Stone Root
Parts Usually Used
Rootstock, leaves
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Stone root is a native North American perennial plant; the hard, knobby rootstock sends up a quadrangular stem from 1-4 feet tall, with opposite, ovate, serrate leaves which are pointed at the apex and narrowed or heart-shaped at the base. The two-lipped (with fringed lower lip), greenish-yellow, lemon-scented flowers, stamen strongly protruding, grow in a loose panicled raceme at the top of the stem from July to October.
Where Found
Found in rich, damp woods from Quebec to Florida and westward to Wisconsin, Missouri, and Arkansas.
Medicinal Properties
Diuretic, tonic, vulnerary, astringent, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, alterative
Biochemical Information
13,000 parts per million of rosmarinic acid, resin, starch, tannin, mucilage and a wax-like stubstance
Legends, Myths and Stories
In the mountains of Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Carolina, the root of this herb is considered as a panacea and is being used outwardly and inwardly for many diseases.
Uses
Historically, herbalists employed infusions of stone root as a diuretic for urinary complaints, water retention, and various conditions concerning female health, frequently combining it with other botanicals. The fresh leaves were traditionally prepared as poultices or fomentations for external application to wounds, cuts, sores, burns, bruises, sprains, and the effects of poison oak and ivy.
Practitioners also administered teas made from the root for digestive and bowel issues such as indigestion, colic, cramps, diarrhea, and dysentery, as well as for piles. Additionally, historical sources recommended root preparations for hoarseness, laryngitis, chronic bronchitis, headaches, dropsy, and ailments of the kidneys and bladder, including cystitis, while also utilizing the plant in folk remedies associated with functional and vascular heart conditions.
Warning
Minute doses of fresh leaves may cause vomiting.
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. 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. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R.
, West Nyack, NY, 1987. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 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. An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992).