Elecampane Herbal Plant

Elecampane originates from Asia whence, through cultivation, it d spread across Western Europe to North America and now grows wild from Nova Scotia to Ontario, North Carolina, and Missouri.

Sources for the derivation of the principal common name, Elecampane, and the generic/species name, Inula helenium, are not altogether satisfactory, hut I have found three possible explanations.

Helen of Troy was believed to be gathering the herb when she was abducted by Paris, hence 'helenium'.

Down through the ages the herb was considered as good medicinally for horse or mule as for man; it was even sometimes called horselene. 'Inula' could come from 'hinnulus' meaning 'a young mule'.

Finally, the Romans called the herb Enula Campana (Inula of the fields) from which Elecampane is a corruption.

According to the Roman writer Pliny, the Emperor Julius Augustus enjoyed elecampane so much he proclaimed, 'Let no day past without eating some of the roots candied to help the digestion and cause mirth'. The Romans also used it as a candied sweetmeat, colored with cochineal. This idea persisted for centuries, and in the Middle Ages, apothecaries sold the candied root in flat pink sugary cakes, which were sucked to alleviate asthma and indigestion and to sweeten the breath. Tudor herbalists also candied them for the treatment of coughs, catarrhs, bronchitis and chest ailments. Their use continued until the 1920s as a flavoring in sweets.

I have discovered an Anglo-Saxon ritual using elecampane - part medicinal, part magical. Prayers were sung of the Helenium and its roots dug up by the medicinal man, who had been careful not to speak to any disreputable creature - man, elf, goblin or fairy - he chanced to meet on the way to the ceremony. Afterwards the elecampane root was laid under the altar for the night and eventually mixed with betony and lichen from a crucifix. The medicine was taken against elf sickness or elf disease.

There is an ancient custom in Scandinavia of putting a bunch of elecampane in the centre of a nosegay of herbs to symbolize the sun and the head of Odin, the greatest of Norse gods.

SPECIES

Inula helenium

Elecampane

 Hardy perennial. Ht 1.5-2.4m (5-8ft) spread lm (3ft)! Bright yellow, ragged, daisylike dowers in summer. The leaves are large, oval-toothed, slightly downy underneath, and of a mid-green colour. Dies back fully in winter.

Inula hookeri

Hardy perennial. Ht. 75cm (30in) spread 45cm (18in). Yellowish green, ragged, daisy-like flowers slightly scented in summer. Lance-shaped hairy leaves, smaller than I. magnifica, and mid-green in colour. Dies back fully in winter.

Inula magnifica

Hardy perennial. Ht 1.8m (6ft), spread lm (3ft).  Large, ragged, daisy-like flowers. Lots of large, dark green lance-shaped rough leaves. May need staking in i an exposed garden. This is often mistaken for I. helenium, the leaf color is the biggest difference, and on average I. maginifica grows much larger. Dies back fully in winter.

Cultivation

Propagation

Seed

The seed is similar to dandelion; when the plant has germinated you can see the seeds Hying all over the garden, which should be all the warning you need... Sow on the surface of a pot or plug tray. Cover with Perlite. Germination is 2-4 weeks, depending on sowing season and seed viability. Prick out and plant 1-1.5m (3-5ft) apart when the seedlings are large enough to handle.

Root Division

If the plant grows too big folks position in the garden, divide in the autumn when the plant has died back. As the roots are very strong chose the point of division carefully. Alternatively remove the offshoots that grow around the parent plant; each has its own root system, so they can be planted immediately in a prepared site elsewhere in the garden. This can be done in autumn or spring.

Pests and Diseases

It rarely suffers from disease, although if the autumn is excessively wet, as the leaves die back, they may suffer from a form of mildew. Simply cut back and destroy the leaves.

Maintenance

Spring: Sow seed. Divide established plants.

Summer: Remove flowerheads as soon as flowering finishes.

Autumn: Cut back growth to stop self-seeding and to prevent the plant from becoming untidy. Remove offshoots for replanting.

Winter: The plant dies back so needs no protection.

Garden Cultivation

Plant in a moist, fertile soil, in full sun, sheltered from the wind (elecampane grows tall and would otherwise need staking). It can look very striking at the back of a border against a stone wall, or in front of a screen of deciduous trees. In a very dry summer it may need watering.

Harvest

Dig up second- or third-year roots in the autumn, they can be used as a vegetable, or dried for use in medicine.

The flowers are good in autumn flower arrangements and dry well upside down if you cut them just before the seeds turn brown.

CONTAINER GROWING

Elecampane grows too big for most containers and is easily blown over. So it is not advisable

CULINARY

Elecampane has a sharp, bitter flavor. Use dried pieces or cook as a root vegetable.

OTHER USES

Your cat may be interested to know that scientific research indicates that elecampane has a sedative effect on mice.

MEDICINAL

The main use is for respiratory complaints, at one time specifically for TB. It is still employed in folk medicine as a favorite constituent of cough remedies, and has always been popular both as a medicine and as a condiment.

In America, elecampane oil is used for respiratory, intestinal catarrh, chronic diarrhoea, chronic bronchitis and whooping cough.

A decoction of the root has long been used externally for scabies, herpes, acne and other skin diseases, hence its country name Scabwort.

Recent research shows that the lactines found in the roots are powerful agents against bacteria and fungi.