Herb Robert

Parts Usually Used

The entire plant

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Herb Robert is a disagreeable-smelling annual or perennial plant, 6-18 inches high; the reddish stem is glandular-hairy, thick, juicy, and forked. The opposite, palmate, 3-5 toothed segment, leaves with pinnate or pinnatifid leaflets are deep green, often tinged with red. The purplish-red or rose colored flowers grow in pairs from May to October. The 5 petals are not notched but have long claws which suggest the long bill of a stork or crane.

Where Found

Found in rocky woods, roadsides, ditches, waste places from Nova Scotia south to Pennsylvania and west to Manitoba and Missouri; also common in Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Medicinal Properties

Astringent, styptic

Legends, Myths and Stories

Some say, as does the Webster’s Dictionary, that this plant was named after Robert, Duke of Normandy or possibly after St. Robert, founder of the Carthusians. Farmers for centuries have used Herb Robert for treating cattle.

Uses

Historically, herbalists recommended the internal use of the plant for diarrhea, gastritis, enteritis, gout, and external hemorrhage. Traditional practices included applying a hot poultice of the boiled leaves for bladder discomfort, fistulas, bruises, stomach and intestinal ailments, and persistent skin conditions. The boiled preparation was also historically utilized as a gargle for sore throats and ulcers.

Folk practitioners applied fresh, crushed green leaves topically with the intention of addressing pain and inflammation. Additionally, the tea was traditionally employed as an oral rinse for mouth inflammation, in a diluted form as an eyewash, and externally as a wash or poultice for swollen breasts and wounds.

Bibliography

The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A.

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023