Wild medicinal plants of the United States

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

79110

Title

Wild medicinal plants of the United States

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This 1906 USDA bulletin catalogs wild medicinal plants native to the United States, detailing their botanical families, habitats, and specific parts used for medicine. It serves as a historical reference for herbalists and botanists interested in indigenous flora.

Summary up to 500 words

Issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1906, *Wild Medicinal Plants of the United States* by Alice Henkel serves as a definitive historical catalog of American herbalism. This bulletin systematically documents hundreds of native and naturalized plant species, ranging from common herbs like goldenseal (*Hydrastis canadensis*) and St. John's-wort to significant trees such as white oak (*Quercus alba*) and shrubs like mountain-laurel (*Kalmia latifolia*). Henkel's work functions as both a scientific field guide and a preservation of ethnobotanical knowledge, reflecting the early 20th-century approach to classifying flora based on accurate nomenclature and geographic distribution. The text provides a rigorous entry for each species, detailing the scientific name, family, common names, native range, and physical characteristics. Crucially, the bulletin specifies which parts of the plant are utilized—such as roots, bark, leaves, or flowering tops—and explicitly notes their official status in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia of 1890. This distinction separates plants with recognized medicinal standing from those with nonofficial uses, a critical detail for practitioners of the era. The author also clarifies complex nomenclature through synonyms and cross-references, resolving historical confusion between true and false varieties, such as distinguishing true unicorn-root from its false counterpart. While the book does not elaborate on specific medical applications or dosages, it preserves a vast record of plants used to treat ailments ranging from rheumatism to snakebites. Entries cover diverse families, including the Asteraceae, Ranunculaceae, and Solanaceae, highlighting species like sneezeweed, liverleaf, and henbane. The work emphasizes the importance of accurate identification and collection methods, such as timing bark harvests for specific trees like slippery elm. Ultimately, Henkel's bulletin stands as an essential historical record, capturing the scientific understanding of American wild plants before the modern era of pharmacology, ensuring that the knowledge of indigenous remedies and their botanical identities is preserved for future study.

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4.2/5

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Categories

• Science
• Medicine