Pipsissewa
Parts Usually Used
The entire plant
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Pipsissewa is a perennial; 6-12 inches; a small half-shrubby, evergreen plant; a creeping, white rootstock produces several angular stems growing to about a foot high. The leathery, bright green leaves, 2-3 inches long, thick and shiny and toothed, grow in whorls and are oblanceolate to oblong with sharply serrate margins. Terminal corymbs of nodding, waxy, white or pinkish, fragrant flowers with purple centers, with 5 petals and a ring of red anthers, rise above the leaves in a cluster of 4-7 blossoms; appear from May to August.
The fruit is an erect 5-celled capsule.
Where Found
Grows in dry woods (acid soil rich in leaf mold) of the northern temperate areas of the world. It is found everywhere in the United States and southern Canada, in the mountains in the south. Absent from the southeastern and central southern states.
Medicinal Properties
Alterative, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, laxative, tonic
Biochemical Information
The glycosides arbutin, ericolin and chimophilin, excreted in the urine as disinfectant substances similar to uva ursi, sitosterol, ursolic acid
Uses
Historically, herbalists regarded the plant as a mild diuretic and recommended it for rheumatic complaints, albuminuria, hematuria, and chronic kidney issues. Infusions of the leaves were traditionally believed to address bladder stones and dropsy. Externally, practitioners applied teas and poultices to ulcers, sores, blisters, swellings, and muscle cramps. Native American traditions utilized leaf preparations for backaches, coughs, and stomachaches, as well as for their reputed blood-purifying and diuretic properties, while topical wash was applied to sore eyes.
The leaves were also smoked as a substitute for tobacco.
Warning
Leaves poulticed on the skin may induce redness, blisters, and peeling. Arbutin hydrolyzes to the toxic urinary antiseptic hydroquinone.
Bibliography
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 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes.
, Copyright 1988, published 1992 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, first printed by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, in 1928, this Dover edition 1974 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992). The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr.
David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974