Reply To: Materia Medica
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Thanks so much, Liza! Yes- it’s funny because the Peterson’s guide makes an even further distinction and only calls Cynoglossum officinale by the common name “Hound’s Tongue”, but that one is actually NOT native to the Americas! It’s from Asia. I’m really trying to invite native plants into my practice 🙂
The common name for Cynolossum virginianum is “Wild Comfrey” and it is native to North America. I also found it in my “Native American Ethnobotany” book, but Daniel Moerman catalogs a lot of internal use by Native American tribes (as is also mentioned in the Peterson’s guide). I’m actually SUPER excited for an upcoming American Herbalists Guild webinar on the issue of the toxicology of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids with Lisa Ganora, though I’ll stick with external use for now! Comfrey: Friend or Foe? The Practical Toxicology of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids.
Anyway- in the meantime, I’m going to make both a Symphytum infused oil as well as Cynoglossum and do a little experiment (using the Cynoglossum on my jumper’s knee)! I’ll report back on my very unscientific experiment as every little anecdote helps!
On another note- do you know when the live web meetings will begin? I thought I remembered seeing May 2020, but hadn’t heard anything more. I’d love to get the chance to ask the instructors about North American native plants! Of course, some of the ones in our typical traditional Materia Medica DO grow native in North America, but there are so many other wonderful medicinal plants that I’d love to learn about, ideally from someone who has used them firsthand! Most of the herbalists I’ve met use the more traditional Materia Medica, BUT, I recently found a semi-local herbalist who ONLY ethically wild forages his medicinal herbs here in North Carolina and in West Virginia! I’m going to talk to him about possibly doing an internship with him and imagine that he must use many of these natives I’m so curious about! Wish me luck! 😀