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 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 that may be aro- Native American tribes used coneflowers cally it has been used for ailments involving matic, and small two-lipped 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 to treat spread with 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 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 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 (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- 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 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. janetloughrey right:leftto strauch,janetdavis; josephg. jr.;saxonholt butterflies, bees, and -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 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 sur- Sage Medicinal Plants Nursery in Orle- by rhizomes to form a tidy groundcover Las Pilitas Nursery, Santa Margarita, rounding yellow , 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. It is distinguished by shiny, evergreen, she volunteers. “It blooms continually from specialist Jeanine Davis, who coordinates heart-shaped leaves and purple-brown May through frost in November,” she says. research on several native medicinal herbs for flowers with distinctly long tails that appear Both heat- and drought-tolerant, it bears the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research in late winter or early spring. All parts of the a profusion of small, cherry-pink flowers Center in Mills River, North Carolina. This Western wild ginger’s distinctive flowers plant have a distinct ginger fragrance. on plants that grow eight inches tall with a Each tiny flower of pink skullcap resembles a type of hat worn in Medieval times. Together, seems to occur most often when it’s grown can be hard to spot because they appear Its slightly taller counterpart, Canadi-

slightly greater spread. they make a showy display on drought-tolerant plants that contain cancer-fighting chemicals. joshmccullough aleksandratop: strauch,josephg. szywala.bottom: jr. in deep shade, so she advises planting it in beneath the heart-shaped foliage. an wild ginger (A. canadense, Zones 3–8,

28 the American Gardener July / August 2017 29 more native perennials with medicinal histories

Name Height/ Ornamental Characteristics, Native USDA Hardiness, Spread (ft.) Historical Medicinal Uses Range AHS Heat Zones racemosa, syn. 4–6/2–4 in shady, moist sites, it produces white eastern North 3–8, 12–1 racemosa flowers on terminal above fernlike america (black cohosh) green foliage in late summer. Treatment for snakebites and lung inflammations. Agastache foeniculum 3–4/2 rosy-purple flowerheads attract pollinators Most of North 4–11, 12–5 (anise hyssop) from late summer through fall in sunny america spots. Fragrant foliage makes pleasant tea. Used for colds, coughs, and fevers. Baptisia australis 3–4/3–4 in sun or part shade, spikes of blue East, central 3–9, 9–1 (false indigo) pealike flowers appear in late spring North America above blue-green foliage. Anti-inflammatory. Callirhoe involucrata ½/2–3 Sun-loving, drought-tolerant sprawler Central, southern 4–9, 9–4 (wine cups, poppy mallow) with cuplike, magenta blooms in summer. Great Plains Pain-reliever. Eryngium yuccifolium 4–5/2–3 basal rosette of sword-shaped leaves with Southeast, 3–8, 8–1 (rattlesnake master) bristly edges and one-inch, globular central U.S. clusters of tiny, greenish-white flowers in summer. Treatment for snakebites. Eutrochium fistulosum, 4–8/3–4 Sun-loving plant with upright stems topped eastern North 3–8, 8–2 syn. Eupatorium fistulosum in late summer with clusters of dusky-pink america (Joe-pye weed) to red-purple flowers that attract pollinators. Treatment for typhoid fever. Heuchera micrantha 1–3/1½ Shade-loving, mounding plant with Western North 3–8, 8–1 (alumroot) early summer panicles of pink or white america flowers on red stems. Used as astringent. Monardella villosa 2/2 a groundcover in sunny, dry sites with North, central 8–10, 10–8 (coyote mint) mint-scented leaves and lavender summer california flowers that attract beneficial insects. Used for sore throats and stomachaches. Porteranthus stipulatus 2½–3/1½–2 Shade-loving plant with white, early-summer east, central 4–8, 8–1 False Solomon’s seal’s frothy white blooms appear in spring and are followed by clusters of green berries that turn red when mature. (Indian physic) flowers on wiry stems, leaves turn bronze-red North America in fall. Emetic, expectorant, and laxative. 8–1), reaches six to eight inches in height 4–9, 9–1) also inhabits woodlands across of stems from mid to late spring, followed Satureja douglasii 1/1 trailing, shade-loving, aromatic evergreen with Western North 7–10, 10–7 and thrives in rich woodlands from New North America. And it is a veritable pan- by green berries that mature to bright red. (yerba buena) tiny white flowers from spring until fall. Pain-reliever america Brunswick and Alberta south to Georgia acea, according to data gathered by the and treatment for colds, fevers, and indigestion. and Louisiana. It has been used to treat Native Medicinal Plant Research Program More Than Just Pretty respiratory and digestive issues. The plant at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. This collection of plants illustrates that does contain a number of antimicrobial Out of 922 species of plants in the pro- there’s more to native perennials than compounds, but also produces a poten- gram’s Prairie Ethnobotany Database, meets the eye—even showy ones now tially carcinogenic chemical, so ingesting false Solomon’s seal is among the 10 spe- popular in gardens around the world. any part of it is not recommended. cies with the largest number of medicinal Their long histories of medicinal uses by However, this deciduous spreader uses, based on accounts from more than Native Americans and others add cultur- does make a carefree groundcover in 250 Native American tribes. The list of ail- al seasoning to our gardens, along with woodland gardens. For Jim Long, own- ments runs the gamut from constipation their beauty. And while scientists may er of Long Creek Herbs in Blue Eye, and coughs to rheumatism, stomachaches, have barely scratched the surface of their Missouri, it does well with “mayapples, and headaches. pharmaceutical potential, for gardeners, goldenseal, and native ferns. It likes fair- Growing one to three feet tall, false these plants provide a sense of connec- ly moist soil and shade, although mine Solomon’s seal spreads by rhizomes into tion to all those who have nurtured the grows in a partly-sunny location beneath a sizeable clump. Its arching, zigzag stems plants of this land. m garden phlox,” he adds. are cloaked in light green leaves that turn Baptisia australis EutrochiumEutrochium fistulosumfistulosum Heuchera micrantha False Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum yellow in fall. Clusters of tiny, fragrant, Rita Pelczar is a contributing editor for The

racemosum syn. Smilacina racemosa, Zones creamy white flowers appear at the ends American Gardener. neilsoderstrom,cuba mt. centerat right:leftto courtesy waltersof gardens, inc.; susanroth; a. markturner

30 the American Gardener July / August 2017 31