Snakeroot Aristolochia spp
Common Names
Snakeroot , Virginia snakeroot, birthworts, pipevines or Dutchman's pipes
Botanical Name
Aristolochia spp
Syn. Serpentatiae Rhizoma
Family
ARISTOLOCHIACEAE
Medicinal Uses & Benefits of Snakeroot
Medicinal Uses: * Chinese
Properties: * AntiCancer * Bitter * Depurative * Diaphoretic/sudorific * emetic * Emmenagogue
Parts Used: Dried rhizome and roots
Constituents: aristolochic acid
How to Use: Snakeroot
Snakeroot has been cultivated for medicinal use since the at least the middle ages when it was used as a birthing herb. It was also used in early America in adjunct to quinine to promote perspiration and break fevers, and treat snakebites.. Members of the Aristolochia spp have recently been implicated in cases of kidney failure in China. As snakeroot is toxic in large doses,it is not recommended for use.3
See Also: Black cohosh, (Cimicifuga racemosa), is commonly called Black Snake Root and is widely used in herbal medicine for women. Canadian Wild ginger ( Asarum canadense) is a native American plant that also shares the common name of snakeroot.
Preparation Methods & Dosage :Tincture. No longer used in herbal medicine, but you can find recipes for use in dated from the 1800s.
Snakeroot Side Effects: Toxic - do not use. Aristolochia spp have been implicated in kidney failure and long term use can cause debilitating effects. 3,4
Plant Description
Flowers: multiple fluffy, red or pinkish-white capitula in clusters, growing from the joints near the root and drooping until they are nearly buried in the earth or in their dried leaves.
Stem: multiple, much-branched woody stems
Leaves: triangular, serrate and opposite with a foul-smelling, musky scent
Root: short, horizontal rhizome, giving off numerous long, slender roots below. Serpentaria has a yellowish or brownish colour, and both smell and taste are aromatic and resemble a mixture of valerian and camphor.
Preferred Habitat: rich, shady woods
Flowering Season:
Distribution:The Central and Southern United States. Two Mexican species have become a pest in parts of Australia and Taiwan
Regional Traditions :North America * Traditional Chinese Medicine *
How to Grow Snakeroot
Virginina Snakeroot - Aristolochia serpentaria is on the United Plant Savers
"At Risk" list. Wildcraft this plant responsibly.
Related Species
Many species of Aristolochia have been employed in medicine, the classical name being first applied to A. Clematitis and A. rotunda, from their supposed emmenagogue properties. A. Clematitis, or Birthwort, is found in England, usually near old ruins, as if it had been cultivated for its medical use, as an aid to parturition.
A. serpentaria and A. reticulata, or Texas Snakeroot, differ slightly in leaves and flowers, the latter having a slightly coarser root.
The genus Ageratina used to belong to the related genus Eupatorium, but it has been reclassified.
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