Origins: Rich woods, thickets, moist meadows, and prairies.

Uses: The rhizome is reputed to be a laxative, emetic, cholagogue, and tonic.

--------------

This perennial plant is native to American moist meadows. Indians, and later physicians, used the dried and aged root to make tea that was a gentle laxative and “stimulant for the liver,” promoting the flow of bile. It was also diuretic and induced sweating. The fresh root is stated to be “violently laxative.”

Part used::
Roots

Origin:
America

1) A guide to medicinal plants of  Appalachia/ Krochmal, Arnold; Walter, Russel S.; Doughty, Richard M.: USA: U.S.D.A Forest Service:,1959

2) Hull, Kathleen; Photog. Hull, Meredith /Indiana Medical History Museum: Guide to the Medicinal Plant Garden./ USA: Indiana Medical History Museum. 2010. -- p. 58.