Inula |
ELECAMPANE INULA HELENIUM One of the most beneficial roots nature affords for the help of the consumptive. A robust and stately perennial plant, commonly known as the Wild Sunflower and also called Elfwort. The root, which is long and large, contains the virtues of the plant. Where to find it: Moist grounds and shadowy places. It is also grown in herbaceous borders. Flowering time: Early to midsummer. The seed is ripe in late summer. Astrology: It is under Mercury. Medicinal virtues: It is good for all diseases of the chest and has great virtues in malignant fevers. It strengthens the stomach and assists digestion as it is a warm, invigorating medicine. It has not its equal in the cure of whooping cough when all other medicines fail. The fresh roots preserved with sugar, or made into a syrup, help the cough, shortness of breath and wheezing in the lungs. The powdered root taken with sugar is profitable for those who have their urine stopped, for stone in the reins, kidneys or bladder, for the stopping of women's courses and pains of the mother. It resists poison and stays the spreading of putrid, pestilential fevers and the plague itself. Modern uses: The root contains inulin, otherwise known as diabetic sugar. The root is used as an expectorant, diuretic and diaphoretic. It is taken as a decoction 1 oz (28 g) of root to 1 pt (568 ml) of boiling water - in doses of 2 fl oz (56 ml) It can be combined in equal parts with other remedies indicated for coughs, asthma and bronchitis, such as Colt's Foot and Horehound. A liquid extract of the root is available from herbalists. |