Western Herbalism
Sheep Sorrel
Rumex acetosella
This herb is made into an extract, and this is used upon indolent ulcers and cancers, in the same manner as the extract of oxalis acetosella. It forms a sharply stimulating preparation, usually too nearly caustic to be used alone; but when suitably modified by extract of celastrus, it is an agent of much power, and one that deserves attention. Allusion was made to it at oxalis. Medical Herbalism journal and medherb.com The Physiomedical Dispensatory by William Cook, M.D., 1869
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Dyspepsia
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Kidney diseases
- Fever
- Inflammation
- Urinary tract disorder
- Scurvy
- Bleeding
- Edema
- Fluid retention
- Intestinal worms
- Liver disease
- Parasites
- Urinary disorders
- Digestive complaints
- Common cold
- Nutritional deficiency
- Debility
- Excessive discharge
- Oxidative stress
Safety
Low dose botanical. Used in drop doses in the classical practice; not a plant to dose freely.
Pregnancy: Pregnancy Caution
Breastfeeding: Lactation (source flag notSafeInLactation)
The record lists 2 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Tincture | Tincture 60 drops 2-3x/day (commercial example, 1:2 ratio | 1.2 mL |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Properties and Uses. This herb is made into an extract, and this is used upon indolent ulcers and cancers, in the same manner as the extract of oxalis acetosella. It forms a sharply stimulating preparation, usually too nearly caustic to be used alone; but when suitably modified by extract of celastrus, it is an agent of much power, and one that deserves attention. Allusion was made to it at oxalis. Medical Herbalism journal and medherb.com The Physiomedical Dispensatory by William Cook, M.D., 1869
primary-actions. Sheep Sorrel acts primarily as: Diuretic, Refrigerant, Diaphoretic, Nutritive, Laxative, Astringent. Secondary actions include Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Diaphoretic, Anthelmintic, Hepatoprotective.
Description. Natural Order, Polygonaceae. Generic characteristics as in rumex crispus. Low plants, with annual sterna four to eight inches high, from perennial roots. Leaves ovallanceolate, blunt at the apex, halbert-eared at the base, especially the lower ones ; one to two and a half inches long. Pleasantly acid, and often eaten by children. Flowers dioecious, small, in slender panicled racemes; styles adherent to the angles of the ovaries. Abundant in sandy soils and sterile fields, the fertile panicles turning reddish in summer.
Specific indications and reasoning. (SHEEP SORREL) Preparation.-Prepare a tincture from the fresh sorrel, 5viij. to Alcohol 50° Oj. Dose, from gtts. x. to 3s8. It is employed locally in the treatment of cancer, the following formula being employed: " Cancer Balsam: Take the common Sheep Sorrel when in bloom, bruise well in a mortar, and add a small quantity of water; then press the weed so as to obtain all the juice, strain it and place in the sunshine in a pewter dish, and let it evaporate to the consistence of honey. It is then ready for use, and should be put up in sealed boxes or closely stopped bottles, in order to prevent evaporation." A tincture of the Sorrel has a very decided action
Drawn from Cook's Physio-Medical Dispensatory; Scudder's Specific Medication and Specific Medicines, and the Bountiful Herbs editorial.
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