American cow-parsnip
Heracleum maximum
Synonyms: Heracleum turugisanense, Heracleum douglasii, Heracleum lanatum subsp. asiaticum, Heracleum lanatum var. asiaticum, Pastinaca lanata, Heracleum auritum, Heracleum sphondylium f. rubriflorum, Heracleum sphondylium var. lanatum, Heracleum lanatum f. dissectum, Heracleum dulce, Heracleum lanatum f. rubriflorum, Sphondylium lanatum, Heracleum lanatum, Heracleum sphondylium subsp. lanatum, Heracleum sphondylium var. turugisanense, Heracleum barbatum var. turugisanense, Heracleum moellendorffii var. turugisanense
Western Herbalism Properties
Gallery
Botanical Description
Heracleum maximum, the American cow-parsnip, is a stout herbaceous perennial of the Apiaceae family, ranging across most of temperate North America from Alaska and Newfoundland south to California, Texas and Georgia. From a thick aromatic taproot it sends up a single hollow, ridged, sparsely hairy stem 1 to 3 metres tall, often as thick as a thumb at the base. The leaves are large and conspicuous, the basal blade reaching 40 centimetres or more across, ternately compound with three coarsely toothed, palmately lobed, broadly ovate to maple-shaped leaflets, the petioles strongly inflated and sheathing at the base. Tiny five-petalled white flowers are crowded into broad flat-topped terminal and lateral compound umbels 15 to 30 centimetres across, blooming from late spring into summer; the outer flowers of each umbellet often have enlarged, deeply notched outer petals. The fruit is a flattened, oval, dorsally compressed schizocarp 8 to 12 millimetres long with prominent oil tubes and broadly winged lateral ribs, pleasantly aromatic when crushed. All parts of the plant contain phototoxic furocoumarins, and contact between the sap and skin followed by sun exposure causes severe phytophotodermatitis. It grows in moist meadows, streambanks, forest openings, roadsides and disturbed clearings.
Cultural & Historical Context
Traditional American Uses
Heracleum maximum is one of the most extensively used indigenous medicinal and food plants of North America, with the NAEB ethnobotanical database recording nearly two hundred separate uses across more than fifty Native American nations (Moerman, 1998). The peeled young stems were widely eaten raw or cooked as a celery-like vegetable, especially by tribes of the Pacific Northwest interior including the Thompson, Bella Coola, Gitksan, Shuswap and Okanagan (Turner et al., 1990). Medicinally the dried root was the most important part: it was prepared as poultices and washes for bruises, swellings, rheumatic joints and sore feet by the Blackfoot, Cree, Iroquois and many others, chewed or applied for toothache by the Thompson and Meskwaki, and decocted for colds, sore throats, coughs and gastrointestinal complaints (Hart, 1976; Smith, 1928; Herrick, 1977). The aromatic ripe seeds were used as an analgesic, carminative and stimulant tonic. Sap and root preparations were also employed externally as hunting medicines and ceremonially.
Chemistry & External Identifiers
Important Disclaimer
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.