Gum Plant
Parts Usually Used
Leaves, flowering tops
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Gum plant is a bushy biennial or perennial plant; several stems grow together to a height of 1-2 feet and bear alternate, oblong to ovate or lanceolate, sharply serrate or denticulate (the uppermost may be entire), leathery leaves. It has many leafy branches and many flower heads. Two to five yellow flower heads, about an inch across, grow in a terminal cyme; they are sticky and the bracts which surround them are rolled back; from August to September.
Flowers of aromatic taste and balsamic odor.
Where Found
Native to, but not plentiful in, the coastal areas of California. Found in open and dry areas, on roadsides and waste land and often a weed of rangeland. British Columbia to Minnesota and south to California and Texas.
Medicinal Properties
Antispasmodic, demulcent, diaphoretic, expectorant, sedative
Biochemical Information
Up to 21% amorphous resins, tannin, laevoglucose and volatile oils
Legends, Myths and Stories
” They used it as a cough medicine; using the upper 1/3 of the plant dried, especially the sticky buds. This was also taken for dropsy and smallpox. The boiled root was taken as a tea internally.
Uses
Historical herbalists administered gum plant for respiratory complaints, including colds, nasal congestion, bronchial irritation, and the spasms associated with whooping cough and asthma. Traditional practitioners also employed it internally for indigestion, iritis, cystitis, and catarrhal kidney affections. Topically, an infusion or diluted fluid extract of the plant served as a wash or compress for burns, rashes, blisters, and general cutaneous inflammation, particularly irritations arising from poison ivy or poison oak.
Herbal traditions similarly applied it to external ulcers, eczema, and allergic dermatitis. Native American groups utilized the dried buds of the plant, historically employing them for toothache and rheumatism.
Warning
Gum plant tends to take up selenium compounds (a sulphur-like non-metallic element) from the soil and store them. It becomes toxic in areas where the soil is rich in selenium; do not pick it from such areas. Large doses can be poisonous; smaller doses may cause slowing of the heartbeat. Avoid in cases of low blood pressure. Because of its high resin content, it is considered hard on the kidneys and for this reason usually is used only for acute ailments.
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 Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. 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