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| Departments » Herbal Medicine » Materia Medica » Leptandra virginica |
Note - the monographs are provided for informational purposes only, and are not to be used for self-medication.
Leptandra virginica (Black Root)
| Botanic Name | Leptandra virginica |
| Common Name | Black Root, Culveris Root, Culver’s Physic, Physic Root, Leptandra – Wurzel |
| Family | Scophulariaceae |
| Parts Used | Rhizome and Root |
| Habitat | Eastern United States (Grieve) |
| Constituents | Bitter
principle (leptandrin) (Mills)
Volatile oil (Mills) Saponin and phytosterols (Mills) Glycosides (Mills) Tannins (Mills) Resin (Mills) |
| Actions | Gentle
hepatic tonic with mild laxative properties (Mills)
Cholagogue (Hoffmann) Mild cathartic (Hoffmann) Diaphoretic (Hoffmann) Anti-spasmodic (Hoffmann) |
| Applications | Chronic
congestive conditions of the digestion and bowel (Mills)
Liver congestion (Hoffmann) Inflamed gall-bladder (cholecystitis) (Hoffmann) Jaundice (due to liver congestion) (Hoffmann) Chronic constipation (due to liver dysfunction) (Hoffmann) |
| Body Systems | Digestive (accessory organs to digestions especially liver) |
| Energetics | Promote
bowel movement and relieve constipation.
Stimulate the liver and gall bladder, break up obstruction and promte bowel movement. Choleretic and cholagogue laxatives. (Holmes) |
| Dosage | 0.5 – 4
gms rhizome tds (Mills)
2 – 4 mls tincture tds |
| Combinations | Berberis vulgaris, Taraxacum officinalis as a cathartic and hepatic agent |
| C/I Cautions | Do not use
in debilitated people – use in toxic yet lively people (Motram)
Pregnancy/Lactation |
| BHP | Chronic constipation with symptoms of hepatic congestion |