Elecampane

(Inula Helenium L., Compositae)

Also called: Scabwort, horseheal, yellow starwort.

To the Anglo-Saxons yellow-flowered elecampane was the remedy for "elf-shot" and averting the evil eye. Early writers mingle its medicinal action with magic and religion: it was not to be harvested until it was a man's height, the roots could not be dug with iron, and once collected it was best to lay it under an altar overnight and say plenty of Ave Marias and Poter Nosters!

The Greeks and Romans regarded elecampane as something of a cure-all for ailments as diverse as dropsy, menstrual disorders, digestive upsets and what Galen described as "passions of the hucklebone" (sciatica). Today the plant's common names of elf-wort and elf-dock remind us of its magical history, although modern medicine, more prosaically, considers the herb as an important cough and catarrh remedy.

Description: Handsome perennial plant, up to 2m (6ft) high, with large tuberous rhizome.
Stem stout, branching in the upper part, hairy.
Basal leaves up to more than 50cm (20in) long, elliptical, with acute apex, few hairs on upper surface, felted grey hairs on lower surface; margin finely toothed.
Stem leaves similar but smaller.
Large capitula up to 7cm (2.75in); ray-florets in a single row, ligules very narrow, yellow; tubular florets numerous.
Flowering: June-September.

Part Used: Dried rhizome and roots.

Habitat and Cultivation: Native to temperate Asia, Italy and the Balkans but naturalised in Europe.; cultivated in Europe and China; naturalised in the eastern United States.
Introduced, scattered and occasionally in Britain in fields, roadsides and waste places; probably as a garden escape.
The plant is cultivated in good soil by means of seeds or by transplantation of rootstocks 40 x 60cm (16 x 24 in) spacing.
The roots are collected in the autumn of the second year, they may be sliced and are dried in the sun.
Yield: 25-35kg (55-771b) of roots per are (120sq yd).

Elecampane is easy to grow from seed at home, although it is a majestic plant best suited to large gardens. The roots should be collected in their second year: once dried they can be used in decoctions and syrups.

Constituents and Action: Volatile oil and resin.
Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, diaphoretic, diuretic, stimulating expectorant, tonic.

The drug greatly stimulates gastric secretion and is used to improve appetite; it is also mildly diuretic and resolutive and expectorant for bronchitis.
Eases respiration and promotes expectoration in long-term bronchial coughs, asthma, emphysema and tuberculosis.
It is a very useful herb for the lingering coughs and debility that can follow bouts of influenza.

Elecampane is also known to stimulate the immune system and, with its bitter taste, has a tonic effect on the digestive system.
Modern research supports its use for pulmonary diseases.
Elecampane has also been shown to contain powerful antibacterial properties.

Although the root is used in Western herbalism, the Chinese use the flowers of a related species (Ljoponica) in similar ways.

Forms available: Teas, tincture, dried root.

Usage: Mainly as a tincture (20-30 drops, 3-4 times daily in a little water), rarely also as a tisane (boil 1-2 teaspoonfuls of finely chopped root with 0.5 litre (1 pt) of water and allow to stand) or in powder form (knife-pointfuls) for lack of appetite, stomach disturbances and for persistent bronchitis.

Caution: Large doses cause vomiting, diarrhoea, spasms and symptoms of paralysis. Avoid if you're pregnant. Use only under the supervision of a qualified health-care practitioner.