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Caulophyllum thalictroides
| Common name: |
Papoose Root |
Family: |
Berberidaceae |
| Author: |
(L.)Michx. |
Botanical references: |
43, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
This plant should not be used during pregnancy prior to the commencement of labour[165]. |
| Range: |
Eastern N. America - New Brunswick to South Carolina, Arkansas, North Dakota and Manitoba. |
| Habitat: |
Rich moist soils in swamps, by streams[4, 21] and in woods[43]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| C. thalictrioides[Sc]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Aslankulagi [E], Blue Cohosh [E,H,B,S,P], Blue Ginseng [H], Blueberry Root [H], Pappoose Root [H], Squawroot [H], Yellow Ginseng [H], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
thalictroides = Thalictrum like;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Ranunculales. Barberry family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Turkey; Us; Us(Appalachia)
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.5m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower in April, and the seeds ripen in September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs).
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland).
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade.Edible Uses
Coffee.
The roasted seed is a coffee substitute[4, 102, 105, 177]. The seeds
are about the size of large peas, but are not produced in abundance[232].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Anthelmintic; Antispasmodic; Birthing aid; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Emmenagogue; Oxytoxic; Sedative.
Papoose root is a traditional herb of many North American Indian tribes
and was used extensively by them to facilitate child birth[207]. Modern
herbalists still consider it to be a woman's herb and it is commonly used to
treat various gynaecological conditions[254]. An acrid, bitter, warming herb,
it stimulates the uterus, reduces inflammation, expels intestinal worms and
has diuretic effects[238].
The root is anthelmintic, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue,
oxytocic and sedative[4, 21, 46, 165, 207]. An infusion of the root in warm
water is taken for about 2 weeks before the expected birth date in order to
ease the birth[207, 213]. This infusion can also be used as an emmenagogue
and a uterine stimulant[213]. Papoose root should therefore be used with some
caution by women who are in an earlier stage of pregnancy since it can induce
a miscarriage or early delivery[222]. The plant is also taken internally in
the treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease, rheumatism and gout[238]. It
should not be prescribed for people with hypertension and heart
diseases[238]. The powdered root can have an irritant action on the mucous
membranes, therefore any use of this plant is best under the supervision of a
qualified practitioner[238, 268].
The roots are normally harvested in the autumn, because they are at their
richest at this time[213], and are dried for later use.
The root is harvested in early spring as new growth is beginning and is used
to make a homeopathic remedy[232]. It is used especially in childbirth and in
some forms of rheumatism[232]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
None known
Cultivation details
Easily grown in a damp light humus-rich woodland soil preferring a
position in deep shade[1, 200]. One report says that it is best in a peat
garden.
Plants are hardy to at least -20°c[187].
The plant only produces one large leaf each year[233]. The seeds rupture the
ovary before they are fully ripe and continue to expand naked, they are
bright blue when fully ripe[130].
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady part of a cold
frame[200]. If stored seed is used, it should be sown as soon as it is
received. Germination can be erratic. Prick out the seedlings as soon as they
are large enough to handle and grow them on in a shady part of a greenhouse
or cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their
permanent positions during autumn or early winter.
Division in spring or just after flowering[200]. Plants are slow to
increase[187].
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Caulophyllum thalictrioides (a possible synonym).
References for the family Berberidaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[102] Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books 1979 ISBN 0-394-72811-4
Another guide to the wild foods of America.
[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[130] ? The Plantsman. Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society 1982
Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants, including Distylium racemosum and some perennial members of the family Berberidaceae.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.
[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[232] Castro. M. The Complete Homeopathy Handbook. Macmillan. London. 1990 ISBN 0-333-55581-3
A concise beginner's guide to the subject. Very readable.
[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
[268] Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979 ISBN 0-85613-067-2
Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.
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Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
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Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Caulophyllum+thalictroides
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