Purple-stem angelica

Angelica atropurpurea

A tall umbellifer with a purple stem, related to European garden angelica. Contains essential oil and furanocoumarins, which make the skin sensitive to sunlight.

Safety notes

Closely resembles the deadly poisonous water hemlock, which grows in the same kind of wet ground. A mix-up can be fatal: never gather it yourself. Stay out of the sun after use on the skin. Not in pregnancy. Traditional use is no proof of effect; consult a doctor or pharmacist if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, take medication or have a medical condition.

Cautions by tradition (1)

Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) medicine: Looks like the deadly water hemlock: never gather it yourself. Makes the skin sensitive to sunlight.

Preparation

Do not gather it from the wild yourself. The tradition uses the dried root as a decoction and a poultice.

Use in traditions

According to the notes in Herrick, a remedy against ghosts: anyone who had neglected a feast for the dead sprinkled the water of the root in and around the house. Also used for rheumatism, as a poultice, for colds and for 'female weakness'. Two herbalists at Tonawanda told Herrick that Dr Pierce in Buffalo used to buy the roots for a blood purifier.

Applications

Use by tradition

How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.

Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) medicine

Attributed effects

Against ghosts after a neglected feast for the dead; for rheumatism, colds and female weakness.

Preparation and amount

Crush the root and soak it in water; sprinkle the water in and around the house. As a poultice or decoction for bodily complaints.

Caution: Looks like the deadly water hemlock: never gather it yourself. Makes the skin sensitive to sunlight.

Ways to prepare herbs: Decoction Compress, poultice and paste

Sources

All herbs from North America →