botanical name(s): Veratrum viride, Veratrum album
synonyms: American hellebore, swamp hellebore, green hellebore, Indian poke, white hellebore, green corn lily
part(s) used: dried rhizome and root
qualities:
affinities: heart, vasculature
actions: emetic, purgative, rubefacient, sedative, hypotensive, cardiac depressant; decreases blood pressure, decreases cardiac output, toxic
dosage:
» tincture: 0.3 - 2 ml.
specific indications: pulse full, frequent, and bounding; pulse full, rapid, corded, or wiry; pulse, full, strong, and intense, with throbbing of the carotids; pulse rapid and beating so forcibly that sleep is prevented; tissues full, not shrunken, and surface flushed with blood; increased arterial tension, with bloodshot eyes; erysipelas resembling an ordinary inflammation; cerebral hyperemia; sthenic fevers and inflammations; irritation of nerve centers due to an excited circulation; convulsions, with great vascular excitement, full pulse, and cerebral hyperemia; puerperal eclampsia; red stripe down center of tongue; weight in the epigastrium, with forcible circulatory pulsations (Felter and Scudder, p. 687)
therapy:
» external: boils; felons; carbuncles; abscesses; inflamed acne; cellulitis; erysipelas
» internal: arterial sedatives; sthenic conditions with full, bounding pulse; acute infectious pneumonia; pleurisy; la grippe; acute articular rheumatism; puerperal convulsions (Felter and Scudder, pp. 689-692)
AHPA Botanical Safety Rating: 3
toxicity: 4; see cardiac glycoside toxidrome
» contraindicated during pregnancy because of potential for severe embryotoxic effects during the first month (Kinghorn)
» contraindicated in patients with thyroid problems
» caution is advised in patients with history of recent surgery, diabetes, hypoglycemia, nephrotic syndrome, urinary tract infections, acute infectious hepatitis, leukemias, Graves disease, hypothyroidism or related genetic disorders (Langer and Greer, pp. 66-67)
» fresh root is considered acrid when raw; tasting somewhat sweet at first, then bitter and pungent; handling may cause contact dermatitis (Muenscher, p. 10)
» produces medullary excitation/cardiovascular depression characterized by bradycardia, hypotension, often lasting 24 hours; initially pruritus, burning and prickling sensations of the mouth, tongue, and throat occur, followed by salivation, gastric inflammation, dysphagia, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; muscle cramps, shivering, vertigo, blurred vision, yellow vision, diaphoresis, and general confusion occur; the patient may also experience palpitations, reduced body temperature and reduced urinary output; severe cases develop dysphasia, dysphagia, paresthesias, and a state of generalized motor paralysis, followed by convulsions, and even death, as breathing difficulties lead to respiratory collapse; severe cardiac effects include bradycardia and depressed conductivity; death can occur in 3-12 hours; ingestion is usually non-fatal
» Veratrum viride has been characterized as a hallucinogen (Morton, p. 61)
constituents: steroidal alkaloids as glycosides, free alkamines and as esters
footnotes
Felter, H.W. & Scudder, John K., 1922. The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Cincinnati, Ohio. Reprinted in 1985 by Eclectic Medical Publications, Portland, OR.
Kinghorn, A.D. Editor. 1979. Toxic Plants. New York: Columbia University Press.
Langer, P., and Greer, M.A. 1977. Anti-Thyroid Substances and Naturally Occurring Goitrogens. New York: Karyer, Greer.
Morton, J.F. 1977. Major Medicinal Plants: Botany, Culture, Uses. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
Muenscher, W.C. 1951. Poisonous Plants of the United States. New York: The MacMillan Company.