Читать книгу Some Useful Wild Plants - Dan Jason - Страница 27

Devil’s club

Oplopanax horridus

Araliaceae

This prickly shrub is an all-too-familiar sight in the backwoods near streams and rivers. The stalks are tall and thick with sharp spines that produce lingering pain on contact, and the leaves are maple-shaped and prickly. Greenish flowers develop into scarlet fruit.

The young stems can be eaten as a pot-herb, and the root can be peeled and chewed raw.

Medicinally, the plant is good for colds and rheumatism when the bark and thorns are peeled away and the stalk is used for tea. Baby talc can be made by drying and pulverizing the bark. The root bark of devil’s club has been found to reduce blood sugar and thus be effective in the treatment of diabetes.

The root is also reportedly excellent for treating staph infections (used both externally and internally). It is a strong laxative.