Indian Hemp

[Guest guest]

Indian Hemp (Apocynum cannabinum)

 

Identification: A perennial with opposite leaves that secretes a milky

sap when bruised or broken, reaching 5 to 6 feet in height.

Leaves: Opposite, simple, lanceolate-oblong to ovate-oblong, 2 to 5

inches long, 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches wide, on short stalks or sessile,

smooth, smooth above, sometimes silky hairy beneath, and have pointed or

rounded ends with a short flexible point at the tip. The leaves turn

golden-yellow in the fall.

Stems: Lack hairs, often have a reddish-brown tint when mature, become

woody at the base, and are many-branched in the upper portions of the plant.

Roots: These plants may be found growing in colonies due to a long

horizontal rootstock that develops from an initial taproot.

Flowers: Small, white to greenish-white, and produced in terminal

clusters (cymes).

The flower size is 1/4 inch wide. Blooms first appear in late spring and

continue into late summer. They appear in dense heads followed later by

pods.

Fruit: The slender, pointed fruits turn reddish-brown when mature and

develop into two long 4 to 5- inch long pods containing numerous seed

with tufts of silky white hairs at their ends.

Note: The stems and leaves secrete a milky sap when broken. Sprouts

emerging from the underground horizontal rootstock may be confused with

Common Milkweed emerging shoots. However, Indian Hemp is not related to

Milkweed, despite the milky sap and the similar leaf shape and growth habit.

Flowers: June - August.

Family: Apocynaceae (Dogbane Family)

Other Names: Black Hemp, Black Indian Hemp, Canadian Hemp, American

Hemp, Amy Root, Bowman's Root, Bitterroot, Hemp Dogbane, Indian Physic,

Rheumatism Weed, Milkweed, Wild Cotton, Choctaw Root.

Habitat: Found in thickets, gravelly or sandy fields, in meadows, along

creek beds, irrigation ditches, and fence lines in cultivated pastures.

New England to Florida, parts of the southeast, Texas to California and

north to British Columbia.

History: The common name, Dogbane, refers to the plant's toxic nature,

which has been described as "poisonous to dogs." Apocynum means "Away

dog!" and cannabinum means "like hemp," in reference to the strong

cordage that was make by weaving together the stem's long fibers.

The first European settlers in North America found the natives from many

tribes produced a fiber from this plant that rivaled that of hemp they

were used to. Strong, long lasting ropes and fine fishing line could be

make from it and nets from the fiber held up well in water. The American

Indians produced many useful items from the fiber such as pouches and

bags, quilts and clothing. Europeans observed native women making thread

from the plant with no other equipment than their hands and thighs which

they used to roll the fibers into threads. The fibers have been found in

archeological sites thousands of years old.

Parts Used: Root & rhizomes in late fall.

Constituents: Apocynin, apicynein, gallic acid, gum, resin, starch,

tannin, and wax. It also contains the glycosides cymarin and

apococymarin, which have shown anti-tumor activity.

Medicinal Properties: Cardiotonic, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Emetic,

Expectorant, Tonic and Vermifuge.

Uses: The dried and powdered root was used by Native Americans as a

snuff to cause sneezing and thus relieve a head cold. The plant taken

internally could produce anything from a mild diuretic and laxative

effect to a purgative effect with profuse sweating depending on the dose

and the potency of the plant. Some tribes used it as a tonic. The

Chickasaw and Choctaw reportedly used it to treat syphilis by chewing

the fresh root and swallowing the juice.

Indian Hemp can be toxic if too much is taken, but tea from the roots

has been used for: headache, earache, nausea, insanity, dropsy,

jaundice, nervousness, worms, diarrhea, constipation, and urinary

difficulties.

The tea also raises blood pressure and strengthens the heartbeat. A wash from the root relieves dandruff. Alcoholism is also said to be cured by the tea of the Indian Hemp, and

the juice from the stem is believed to cure warts.

Preparation and Dosages:

Tincture: [1:5, 50% alcohol] 5 to 20 drops, up to 4 times a day. (Use

carefully.)

 

Warning! Contains toxic cardioactive (heart-affecting) glycosides.

***

 

Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words.Keep your words positive, because your words become your behavior.Keep your behavior positive, because your behavior becomes your habits.Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your values.Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny.

- Mahatma Gandhi

 

 

 

Check Out My Groups:

 

Everything Natural

http://health./

Everything Magick

EverythingMagick/

 

 

--

 

 

Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.5.6/340 - Release 5/15/2006