Elecampane - Inula Helenium And Its Use As A Medicinal Herb
Other Common Names: Chin Ch'Ien Chu, Chin Ch'Ien Hua,
Elecampagne, Elecampane Inula, Elf Dock, Enula, Helenio, Helenium,
Horseheal, Hsuan Fu Hua, Induzotu, Mu Xiang, O-Oguruma, Scabwort,
Velvet Dock, Wild Sunflower, Inula helenium
Range: Argentina; Britain; China; India; S.E. Europe; Spain; Turkey
Habitat: Fields, waysides, waste places, copses etc, often on moist soils in shade.
It is found wild throughout continental Europe, from Gothland
southwards, and extends eastwards in temperate Asia as far as Southern
Siberia and North-West India. As a plant of cultivation, it has
wandered to North America, where it has become thoroughly naturalized
in the eastern United States, being found from Nova Scotia to Northern
Carolina, and westward as far as Missouri, growing abundantly in
pastures and along roadsides, preferring wet, rocky ground at or near
the base of eastern and southern slopes.
Elecampane was known to the ancient writers on agriculture and
natural history, and even the Roman poets were acquainted with it, and
mention Inula as affording a root used both as a medicine and a
condiment. Horace, in the Eighth Satire, relates how Fundanius first
taught the making of a delicate sauce by boiling in it the bitter
Inula, and how the Romans, after dining too richly, pined for turnips
and the appetizing Enulas acidas.
Elecampane has a long history of use as a medicinal herb. A gently
warming and tonic herb, it is especially effective in treating coughs,
consumption, bronchitis and many other complaints of the chest as well
as disorders of the digestive system. A very safe herb to use, it is
suitable for the old and the young and especially useful when the
patient is debilitated. It cleanses toxins from the body, stimulating
the immune and digestive systems and treating bacterial and fungal
infections.
The root is alterative, anthelmintic, antiseptic, astringent,
bitter, cholagogue, demulcent, diaphoretic, diuretic, mildly
expectorant, gently stimulant, stomachic, tonic. It is best harvested
in the autumn from plants that are two years old, and it can be dried
for later use. The roots should be at least 3 years old according to
another report. This remedy should not be prescribed for pregnant women.
An extract of the plant is a powerful antiseptic and bactericide, particularly effective against the organism that causes TB.
The root contains alantolactone, which is strongly anthelmintic. In
a 1:1000 dilution it kills Ascaris in 16 hours. Alantolactone has an
anti-inflammatory action, it also reduces mucous secretions and
stimulates the immune system.
The plant is sometimes recommended as an external wash for skin
inflammations and varicose ulcers, but has been known to cause allergic
reactions.
Leaves - cooked. Rather bitter and aromatic, they were used as a potherb by the ancient Romans but are rarely used at present.
Root - candied and eaten as a sweetmeat. It contains up to 44%
inulin. Inulin is a starch that cannot be digested by humans. It
usually passes straight through the digestive system, though it can
ferment and cause wind problems for some people. Inulin can be
converted into a sugar that is suitable for diabetics to eat.
Other Common Names: Chin Ch'Ien Chu, Chin Ch'Ien Hua,
Elecampagne, Elecampane Inula, Elf Dock, Enula, Helenio, Helenium,
Horseheal, Hsuan Fu Hua, Induzotu, Mu Xiang, O-Oguruma, Scabwort,
Velvet Dock, Wild Sunflower, Inula helenium
Range: Argentina; Britain; China; India; S.E. Europe; Spain; Turkey
Habitat: Fields, waysides, waste places, copses etc, often on moist soils in shade.
It is found wild throughout continental Europe, from Gothland
southwards, and extends eastwards in temperate Asia as far as Southern
Siberia and North-West India. As a plant of cultivation, it has
wandered to North America, where it has become thoroughly naturalized
in the eastern United States, being found from Nova Scotia to Northern
Carolina, and westward as far as Missouri, growing abundantly in
pastures and along roadsides, preferring wet, rocky ground at or near
the base of eastern and southern slopes.
Elecampane was known to the ancient writers on agriculture and
natural history, and even the Roman poets were acquainted with it, and
mention Inula as affording a root used both as a medicine and a
condiment. Horace, in the Eighth Satire, relates how Fundanius first
taught the making of a delicate sauce by boiling in it the bitter
Inula, and how the Romans, after dining too richly, pined for turnips
and the appetizing Enulas acidas.
Elecampane has a long history of use as a medicinal herb. A gently
warming and tonic herb, it is especially effective in treating coughs,
consumption, bronchitis and many other complaints of the chest as well
as disorders of the digestive system. A very safe herb to use, it is
suitable for the old and the young and especially useful when the
patient is debilitated. It cleanses toxins from the body, stimulating
the immune and digestive systems and treating bacterial and fungal
infections.
The root is alterative, anthelmintic, antiseptic, astringent,
bitter, cholagogue, demulcent, diaphoretic, diuretic, mildly
expectorant, gently stimulant, stomachic, tonic. It is best harvested
in the autumn from plants that are two years old, and it can be dried
for later use. The roots should be at least 3 years old according to
another report. This remedy should not be prescribed for pregnant women.
An extract of the plant is a powerful antiseptic and bactericide, particularly effective against the organism that causes TB.
The root contains alantolactone, which is strongly anthelmintic. In
a 1:1000 dilution it kills Ascaris in 16 hours. Alantolactone has an
anti-inflammatory action, it also reduces mucous secretions and
stimulates the immune system.
The plant is sometimes recommended as an external wash for skin
inflammations and varicose ulcers, but has been known to cause allergic
reactions.
Leaves - cooked. Rather bitter and aromatic, they were used as a potherb by the ancient Romans but are rarely used at present.
Root - candied and eaten as a sweetmeat. It contains up to 44%
inulin. Inulin is a starch that cannot be digested by humans. It
usually passes straight through the digestive system, though it can
ferment and cause wind problems for some people. Inulin can be
converted into a sugar that is suitable for diabetics to eat.
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