Łódź, Botanical Garden

Native to North America; at the end of XVIII century introduced to Europe. Edible plant - young leaves harvested in Spring and cooked as greens; a gum obtained from the plant has been used for chewing, and is said to help prevent vomiting. Herbal plant - a decoction of the roots has been used to treat the stoppage of periods, and also to treat morning sickness and to prevent the premature birth of a child, in view of these conflicting uses, it is best that it is not used by pregnant women unless under the guidance of a qualified practitioner; roots are alterative, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, hepatic, stimulant, styptic and tonic, it is used in the treatment of liver and spleen disorders and has also been used to treat morning sickness, a decoction of the roots has been used internally in the treatment of back and chest pain and lung haemorrhages, externally has been used as a face wash to treat paralysis; a poultice of the moistened dried roots has been applied to wounds to stop the bleeding. Useful plant - is easily cultivated as a crop, grows well on poor and degraded land, and is able to produce a considerable amount of biomass, potential source of material for biogas production, it has similar yields to Maize (Zea species), and because it is a perennial, requires much less work after its first year of establishment.