Beechdrops

Painful, raw aphthous ulcers of the mouth that bleed easily and resist other remedies

Chronic watery diarrhea with a relaxed, atonic bowel unresponsive to milder astringents

Indolent, weeping ulcers or sores of the skin that call for a strongly astringent topical wash

Painful aphthous ulcers of the mouth with a raw, burning quality, used as a local wash

Overview. Beechdrops is a small, leafless, chlorophyll-free herb of the broomrape family that parasitizes the roots of American beech trees, from which it draws all its nourishment; it appears as pale, scaly, brownish-purple flowering stalks rising from the forest floor in late summer. The whole plant, gathered when in flower, was the part used by nineteenth-century American physiomedicalist and eclectic practitioners, who valued it chiefly as a strong, bitter astringent. Its old name of cancer-root reflects its historical topical use on indolent ulcers and sores rather than any established action against malignancy.

Overview. Epiphegus virginiana, known as beech drops or cancer-root, is a small leafless, chlorophyll-free plant that grows as a root parasite on American beech (Fagus grandifolia). Native to eastern North America, the whole dried plant was gathered by nineteenth-century eclectic physicians for its markedly astringent, tannin-rich tissue. It never became a mainstream herb and has no established modern trade, but it holds a place in older American materia medica as a local astringent for mouth and skin lesions.

Clinical Notes. Beechdrops was reached for in nineteenth-century American practice mainly as a locally applied astringent: a strong decoction or the fresh bruised plant was used as a mouthwash for aphthous ulcers and bleeding gums, or as a wash for indolent, weeping skin sores, including reported use on the rash of poison ivy.

Clinical Notes. Eclectic physicians valued beech drops chiefly as a topical and mucosal astringent rather than as a systemic remedy. A strong decoction or diluted tincture was swabbed on aphthous ulcers, herpetic sores, and bleeding gums, and used as a wash for indolent, discharging skin ulcers, the plant's heavy tannin content giving it a tightening, drying action on raw or weeping tissue.