Cranesbill

Parts Usually Used

Root

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Cranesbill is a perennial plant 1-2 feet high with a thick rhizome and long stalked, palmately divided basal leaves; leaves broad, deeply 5-parted, segments toothed. Flowers pink to lavender (rarely white), 5 petaled, bowl shaped, grow in small terminal clusters, on long stalks in the axils of stem leaves; April-June. Fruits are like 5-part beaks, which split into spoon-shaped sections.

Distinct “crane’s bill” in the center of the flower enlarges into seedpod. Full sun or partial shade. Zones 3-10. Not heat-tolerant. The leaves of cranesbill (wild geranium) are often confused with those of Goldenseal, though cranesbill leaves are not wrinkled and have more deeply cut lobes.

Where Found

Woods, thickets, on shady roadsides, and in meadows. Maine to Georgia; Arkansas, Kansas to Manitoba.

Medicinal Properties

Astringent, styptic, antiseptic

Biochemical Information

Root is tannin rich (10-20%), tannic and gallic acid, starch, sugar, pectin, gum.

Uses

Historically, herbalists administered this plant as an infusion for cholera, diarrhea, and dysentery. The tea was employed as a mouthwash for oral sores and bleeding gums, as well as an internal preparation for heavy menstrual bleeding, nosebleeds, bleeding from extracted teeth, and hemorrhoids. Folk traditions also applied the dried powder directly to wounds, cuts, and chronic ulcers, and used a strong decoction topically to halt lactation.

Additionally, historical practitioners recommended it for excessive mucous discharges, including leukorrhea, as well as for diabetes and Bright’s disease.

Bibliography

, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr. A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes.

, Copyright 1988, published 1992 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 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