Contents:
Common Names | Parts Usually Used | Plant(s) & Culture | Where Found | Medicinal Properties
Uses | Formulas or Dosages | Nutrient Content | Bibliography
Scientific Names
- Ononis spinosa L.
- Leguminaceae
- Pea family
Common Names
- Cammock
- Petty whin
- Stayplough
Parts Usually Used
Root
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Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Restharrow is a shrubby perennial plant; the plant’s deep, sinuous roots produce spiny, much-branched stems which are woody at the base and which grow from 1 to 2 feet high. The alternate leaves are simple near the top and pinnate near the bottom, with 3 serrate, oblong leaflets. The rose-colored or white, papilionaceous (butterfly-shaped) flowers grow singly or in twos and threes in the leaf axils from June to August. The fruit is an ovate, hairy pod.
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Where Found
It is fairly common in dry meadows, pastures, fallow land, and limestone soils in Europe and sometimes cultivated as a garden plant in the United States.
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Medicinal Properties
Aperient, diuretic, expectorant, metabolic stimulant, sedative
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Uses
Known primarily for its diuretic properties, which are effective but act without negative side-effects. Good for edema and water retention, especially uric acid retention and are thus susceptible to gravel and stones. Recommended for urinary catarrh, kidney inflammations, and rheumatism. A decoction of the roots can be used externally for eczema, itching, and other skin problems.
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Formulas or Dosages
Infusion: steep 3 to 4 tbsp. roots in 1 cup hot water for 5 minutes while stirring. Take 1 to 1 1/2 cups per day, warm.
Decoction: soak 2 tsp. roots in 1/2 cup cold water for 8 hours, then bring rapidly to a boil.
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Nutrient Content
Iron, sulfur, magnesium, calcium
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Bibliography
The Complete Medicinal Herbal
The Herb Book
The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine
Webster’s New World Dictionary
