Herb: Common Lomatium


Latin name: Lomatium utriculatum


Family: Umbelliferae



Medicinal use of Common Lomatium:

A decoction of the plant has been used as a wash for swollen and broken limbs. The root is analgesic and stomachic. It has been chewed or infused as a treatment for headaches and stomach complaints.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial

Habitat of the herb:

Prairies and other open often rocky places west of the Cascades

Edible parts of Common Lomatium:

Root - raw or cooked. It can be dried and ground into a powder or roasted as a vegetable. Young leaves and shoots - raw or cooked as greens.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed can be rather slow to germinate, when sown in the spring it usually takes at least 12 months to germinate. Giving it a period of cold stratification might reduce this time. The seedlings need to be pricked out into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle, and should be planted out into their permanent positions in the summer. Fresh seed can be sown immediately in situ. Division may be possible in spring or autumn.

Cultivation of Common Lomatium:

Prairies and other open often rocky places west of the Cascades

Known hazards of Lomatium utriculatum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.