Practical
Plants

Apocynum cannabinum

Indian Hemp

a perennial member of the Apocynum genus in the family Apocynaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.6 m
Spread
1 m
Fertility
Lepidoptera
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Lepidoptera

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

All parts of the plant are poisonous[1][12][5][17]. It contains toxic cardioactive glycosides[9].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - raw or cooked[11]. It can be ground into a powder and used as a meal[20]. A latex obtained from the plant is used as a chewing gum[16][20][3]. After the latex has been squeezed from the plant it s allowed to stand overnight to harden into a white gum[11]. The latex was sometimes mixed with clean clay[11].

Product or use
Gum
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Indian hemp is an unpleasantly bitter stimulant irritant herb that acts on the heart, respiratory and urinary systems, and also on the uterus[10]. It was much employed by various native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a wide variety of complaints including rheumatism, coughs, pox, whooping cough, asthma, internal parasites, diarrhoea and also to increase milk flow in lactating mothers[11]. The plant is still used in modern herbalism, but it should be used with great caution, and only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner if taken internally[[12][9][10]. See the notes above on toxicity[12][9]. The root is cardiotonic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic and expectorant[12][13][16][20][10]. It is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[10]. The fresh root is the most active part medicinally. It has been used in the treatment of syphilis and as a tonic[7]. A weak tea made from the dried root has been used for cardiac diseases[7][9]. A tea made from the root has been used as a vermifuge[8]. The milky sap is a folk remedy for venereal warts[9].

Product or use
Cardiotonic
Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Emetic
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Tonic
Product or use
VD
Product or use
Vermifuge
Product or use
Warts

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A very good quality fibre obtained from the bark is used for making clothes, twine, bags, linen, paper etc[1][13][16][19][20][21][4][11]. It is about 12 - 18mm long[4]. Very strong[22], it is used as a flax substitute[14], it does not shrink and it retains its strength in water[22]. The fibre is produced late in the season[18], it can be harvested after the leaves fall in autumn but is probably at its best as the seed pods are forming[2]. When making paper, the stems can be retted by leaving them in the ground until they are dry in the winter or they can be harvested in late summer, the leaves removed and the stems steamed to remove the fibre[4]. The stems are then cooked for two hours with lye and pounded with mallets[4]. The plant yields a latex which is a possible source of rubber[13][16][3]. The latex is also used as a chewing gum.

Product or use
Fibre
Product or use
Latex

Environment

Range
North-eastern N. America.
Habitat
Gravelly or sandy soil, mainly near streams[12]. A common weed of cultivated land[15], usually found in shady or moist places[20].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
permanent shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in late summer and overwintered outdoors. The seed requires a period of cold stratification if it is to germinate well[10]. Prick out the seedlings when large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting out in late spring of the following year[K]. Division in spring just before active growth begins[6]. Plants can also be divided in the autumn[10].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in sun or shade in most well-drained moist soils[2][10]. Plants can be invasive[6]. The young shoots of this plant are extremely attractive to slugs[K].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.

    ↩1↩2

  3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  4. Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press 1988-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  5. Stary. F. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-600-35666-3

    ↩

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  7. Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6

    ↩1↩2

  8. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩

  9. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  10. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  11. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  12. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  13. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  14. Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.

    ↩

  15. Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00

    ↩

  16. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  17. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩

  18. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

    ↩

  19. Balls. E. K. Early Uses of Californian Plants. University of California Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-520-00072-2

    ↩

  20. Sweet. M. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co. 1962-00-00 ISBN 0-911010-54-8

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  21. Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-486-23310-3

    ↩

  22. Turner. N. J. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-7718-8117-7

    ↩1↩2

Edit this page