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Plants

Dorema ammoniacum

Ammoniacum

a perennial member of the Dorema genus in the family Umbelliferae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Dorema
Life cycle
perennial
Height
2.5 m
Spread
1 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

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.

Ammoniacum has been used in Western herbal medicine for thousands of years and is still seen as an effective remedy for various complaints of the chest[6]. A gum resin is found in cavities in the tissues of stems, roots and petioles[7]. It often exudes naturally from holes in the stems caused by beetles[5] though this is not so pure as that obtained from the plant tissues[7]. The resin is antispasmodic, carminative, diaphoretic, mildly diuretic, expectorant, poultice, stimulant and vasodilator[7][8][10][2][5]. It is often used internally in the treatment of chronic bronchitis (especially in the elderly), asthma and catarrh[7][5]. Externally, it is used as a plaster for swellings of the joints and indolent tumours[7][5]. The resin exudes as a milky gum from holes made in the stems. This gum is pressed into blocks and then ground into a powder[6].

Product or use
Antispasmodic
Product or use
Carminative
Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Poultice
Product or use
Stimulant
Product or use
Vasodilator

Material uses

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

A medicinal gum or resin called 'Ammoniacum' is exuded from insect damaged stems[8][9][10][3]. It is also used in perfumery and in porcelain cement[5] as well as for plasters[8][9][10][3].

Product or use
Porcelain
Product or use
Resin

Environment

Range
W. Asia - Iran to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Habitat
Loess loams in desert areas[11]. Dry rocky areas[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - sow in an outdoor seedbed in April[4]. It might be better to sow the seed in the autumn in a cold frame or greenhouse[K]. The seed germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 15°c[4]. If seed is in short supply we would recommend sowing it in a pot in a cold frame and pricking out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring of the following year.

Cultivation

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

Easily grown in an ordinary garden soil[1]. Prefers a well-drained to dry soil in a sunny position[5]. This species is not hardy in all parts of Britain, it tolerates temperatures down to at least -5°c[5]. A monocarpic species, growing for a number of years before it flowers but then dying after flowering[5]. It is said to produce viable seed in this country[5].

References

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

    ↩

  2. Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.

    ↩

  3. Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.

    ↩1↩2

  4. Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  5. 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↩8↩9↩10

  6. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2

  10. Howes. F. N. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Faber

    ↩1↩2↩3

  11. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

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