ADDER’ S TONGUE Erythronium americanum( N. O.: Liliaceae)
Common Names: Dog Tooth Violet, Serpent’ s Tongue, Yellow Snowdrop. Features: This beautiful little plant, of the Lily family, is among the earliest of our spring flowers of April and May, growing in moist meadows or thinly wooded areas throughout the United States. The bulb-like root grows some distance below the surface; the interior is white, with fawncoloured exterior and feather-like roots extending from the bulb. The stem supports only two leaves which are lanceolate, pale green with purplish or brownish spots and one almost twice as wide as the other. The leaves are more active than the bulb.
The flower is yellow, with its petals swept away from the face-down centre. The petals partially close at night and on cloudy days and this plant diminishes with the heat of the summer. The fruit is a capsule. Medicinal Parts: The bulb and leaves. Solvent: Water. Bodily Influence: Emetic, Emollient and Antiscorbutic when fresh. Nutritive when dry. Uses: Made into a tea with the combination of Horsetail grass( Equisetum hyemale) is a good agent for conditions of bleeding or ulcers of the breast, bowels, or for tumours and inflammation therein. Also quick relief for nose bleeding and to aid sore eyes.
The fresh root and leaves simmered in milk is beneficial in dropsy, relieves hiccoughs, vomiting and bleeding from the lower bowels. Juice of the plant infused in apple cider has also been found helpful for the above mentioned.
It is said that the plant boiled in oil is a panacea for wounds and to reduce inflammation. According to Culpeper this herb is under the dominion of the Moon and Cancer and, therefore, if the weakness of the retentive faculty be caused by an evil influence of Saturn in any part of the body governed by the Moon or under the dominion of Cancer, this herb cures it by sympathy. Dose: 1 teaspoonful of the dried leaves or root to 1 cup of boiling water. Drink a cupful during the day, a mouthful at a time. Externally: The fresh leaves, bruised and applied as an application three or more times a day, are healing to scrofulous ulcers and tumours. Taken with the tea internally.
AGRIMONY Agrimonia eupatoria, L.( N. O.: Rosaceae)
Common Names: Cockleburr, Sticklewort, Burr Marigold. Features: Agrimony is found in the borders of fields, in ditches and in hedges throughout Asia, Europe, Canada and the U. S. A., flowering in July or August. The seeds ripen soon after.
In Parkinson’ s“ Theatre of Plants”( 1640) there are seven varieties of Agrimony; the first and most important is the common Agrimony found in Italy. Second, sweet smelling Agrimony found in Italy. The third is Bastard Agrimony, also found in Italy, which although the resemblance is close is not a variety of this plant. The fourth is Hemp Agrimony, which grows in damp places such as ditches and water courses in England. The fifth, sixth and seventh come from America: the fifth and sixth being varieties of Hemp Agrimony and the seventh known as Water Agrimony. This last named is also