Water eryngo
StarEryngium aquaticum
Synonyms: Eryngium aquaticum var. normale
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
Eryngium aquaticum has a substantial record of use among Native American peoples, who employed the root medicinally. The Cherokee used it as an emetic and gastrointestinal aid (Hamel & Chiltoskey, 1975). The Choctaw used the root as an antidote, diuretic, expectorant, snakebite remedy, stimulant and treatment for venereal disease (Bushnell, 1909; Taylor, 1940), while the Delaware and Oklahoma Delaware used it as an anthelmintic and for venereal disease (Tantaquidgeon, 1942). The Alabama and Koasati used the plant as an emetic. The species was also adopted into the Euro-American Eclectic materia medica: King's American Dispensatory (Felter & Lloyd, 1898) describes button snakeroot (Eryngium aquaticum) as diaphoretic, expectorant, diuretic, sialagogue and stimulant, with large doses producing emesis, and lists it for respiratory and urinary complaints.
Gallery
Botanical Description
Eryngium aquaticum, known as marsh eryngo, bitter snakeroot or button snakeroot, is a perennial herb of the family Apiaceae native to the eastern and southeastern United States, where it grows in wet meadows, marshes, swamps and bogs along the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains. It produces a stout, erect, branching stem reaching 0.5 to 1.8 m tall arising from a thickened rootstock. The basal and lower leaves are long, narrow, linear to lance-shaped and parallel-veined with bristly or spiny-toothed margins, somewhat resembling a yucca or grass. Unlike the flat umbels typical of most Apiaceae, the small bluish-white flowers are densely packed into rounded, button-like or thistle-like heads subtended by spiny bracts, borne in branched clusters. Flowering occurs in summer through early autumn. The fruit is a small, scaly schizocarp.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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