Herb: Bitter Sneezeweed


Latin name: Helenium amarum


Synonyms: Helenium tenuifolium


Family: Compositae



Medicinal use of Bitter Sneezeweed:

The plant is used to clear the nose of mucus. (Is it used as a snuff?) A decoction of the entire plant can be used in a sweat bath to treat dropsy and swellings.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Annual


Height:
60 cm
(2 feet)

Flowering:
August to
October

Scent:
Scented
Annual

Habitat of the herb:

Open ground, roadsides etc. Open woods, fields, pastures and disturbed areas in Texas.

Propagation of Bitter Sneezeweed:

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer. If you have sufficient seed it would be worthwhile trying a sowing in situ outdoors in mid to late spring.

Cultivation of the herb:

Open ground, roadsides etc. Open woods, fields, pastures and disturbed areas in Texas.

Known hazards of Helenium amarum:

All parts of the plant contain the glycoside gudaldin and can cause toxic symptoms in grazing animals. Cows that have eaten even a small amount of the plant produce extremely bitter, distasteful milk, whilst honey from the flowers is said to be bitter.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.