Lambkill

Parts Usually Used

Twigs, leaves, flowers

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

A small North American plant of the heath family, with pinkish flowers and evergreen leaves; poisonous to sheep and other animals. Slender shrub; 3-5 feet tall. Stems are crooked and have rough bark. Leaves opposite, leathery, elliptical to lance-shaped, 2-3 inches long. Flowers deep rose-pink (or white), to 1/2 inch across; in clusters on sides of twigs; May to July. Flowers are axillary rather than terminal, as in Mountain Laurel (K.

latifolia).

Where Found

Found in dry soils, rocky hills and elevated ground in most parts of the United States. New Foundland to Virginia, Georgia mountains; north to Michigan.

Medicinal Properties

Sedative, astringent

Uses

Native American traditions historically utilized small quantities of tea made from Lambkill flowers, leaves, and twigs for bowel complaints, stomach ailments, colds, and backaches. External applications were also employed by these groups for swelling, pain, and sprains. Later herbalists reported the supervised administration of the plant as a heart sedative and as a remedy for fevers, tinnitus, vertigo, jaundice, neuralgia, and inflammation.

Historical accounts also noted that some practitioners considered whiskey to be an antidote in cases of poisoning from the herb in humans or animals.

Bibliography

Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023