Common name: elecampane, in Denmark it is called ‘Elf dock’
Botanical name: Inula helenium
Botanical family: Asteraceae
Cultivation
Elecampane is a perennial plant. It will die off over winter and come back in spring. It grows well from seeds. You can also propagate it from a piece of root that has buds on it. It prefers damp or shady areas. It can grow quite tall, up to 2 metres, in the right conditions.
How does it do here in Central Otago? It grows well, especially if you can find a place that is a bit shady. If you grow elecampane in full sun, make sure you water it well over the hotter months as it will suffer from droughts.
Traditional medicinal uses
Its main affinity is with the lungs, but it also has a strong affinity with the digestive system thanks to its inulin content (inulin is a type of prebiotic).
Inula is expectorant, antitussive, antibacterial and is a digestive tonic.
How to use it?
Part used: the roots. Harvest in autumn when the plant is at least two years old.
The roots can be infused in vinegar to extract the inulin, minerals and vitamins. It can be tinctured, or dried and used as a decoction. A medicinal wine or syrup can also be made from the roots.
Tips: When you harvest the root, you can keep pieces of the root where the new growth shows (it looks like a pink bud) and replant it. This way you are sure never to run out of this beautiful medicinal plant.
Mythology/Folklore
It has a long history of medicinal use. Hippocrates refers to it as a “herb to cure chronic skin eruptions and itch“.
References
“A Woman’s book of herbs” by Elisabeth Brooke
“Materia Medica of Western Herbs” by Carole Fisher
“A Modern Herbal” by Mrs M. Grieve
