Showy Lady's Slipper
- Origin
- North America
- Part used
- Root
- Tradition
- Traditional ethnobotany
The showy lady's slipper, a majestic orchid of the wet forests and bogs of North America, was revered by several Amerindian nations who considered it a plant of the nerves and of calm. Nineteenth-century American herbalists, under the name "American Valerian," included it in their pharmacopoeia for its reputed calming virtues. Today rare and protected in many regions, it remains above all a plant of memory and botanical history.
Traditional uses
Traditional nervous calming
The dried root was traditionally used by eclectic American herbalists as a mild antispasmodic and nervine, to calm agitation and encourage rest.
Relief of nervous headaches
An old use is reported against headaches attributed to nervousness or fatigue, as well as for trembling and irritability.
Support for menstrual troubles
Some North American folk traditions mention its use to ease tension linked to the female cycle, always within a broader logic of a general calming plant.
Soothing nervous digestive troubles
The root was sometimes used as a light decoction for digestive troubles thought to be of nervous origin, in keeping with its sedative use.
Before you use it
Contact with the glandular hairs of the fresh plant can cause allergic-type dermatitis in sensitive individuals. A rare and protected species in many territories: wild harvesting is now discouraged or even prohibited; a cultivated source should be preferred where available. Traditional use is poorly documented by modern research; not to be used in pregnant or breastfeeding women, nor in children, without the advice of a health professional. Do not combine with sedatives or anxiolytics without medical advice, due to an uncharacterized risk of interaction.
The detailed notebook
- Prepared as a paste or decoction
- Traditional duration of use
- Known contraindications
- Related species and their uses
Where to find it
Partner herbalists — available with the detailed notebook.
Sources
PFAF, Wikipedia