American Hellebore: Verstrum viride, Bunchflower Family
Common Names: Green Hellebore, Indian Poke, Itch-Weed
Medicinal Part: The Rhizome
Description: This plant has a perennial, thick, and fleshy rhizome, tunicated at the upper part, sending off a multitude of large whitish roots. The stem is from three to five feet high; lower leaves from six inches to a foot long, oval, acuminate; upper leaves gradually narrower, linear, lanceolate and all alternate. The flowers are numerous and green, part of them barren.
American Hellebore is native to the United States, growing in swamps, low grounds and moist meadows, blossoming in June or July. The roots should be gathered in autumn and as it rapidly loses its virtues, it should be gathered annually and kept in well-closed vessels. When fresh, it has a very strong unpleasant odor but when dried is almost in-odorous. It has a sweetish-bitter taste succeeded by a persistent acridity.
Properties and Uses: It has many very valuable properties being preferred to other drugs for various purposes. However, it is too powerful a drug for use without medical supervision.
Dose: Verstrum is usually given in the form of tincture, the formula being of the dried root, eight ounces to sixteen ounces diluted .835 alcohol macerating for two weeks, then to be expressed and filtered.
Note: The Christmas Rose, Black Hellebore inhabiting the subalpine and southern parts of Europe was formerly much use but is now more or less discarded. It has diuretic properties but as it is very toxic in effects, its use as a home remedy is not advised.