Western Herbalism
Arrowleaf balsamroot
Balsamorhiza sagittata
Also known as balsamroot, balsam root, Oregon sunflower, spring sunflower.
Arrowleaf balsamroot is the big, silver-leaved spring sunflower that covers dry hillsides from British Columbia to Colorado, with a deep, resinous taproot that smells of balsam when cut. Root, leaf and seed are all used, the root medicinally. It is a foundational medicine and food of the Indigenous peoples of the Columbia Plateau and Great Basin, and in the regional Western herbal tradition it serves as a local substitute for echinacea and as an expectorant and wound herb.
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Early upper respiratory infection
- Bronchitis with thick, stuck mucus
- Sore throat and tonsillitis
- Influenza with chills
- Sinusitis
- Poor digestion with low appetite
- Wounds, burns and insect bites (topical)
- Skin infections and boils (poultice)
- Sluggish lymphatic drainage with recurrent infection
- Rheumatic aches (topical or bath)
Specific indications
A cold or flu settling into the chest with thick, hard-to-raise mucus and a sluggish, chilly patient
Recurrent minor infections in someone who is run down and would benefit from an echinacea-like root that is locally abundant
Safety
The record lists 4 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
In practice
Balsamroot sits between echinacea and osha in feel: warming, pungent, resinous and immune-stimulating, but with more of osha's push on the lungs. It is best at the first sign of infection, given every couple of hours as tincture, and it stays useful into a bronchitis where the mucus is thick and the cough unproductive.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Tincture (1:5, 60%) | 1-3 mL three times daily | 1-3 mL |
| Decoction | 2-4 g dried root daily | 2000-4000 mg |
| Topical | 10-20 g dried root decocted in 500 mL water as a wash or poultice | 10000-20000 mg |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Overview. Arrowleaf balsamroot is the big, silver-leaved spring sunflower that covers dry hillsides from British Columbia to Colorado, with a deep, resinous taproot that smells of balsam when cut. Root, leaf and seed are all used, the root medicinally. It is a foundational medicine and food of the Indigenous peoples of the Columbia Plateau and Great Basin, and in the regional Western herbal tradition it serves as a local substitute for echinacea and as an expectorant and wound herb.
Clinical Notes. Balsamroot sits between echinacea and osha in feel: warming, pungent, resinous and immune-stimulating, but with more of osha's push on the lungs. It is best at the first sign of infection, given every couple of hours as tincture, and it stays useful into a bronchitis where the mucus is thick and the cough unproductive.
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AsarabaccaAsarum EuropaeumThe 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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