Masterwort
Parts Usually Used
Seed, rootstock
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Masterwort is a large perennial plant; the large fleshy rootstock produces a stout, grooved, woolly stem, often 2 inches thick at the base and 3 to 8 feet high. The thin, hairy leaves are ternately compound and have broad, irregularly toothed leaflets. Large, compound umbels of dull white or purplish flowers appear during June and July. Seeds are flat and blackish, bigger than Dill seeds.
Where Found
Grows on wet ground in Canada and the northern half of the United States.
Medicinal Properties
Antispasmodic, carminative, stimulant
Biochemical Information
Roots contain phototoxic compounds, including psoralen
Legends, Myths and Stories
Masterwort is under investigation for treatment of psoriasis, leukemia, and AIDS. This plant resembles Angelica and care should be taken in identification of the plant before use. The root of masterwort is hotter than pepper.
Uses
Historical herbalists prepared decoctions of masterwort rootstock or seed for colds, fever, asthma, dyspepsia, colic, dropsy, and gout. The preparations were also traditionally employed to expel intestinal gas, promote urination, address kidney gravel, and manage spasmodic complaints as well as scanty, painful menstruation. Externally, folk practitioners used the decoction as a wash for bruises, wounds, sores, and ulcers.
Warning
Fresh foliage can produce dermatitis in susceptible individuals. Cattle are reported to have been killed from eating the foliage. Acrid sap can cause blisters on contact.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 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. Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023