native American tribes used coneflowers cally it has been used for ailments involving matic, and small two-lipped flowers ar- in a variety of herbal remedies for hundreds mucus membranes. For example, Iroquois ranged in whorls or clusters. Those that of years. Today, millions of people around healers used a decoction of the root to treat spread with rhizomes may need a firm the world use echinacea-based products to whooping cough, diarrhea, stomach ail- hand to keep them within bounds. bolster their immune system or to diminish ments, earache, and eye irritation. Its thick The genus Salvia boasts quite a few the duration and severity of a cold. yellow rhizomes also have been used to North American species that are both The species most commonly used for make a dye. After early explorers export- medicinally significant and highly or- these purposes are purple coneflower (E. ed the plant to Europe, it became popular namental. From the West Coast, hum- purpurea, USDA Hardiness Zones 3–9, there for medicinal purposes, too. mingbird or pitcher sage (S. spathacea, AHS Heat Zones 9–1), pale purple cone- Because of overharvesting and habi- Zones 8–11, 10-7) inhabits the coastal flower (E. pallida, Zones 3–10, 10–1), and tat loss, the plant is now an endangered hills of central and southern California. Native Perennials with Pharmaceutical Pasts More than just pretty faces, many native herbaceous perennials grown in our gardens today have Left to right: Purple coneflower, goldenseal, and hummingbird sage all produce intriguing flowers as well as compounds that combat diseases. rich histories as important medicinal plants. BY RITA PELCZAR narrow-leaf coneflower (E. angustifolia, species across its native range from New Indigenous peoples in that region used it Zones 4–9, 9–1). Health products labeled Hampshire and Minnesota, south to Al- to treat colds and sore throats, and scien- with “echinacea” often contain extracts abama and Georgia. Fortunately, many tific analysis has revealed that it contains or CENTUrIES, Native Ameri- medicinal usefulness than their orna- Certain ornamental North American from at least two of these species. Studies reputable nurseries now propagate and antimicrobial compounds. cans used a wide variety of indig- mental qualities. Several of these species trees and shrubs have medicinal uses, but have found that each of these plants pro- sell goldenseal for both home gardens This plant grows about two feet tall and Fenous plants to treat whatever ailed still grace gardens across the country to- this article will focus on herbaceous pe- duces various chemicals with antioxidant, and commercial production. It’s one of spreads to about three feet across. Its spikes them. Early European settlers followed suit, day, though many people don’t realize rennials. The following are some of the antimicrobial, and immune-boosting my favorite plants for a woodland gar- of fruity-scented, magenta blooms begin learning medicinal uses for the unfamil- the significant role they played in health most garden-worthy, widely available, properties. den, forming a groundcover of large, pal- appearing in winter in warmer regions, and iar flora they encountered either by trial and healing before alternative pharma- and historically interesting among them Native across eastern and central North mately lobed leaves on short stems that continue through summer. As the common and error—a risky business—or from the ceutical options existed. (see the chart on page 31 for additional America, these coneflowers are easy to reach six to 12 inches tall. Small, white, name implies, they attract hummingbirds. locals. This herbal lore passed from gen- selections). Please note that how to use grow, drought-tolerant, and make love- tufted flowers appear in spring, followed It prefers dappled shade, but also will adapt eration to generation until the advent of Many common perennials grown today for them as herbal remedies and their me- ly additions to sunny spaces. Their showy by a showy raspberrylike fruit that ap- to full sun. Though quite drought-tolerant, modern medicine about a century ago. their ornamental value, such as magenta- dicinal efficacy are not the focus of this flower heads, composed of pink-purple rays pears to sit atop the leaf. Best growth oc- a bit of irrigation helps extend the flowering Before then, many native plants were flowered beebalm and purple coneflower article; it is intended to be informational surrounding distinctly raised cones, attract curs in a moist, moderately shady spot season and keep the plant evergreen where grown in home gardens more for their (foreground), have rich medicinal histories. rather than instructional. JANET LOUGHREY LEFT TO RIGHT: JANET DAVIS; JOSEPH G. STRAUCH, JR.; SAXON HOLT butterflies, bees, and seed-eating birds. with slightly acidic soil. winters are mild. 26 the American Gardener July / August 2017 27 Another showy mint-family member on the other end of the moisture spec- Scarlet beebalm reaches two to three feet that has long been used medicinally is pink trum, scarlet beebalm (Monarda didyma, tall and spreads to about two feet wide. It skullcap (Scutellaria suffrutescens, Zones 6–9, Zones 4–10, 10–1) thrives in damp mead- adapts to sun or light shade and produces 9–6). Certain Native American tribes used ows and woodland edges throughout whorls of deep pink or red flowers from it to treat female reproductive conditions, North America. Several Native American mid- to late summer that are favorites of and early settlers used it against nervous sys- tribes—including the oswego—enjoyed bees and hummingbirds. tem disorders and inflammation. Studies it as a tea, and used it to treat a variety of conducted over the last decade or so have ailments from colds to stomachaches and HealiNg Herbs For sHade identified it and several other skullcap species insomnia. This mint family member is Most of the plants discussed so far prefer as a source of anti-tumor compounds. also known as oswego tea because it was a sunny location, but a number of North Pink skullcap is native to northern Mex- used as a substitute for imported tea in American perennials with medicinal uses ico and possibly into Texas. “It’s a great colonial America. have a proclivity for shade. Resources American Household Botany: A History of Useful Plants 1620–1900 by Judith Sumner. Timber Press, Portland, OR, 2004. Growing and Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal and Other Woodland Medicinals by Jeanine Davis and W. Scott Persons. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada, 2014. Growing and Propagating Wildflowers of the United States and Canada by Bloodroot’s white early-spring flowers light up woodlands from the East Coast to the Rockies. The plant’s name refers to the red sap in its roots William Cullina. Houghton Mifflin, that was used as a dye by Native Americans and also has many medicinal properties—although it can be toxic in large doses. Boston, MA, 2000. Herb Society of America, In woodlands across eastern North “moist but well-drained, slightly acidic soil ans, California. “It does not do well un- www.herbsociety.org. America and west to the rockies, one in a partially shaded area.” der firs, redwoods, or pines, but can do of the first signs of spring are the pure And while it can be grown west of the beautifully under maples, fruit trees, oaks, Sources white flowers of bloodroot (Sanguinaria rockies, “it is somewhat challenging,” and other hardwoods,” she adds. In ideal Crimson Sage Medicinal Plants Nursery, canadensis, Zones 3–9, 9–1). Each three- says Tina Glaessner, owner of Crimson conditions, bloodroot will slowly spread Orleans, CA. www.crimson-sage.com. inch bloom, with its narrow petals sur- Sage Medicinal Plants Nursery in orle- by rhizomes to form a tidy groundcover Las Pilitas Nursery, Santa Margarita, rounding yellow stamens, lasts only a few about one foot tall and about as wide. CA. www.laspilitas.com. days, but the glossy, lobed leaves are at- Western wild ginger (Asarum cauda- Mulberry Creek Herb Farm, Huron, tractive as well, and persist into fall. tum, Zones 5–8, 8–5) also makes an at- OH. www.mulberrycreek.com. Certain Native American tribes prized tractive groundcover for shady gardens, Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN. it for its red sap that could be used as a and historically it has been used to treat www.prairiemoon.com. diuretic, emetic, and antiseptic. A rela- infections and clean wounds. During the Sandy Mush Herb Nursery, Leicester, tive of poppies (Papaver spp.), bloodroot Voyage of Discovery, Meriwether Lewis NC. www.sandymushherbs.com. contains opiumlike alkaloids that inhib- wrote that when one of the expedition it the growth of certain bacteria. It also members suffered a swollen and inflamed can be toxic to humans when ingested in leg wound, “We applied the pounded root low-growing perennial,” says Angie Hanna, large doses and caution is advised when and leaves of wild ginger [A. caudatum] & whose website, highplainsgardening.com, fo- handling the roots because the sap causes from which he found great relief.” cuses on gardening in the Texas High Plains rashes on some people. This woodland wildflower is found in region. Hanna grows pink skullcap in xeric Another caveat for gardeners: Bloodroot redwood and pine forests from British Co- gardens at her home in Amarillo, Texas, and may “suddenly start thinning out and in lumbia to California and western Mon- at the Amarillo Botanical Gardens where a few years can disappear,” says Extension tana.
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