Herb: Button Eryngo


Latin name: Eryngium yuccifolium


Family: Umbelliferae



Medicinal use of Button Eryngo:

The plant is diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic (in large doses), expectorant and febrifuge. A decoction of the roots has been found useful in cases of exhaustion from sexual depletion, with loss of erectile power, seminal emissions and orchitis. A tincture of the roots is used in the treatment of female reproductive disorders. The pounded roots are used as a diuretic. An infusion of them is used to reduce fevers. Chewing the root increases the flow of saliva. The plant is used as an antidote to snakebites. The roots are chewed and applied as a poultice to the bite.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Perennial

Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Flowering:
July to
September

Habitat of the herb:

Dry to moist open woods, thickets and prairies.

Propagation of Button Eryngo:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in early autumn on the surface of a well-drained compost in a cold frame. The seed can also be sown in spring. It usually germinates in 5 - 90 days at 20°C. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in early spring or autumn. Take care since the plant resents root disturbance. Root cuttings in autumn or winter.

Cultivation of the herb:

Dry to moist open woods, thickets and prairies.

Known hazards of Eryngium yuccifolium:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.