Colic Root
Parts Usually Used
Rootstock (rhizome)
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Colic root is a native North American perennial plant; its thick, fibrous rootstock produces a rosette of yellow-green, long, pointed, lanceolate, spreading basal leaves. The numerous white tubular-oblong, somewhat bell-shaped flowers grow in a terminal spike-like raceme on an erect, flower-stalk that reaches 1 1/2 to 3 feet in height. Flowering time is from May to August. The fruit is an ovoid capsule containing many oblong, ribbed seeds.
Where Found
Grows in grassy or sandy woodlands, barren places, in acid or peaty soils in the eastern half of North America, from southern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
Medicinal Properties
Bitter tonic, narcotic, diuretic, anti-inflammatory
Biochemical Information
Contains diosgenin, which has both anti-inflammatory and estrogenic properties, vitamin E.
Legends, Myths and Stories
Containing vitamin E as a preventative to miscarriage, it is dependable and free from affects during the entire period of gestation (pregnancy). Be sure to use only dried rootstock.
Uses
Historically, herbalists administered a decoction or tincture of the plant for flatulent colic and other digestive complaints. Traditional practitioners also recommended it for menstrual issues such as dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia, as well as for jaundice, rheumatism, to stimulate the appetite, and as a general tonic. Historical accounts noted the presence of diosgenin, attributing anti-inflammatory and estrogenic properties to the constituent.
Warning
Use dried rootstock only. The fresh root, which is toxic, causes unpleasant internal effects, including dizziness, intestinal pains, vomiting and purging. The toxic effect is lost in drying.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R.
, 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992). The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974