Plant name: Xanthium strumarium - Cocklebur
Botanical Description: You (or your dog) can’t miss this plant, especially when the seeds are ripe. Large and broad leaves, light and bright green in color in an alternate pattern with irregular lobes and relatively inconspicuous teeth. Stems turn maroon to black when mature, with an elliptic or egg shaped fruit clusters growing nestled around the stem. These are the part you can’t miss, as “nature’s Velcro” covers these fruit with small hooks that grab on to socks, hair, and anything else they can latch onto. The patience of Job is required on any animal that wanders too near.
Taxonomy: Asteraceae family
Ethnobotany: Used by various native american tribes to relieve constipation, diarrhea and vomiting. Indigenous Chinese applications as headache remedy, assist with cramping and numbness of the limbs, ulcers and sinus problems.
Plant Herstory: Not a lot of information is provided about how the ancients used or viewed the Cocklebur. It is assumed the plant originated in Central America, though it’s first description comes from Europe.
Cultivation: Are you nuts? Hell hath no fury like a farmer scorned.
Wildcrafting Information: Ubiquitous in predominantly wet areas. Not a marsh plant, but one that thrives on the fringes of what land was recently underwater. Springs, washes, receding lake shallows.
Collecting: Collect the ripened brown fruit and dry however you feel so inclined. If you are using the leaves, be sure not to use an immature plant, as they are quite poisonous. Once the plant has put out fruit, regardless of color, this toxicity is reduced.
Preparation Methods: Make a decoction of the crushed dried fruit, thought I haven’t any idea how to get this plant down to a powder. As such, I just use the whole fruit whole, two or three pods to a cup of water. The Eclectics describe whole-plant infusions as well.
Pharmacology: Xanthostrumarin, linoleic acid, vitamin c.
Actions: Alterative, analgesic, astringent, diuretic, emetic, antispasmodic, reduces phlegm, antibacterial, antifungal, hemostatic, sudorific, sialagogue.
Indications: Many references describe a specific indication for “the fear of water.” They might want to brush up on their Latin, for “hydrophobia” is another word for Rabies. Good for UTI’s, especially with marked sensitivity in the urethra and bladder. Useful for stuffy noses accompanied by thick nasal discharge and a sinus headache.
Side-effects: Some texts note the plant as a liver irritant, though most toxicity reports are on cattle and other grazing animals; that I doubt dine on the ripened fruit too often.
Contraindications: 2B (Uterine vasoconstrictor, more than 6-8 burrs a day can cause potential placental separation.)
Administration and Duration of Use: 2-3 pods as infusion or decoction, the whole plant as a strong infusion 2-3 ounces, to 2X a day.
Regulatory Status: Unknown at the time of writing.
Resources:
- Medicine at Your Feet
Element Stewardship Abstracts
Southwestern School of Botanical Medicine
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Posted by Evo Terra at August 18, 2002 03:47 PM