Gumweed conjures sweet thoughts about a plant that sticks with you in times of need! Gumweed's floral of yellow and green brilliance in early summer is beholden to those who eye the dry prairies, and the waft of its enduring smell complies a draw from all who encounter it. Gumweed is very sticky to the touch - and strong - the pungent smells of resin, balsam and pure nature are preserved in this plant's consistency long after it is harvested. Yellow daisy-like flower heads define this beauty and its leaves are covered in a resinous sap that one cannot ever forget once introduced. It contains a milky substance revealed when the plant stem is squeezed. It is deemed necessary by the elders and it holds its place as one of the medicinal queens of the prairie grasslands. It is a plant revered by Indigenous healers and traditional European medicine keepers alike.
Great care to preserve it must be set within protocols of harvesting as it is a biennial or short-lived perennial. One can begin to harvest the flowers at the budding stage or when the plant is in full bloom and shows the bright yellow petals, usually in late spring. The best time to collect this plant is in full summer when it is at its height of maturity. Hand harvesting works best, and by placing the buds in a paper bag one can let them dry a bit before use. Both flowers and leaves can be used for tea, however the flower buds and petals are best in tinctures.
Medicinal uses employed by Indigenous peoples date from time immemorial, and as folk medicine gumweed has been used by many peoples throughout the ages. Interestingly, gumweed was also listed as an official drug in the United States Pharmacopoeia until 1960. This bitter tasting tea is often used as an expectorant, and an antispasmodic for dry hacking coughs. It is both a stimulant and a sedative, a diuretic and a disinfectant. It has properties which seems to desensitize the nerve endings in the bronchial tree, and this slows the heart rate which allows one to breathe easier. Most often it is used for bronchitis, bronchial spasms, coughs, and skin conditions. Persons with heart or kidney conditions should not take this as a medicinal tea, and pregnant women should also refrain from ingestion of any kind.
"Native Americans (tribes including Pawnee, Cheyenne, Sioux [Lakota and Teton Dakota], Crows, Shoshones, Poncas, Blackfeet, Crees, Zunis and Flatheads) used preparations of curlycup gumweed both internally and externally as washes, poultices, decoctions and extracts to treat skin diseases and rashes, saddle sores, scabs, wounds, edema, asthma, bronchitis, cough, pneumonia, cold, nasal catarrh, tuberculosis, gonorrhea and syphilis, menstrual and postpartum pain, colic, digestive ailments, liver problems and as kidney medicine. The fresh gum was rubbed on the eyelids to treat snow-blindness." http://ayurveda.alandiashram.org/ayurvedic-herbs/grindelia-squarrosa-gumweed
Gumweed or Grindelia squarrosa
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