Ironweed

Parts Usually Used

Root, leaves

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Ironweed is a coarse, perennial plant; the simple, glabrous stem grows 2-10 feet high and bears alternate, ascending, purplish-green, linear or oblong-lanceolate leaves, 4-8 inches long. The reddish-purple or purple flowers grow in dense cymes of short-peduncled heads, somewhat like miniature thistles, from July to September. Another variety: Also called ironweed, (V. glauca) is a blue-green perennial, 2-5 feet tall.

Leaves are on stems only, not at the base; oval to lance-shaped and narrowly sharp-pointed at the tip and base. Flowers July to October. Seed crowns are yellowish. Found in rich woods; New Jersey to Georgia; Alabama to Pennsylvania. The root used by Native Americans as a blood tonic, to regulate menses, relieve pain after childbirth, and for bleeding, and stomachaches.

Where Found

Grows in woods, on prairies, and along riverbanks and streambanks in the states west of Ohio.

Medicinal Properties

Bitter tonic, deobstruent, alterative

Uses

Historically, the root was prepared as a powder or decoction and administered to stimulate the appetite and aid digestion. Traditional herbalists also employed it for various menstrual complaints, including amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, leucorrhea, and menorrhagia, as well as for chills, fevers, and cutaneous conditions. Additionally, a decoction of the leaves was traditionally utilized as a gargle for sore throats.

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. Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023