Medicinal Herb InfoA reference archive of plants and their traditions
Not medical advice. This site documents how plants have been described and used historically. It is a botanical and folklore reference, not guidance for treating illness, and it carries no dosing instructions. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before using any plant medicinally — herbs interact with medication and some are toxic.

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Rock-Rose

Botanical reference entry

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Parts Usually Used

The whole plant, oil of the plant

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Rock-rose is a native North American perennial plant, 6-20 inches tall; the unbranched, downy stem bears alternate, linear-oblong, toothless leaves, 1/2 to 1 inch long and about 1/4 as wide, which are dark green above and downy white beneath. The plant flowers twice in a season: the first solitary flowers with many stamens are bright yellow and have large petals that drop a day or so after opening; later another set of inconspicuous flowers develop, without petals and few stamens, growing in axillary clusters.

Blooms May to July. The whole plant has a slight aromatic odor, and an astringent and bitter taste.

Where Found

Found in dry, sandy soils and rocky woods in the United States can be found as far south as North Carolina and Mississippi and as far west as Illinois and Wisconsin. Also found in Quebec.

Medicinal Properties

Alterative, aromatic, astringent, tonic

Uses

Historically, herbalists used this plant relatively little on its own, though it was occasionally prepared for diarrhea, throat irritations, and skin conditions, as well as an eyewash. Traditional accounts noted its properties as an emetic. Native American traditions utilized a leaf tea for kidney complaints and sore throats, sometimes employing steam under a blanket or soaking the feet in a hot infusion for arthritis, rheumatism, and muscular swellings.

Early physicians historically administered the tea for diarrhea and dysentery. Externally, historical practitioners applied it as a wash for skin irritations like prurigo, used it as a gargle, and applied the leaves as a poultice on sores and ulcers.

Bibliography

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. , Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023