American Hellebore: History, Uses and Cultivation

 

American hellebore is a plant that has a rich history in medicinal use, but it is not a plant that should be used for such purposes. This plant has the ability to make you very sick if ingested. It can grow up to "eight feet tall in the wild," and it flowers in "midsummer" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.8). This plant is a perennial that has greenish-white flowers. It lives in swamp land, woods, "wet meadows, stream edges," and it is "indigenous from Canada to the Carolinas" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.8). This plant grows well in nature, but it should be left there.

This plant was used for many different medicinal purposes in the past. The root was ground into a powder by the "American Indians" and the "early colonists;" this powder was then used to treat wounds and cavities (Kowalchik, 1987, p.8). This plant has serious side effects and using it for toothaches can produce fatal effects. American settlers boiled the sliced root with vinegar and used it to treat "rashes and sores," and they also used it to remove "head lice" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.8). This plant has very strong implications for poisoning, and it amazes me that people used it so much in the past. This plant was even used to treat "epilepsy, convulsions, pneumonia, and peritonitis" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.8).

The toxicity of American hellebore is so high that it should not be used by the home herbalist. There are some medicinal purposes of this herb though; it contains "alkaloid" that slow down blood pressure, heart rate, and stimulate "blood flow to the kidneys, liver, and extremeties" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.9). The uses of his plant unfortunately do not outweigh the toxicity level of the plant. The toxicity level of this plant is so high it should not be used at home. American hellebore can cause "abdominal pain, nausau, diarrhea, faintness, shallow breathing, spasms, loss of consciousness, paralysis, and sometimes death," and one of the only reasons it is not more fatal is because it quickly induces vomiting (Kowalchik, 1987, p.9). This plant is a serious herb that should not be ingested.

Although the American hellebore is a plant that can dangerous results when consumed; it is a very striking plant to have in a garden. These plants enjoy shade, and they grow very tall. The flowers form beautiful "panicles", and the foliage is a bright green color that is very attractive (Kowalchik, 1987, p.9). This herb enjoys moist soil and a hardiness zone of 4.

The American hellebore is an herb that is rich in medicinal history, but it has such a strong level of toxicity that it should not be used for its medicinal purposes. It is great for growing in the shade, and it is lovely as an ornamental plant.