-IBIS-1.7.0-
rx
herb
Inula helenium (Elecampagne)
Botanicals

definition

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 Association’s 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.