botanical name(s): Inula helenium
synonyms: elecampagne, elfdock, horse-elder, scabwort, elfwort, horse elder, horseheal, echter alant, aunee, ala
part(s) used: root
qualities: bitter, pungent, warm, dry
affinities: lungs, liver, uterus
actions: antitussive, bactericidal, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, tonic
dosage:
» tincture: 2 - 4 ml.
specific indications: cough, of a teasing, persistent character, accompanied by substernal pain, and profuse secretion; atony of abdominal viscera, with engorgement and relaxation; catarrhal discharges (Felter and Lloyd, p. 1059)
therapy: chronic pulmonary affections; weakness of the digestive organs; hepatic torpor; atonic dyspepsia; cutaneous diseases; night sweats; humid asthma; chronic vesical catarrh; leukorrhea; catarrhal endometritis (Felter and Lloyd, p. 1059); chronic coughs where general condition and appetite are reduced, persistent bronchial catarrh, chronic coughs of the elderly (Weiss, pp. 205-206); cough of pulmonary tuberculosis; irritating cough of bronchitis (British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, p. 118)
AHPA Botanical Safety Rating: 2b, 2c
toxicity: 1
» Overdose can result in confusion, nausea, vertigo, a burning in the eyes, and a dry mouth and throat. Symptoms progress to insomnia, chills, severe lumbar pain, griping, tension, abdominal pain, borborygmus. The urge to urinate may only produce scanty urine (Millspaugh, p. 81).
» contraindicated during pregancy or while nursing (McGuffin)
» contraindicated in allergic hypersensitivity (contact dermatitis) to its sesquiterpene lactone (alantolactone) or similar cross-reactive substances (Wichtl)
constituents: volatile oil, containing sesquiterpene lactones; inulin, sterols, resin
footnotes
British Herbal Medical Association. 1983. British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. West Yorks, England: The British Herbal Medical Association.
Felter, H. W., and Lloyd, J. U. 1983. King's American Dispensatory, Vols. I and II. Portland, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications.
McGuffin, Michael, ed. 1997. American Herbal Products Associations Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: The CRC Press.
Millspaugh, C.F. 1974. American Medicinal Plants. New York: Dover Publications.
Weiss, R.F. 1988. Herbal Medicine. Gothenburg, Sweden: Ab Arcanum; Beaconsfield, England: Beaconsfield Publishers, Ltd.
Wichtl M (ed.). 1994. Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals, Boca Raton: CRC Press.