(note: Green pitcher plant is endangered and many are rare – please incorporate further research into your studies.)
Scientific Name: Sarracenia spp., Nepenthaceae Family
Common Name: Huntsman’s Cup, Eve’s Cup, Fly Trap
Medicinal Part: The Whole Plant
Description: This is a most interesting plant. The leaves are all radical winged down the innerside, open at the top with an arching hood, each leaf resembling a pitcher; the basal leaves or pitchers are partially filled with water. Just below the rim of the pitchers on the inside is a sticky substance to attract and trap insects which become food for the plant after they decompose. Scape tall, naked. bearing a single large richly colored nodding flower.
Properties & Uses: Pitcher plant has been used for some for its tonic, laxative, stomachic, diuretic actions. Used in the southern United States in dyspepsia. The drug was unknown in Europe until a few years ago, when Mr. Herbert Miles introduced it as a specific for smallpox, as used by the North American Indians with great success, saving life and even the unsightly pitting. Some homoeopaths confirm the value of the remedy, but allopaths do not appear to have been successful in its use, either in America, England or France.
Its principal value appears to be in torpid liver, stomach, kidney and uterus complaints. Current research being done on HSV outbreaks and scarring.
Dose & Preparation: A teaspoonful of the plant to a cup of boiling water. Drink cold, one cupful during the day, a large mouthful at a time. Tincture, 5 to 20 min.
Sources: Modern Herbal, The Herbalist