Herb: Woolly Sweet-Cicely


Latin name: Osmorhiza claytonii


Family: Umbelliferae



Medicinal use of Woolly Sweet-Cicely:

The root has been chewed or gargled as a treatment for sore throats. A poultice of the moistened pulverized roots has been applied to boils, cuts, sores etc whilst a tea made from the roots has been used to bathe sore eyes.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Scent:
Scented
Perennial

Habitat of the herb:

Woods and wooded slopes.

Edible parts of Woolly Sweet-Cicely:

Root - cooked and eaten as a vegetable. Used for putting on weight. Leaf stalks - cooked and used as a vegetable. The aromatic roots and unripe seeds are used as anise-like flavourings. Pleasant to chew.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if this is possible, otherwise sow it in early spring. 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.

Cultivation of Woolly Sweet-Cicely:

Woods and wooded slopes.

Known hazards of Osmorhiza claytonii:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.