Western Herbalism
American hellebore
Veratrum viride
Also known as False hellebore, Veratrum, Swamp Hellebore, Green Hellebore, Indian Poke, White Hellebore, White Veratrum, Radix hellebori albi.
Decreases blood pressure and pulse rate Not for chronic use Highly toxic and should be used with extreme caution Rarely used internally Overdose=call 911, induce emesis followed w/ activated charcoal Prompt emesis may prevent death by asphyxia
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Stroke (debilitating or prostrating)
- Hypertension (debilitating or prostrating)
- Hypertension (acute)
- Sunstroke (debilitating or prostrating)
- Sunstroke (w/ full, bounding pulse)
- Hypertension (severe w/ full, bounding, rapid pulse)
- Stroke (w/ full, bounding pulse)
- Cardiovascular incident (w/ full, bounding pulse)
- Cardiovascular incident (debilitating or prostrating)
- Hypertension
Safety
Recognised toxicity. This plant carries a toxicity flag in the record; it is for trained practitioners only.
Low dose botanical. Used in drop doses in the classical practice; not a plant to dose freely.
Pregnancy: Pregnancy Caution
Breastfeeding: Lactation
The record lists 4 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Tincture (1:10) | 10-20 gtts in 4 oz H2O, give 1 tsp q 30 min-1 hr | 0.2-0.4 mL |
| Tincture Veratri Viridis , Tincture of Veratrum Viride | Dose, from two to ten minims. | 0.12-0.62 mL |
| Specific Veratrum | Dose, from one-tenth to five minims. | 0.01-0.31 mL |
| It is better given in small doses, repeated every half hour or hour, in acute cases, as its influence is exercised in a more uniform manner, is more permanent, is more easily controlled and is not so apt to disturb the stomach. | ||
| In these cases, given in doses of a drop of the tincture every half hour, it will slow the pulse and slowly reduce the temperature after four or five hours. | 0.02-0.02 mL | |
| From one drop to three or four may be given at a single dose, according to the age of the child, and repeated with caution. | 0.02 mL |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Clinical Notes. Decreases blood pressure and pulse rate Not for chronic use Highly toxic and should be used with extreme caution Rarely used internally Overdose=call 911, induce emesis followed w/ activated charcoal Prompt emesis may prevent death by asphyxia
Therapy. External. Painted upon boils, felons, carbuncles, abscesses, inflamed acne, cellulitis, and other local inflammations, veratrum will frequently ease pain and facilitate resolution, or hasten suppuration.
Action and Therapy. Though closely resembling Veratrum viride in effects, this agent is used for entirely different purposes, based upon Homeopathic usage. These are choleraic diarrhea, cholera morbus, cholera infantum, and Asiatic cholera, to control the gushing discharges and check vomiting. The Homeopathic mother tincture in 3x dilution in the proportion of thirty drops in four ounces of water is the usual form of administration, the dose being a teaspoonful of this mixture every fifteen to thirty minutes. It is not often used in this country.
Therapy. The characteristic indications for veratrum are found in the onset of pneumonitis in strong men previously healthy and vigorous. In these cases, given in doses of a drop of the tincture every half hour, it will slow the pulse and slowly reduce the temperature after four or five hours.
Drawn from Scudder's Specific Medication and Specific Medicines; King's American Dispensatory, 18th edition (Felter and Lloyd); Ellingwood's American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy; Felter's Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and the Bountiful Herbs editorial.
In formulas
American hellebore stands in 3 documented formulas in the library, among them sān shèng sǎn.
Often paired with
Fang FengSaposhnikovia divaricata
PumpkinCurcurbita pepo
lemonCitrus limon
ValerianValeriana officinalis
Veratrum AlbumWhite Hellebore
HelleborusHelleborus nigerNearby on the shelf
American dittanyCunila mariana
American figwortScrophularia marilandica
American GinsengPanax quinquefolius
American Greek ValerianPolemonium
American HollyIlex Opaca
American pasque flowerAnemone Patens
American pennyroyalHedeoma pulegioides
American persimmonDiospyros virginianaThe whole plate is in the library. The compass, Compare, the Sky of eleven hundred plants and the formulary open with an email address and a password, free, with the formula builder and its safety engine. Herbert without limit, his formulating, clients, the handouts and the labels are the paid room.
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