Abscess Root
Polemonium reptans
Polemonium reptans L.;family (Polemoniaceae)
DESCRIPTION
Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the dried root.
Flower and Fruit: The hanging blue flowers are in loose terminal, glandular-haired panicles.
Leaves, Stem and Root: The plant grows to about 25 cm. It has creeping roots and a thin rhizome, which produces numerous stems and numerous pale, thin, glabrous and brittle roots. The glabrous stems are heavily branched and bear alternate or opposite, pinnatifid leaves with 6 or 7 pairs of leaflets.
Habitat: The plant is found in the U.S.
Production: Abscess Root is the rhizome of Polemonium reptans.
Not to be Confused With: The plant is known as False Jacob's Ladder because it has an astringent action similar to true Jacob's Ladder.
Other Names: American Greek Valerian, Blue Bells, False Jacob's Ladder, Sweatroot
ACTIONS AND PHARMACOLOGY
COMPOUNDS
Triterpene saponins
EFFECTS
Abscess root has astringent, diaphoretic and expectorant effects.
INDICATIONS AND USAGE
Unproven Uses: The drug is used for febrile and inflammatory disorders.
PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS
No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages.
DOSAGE
Mode of Administration: It is ground as a drug for infusion.
LITERATURE
Hegnauer R, Chemotaxonomie der Pflanzen, Bde 1-11,
