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Apocynum androsaemifolium
Dogbane
Ezekiel 47:12 "And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."
Nicknames: Bitter Root[1] Dogbane[1] Dogbane Hemp[1] Indian Hemp[1] Spreading Dogbane[1]
Ethnobotany: Native Americans used the tough fibers of this and other native Dogbanes to make threads and cord.[3] Native Americans used Dogbane as a medicine fo treat: headaches, convulsions, ear ache, heart palpitations, colds, insanity, dizziness, rheumatism, scrofula, and syphilis.[2] The plant can also be used as a contraceptive.[2] The Ojibew tribe, used the root for female related issues, for mouth and throat health, and as an analgeic, for headaches, and pregnancy as a diuretic.[2] It was used ceremonially as well.[2] The Potawatomi Native Americans used the roots as a medicine.[2] Prairie Potawatomi used the plant's fruits for heart and kidney health (It slows the heart beat).[2] Native Americans in Virginia used Dogbane to induce purging.[6]
Plant Family: Apocynaceae;[2] Genus: Apocynum;[2] Species: A. androsaemifolium[2]
Classification: Perennial[3]
Warnings: This ethnobotanical is potentially very dangerous and highly toxic.[3] This plant can cause skin irritation and blistering.[4]
Natural Habitat: North America;[3] It's found in almost all of the 50 US states except some in the southeast.[3] It was used by the Ojibew, Potawatomi, Native American tribes, possibly more.[2] It was used by the Cherokee too[5]
Phytochemicals:
The sap of Dogbane produces cardiac glycosides, that can be toxic to humans in the right dosage.[3] The root produces a rather potent cardiac stimulant, known as cymarin.[3] It has antioxidant activity and total phenolic contents[7]What is Phytochemistry? What are Phytochemicals?
Phytochemistry is a branch of study that is closely related to Ethnobotany and Pharmacology, as well as Pharmacognosy. It's the study of the pharmacology of plants, based on the complex phytochemicals that these plants produce. Ethnobotanist identify culturally prized plants, and then phytochemist study them in the lab. They prove that these herbal remedies work, and find out if they're generally safe or not.Pharmacological / Medicinal Properties:
"The roots can be used as a cardiac stimulant and diuretic, for kidney ailments, asthma, arthritis, rheumatism, constipation, fever, to cure insomnia, and infusions to expel pinworms and threadworms and to prevent falling hair. By boiling the whole plant, a medicinal tea was made to increase lactation in nursing mothers (alternatively a decoction was applied directly to breasts."[5]Mixes well with: I don't know. I am making it my mission to focus on Native American prized plants for the next portion of this HerbsPedia project. I just added an entire new list of ethno's on the ethnobotanicals page, specifically categoriezed for "Native American Ethnobotanicals". I want to learn more about them, and popularlize what they used. I am launching a shop in 2025 that specializes in various cultures and their ethnobotanicals, and especially the Native Americans. We all have access to these seeds here in the US as well because these plants grow wild here!
Related Ethnobotanicals: Red Larkspur (Delphinium nudicaule)
OG Observations: I gotta comment on a statement that I discovered about this plant. "Apocynum androsaemifolium Linnaeus. From the Greek 'apo': far from and 'kyôn': dog, because of its toxic effects on dogs;"[2] It literally means keep away from dogs. This is interesting for several reasons. There's a deadly and poisonous plant that produces a mind control drug/deadly poison called Henbane (it produces the dilerant scopolamine). It's interesting because they both have "bane" in them, and this is poisonous to dogs. It just makes sense to me. Merriam-webster's online dictionary defines bane as: "a source of harm or ruin : curse. death; destruction;"
Buy Dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium)
Academic citations:
[1] https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/apocynum-androsaemifolium/
[3] U.S. Forest Service [.Gov] https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/apocynum_androsaemifolium.shtml
[4] https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/nativeplant/210/
[5] Wood, S., K. Gould, and A. Smreciu. "Apocynum androsaemifolium: spreading dogbane, bitterroot, flytrap, Indian hemp." (2013).
[6] Erichsen-Brown, Charlotte. Medicinal and other uses of North American plants: a historical survey with special reference to the eastern Indian tribes. Courier Corporation, 2013.
[7] Hassan, Mohammad Haider. In vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activity of twenty-one Northern Ontario medicinal plants. Diss. 2014.
[?] Food of the Gods: Schults, Hoffman
Encyclopedia Sources:
[2] Wikipedia contributors. (2023, September 28). Apocynum androsaemifolium. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:02, December 6, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Apocynum_androsaemifolium&oldid=1177626548
Other resources:
M.A.P.S. Ethnobotanical Studies By Scholars
PubChem - pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov