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Photo by Karen Bergeron
Copyright 2000

TROUTLILYSM.JPG (21886 bytes)

Photo by Deb Jackson
Copyright 2000

 

Trout Lily
Erythronium americanum

Other Names: Adder's tongue, American trout-lily, Dog's tooth violet, Serpent's Tongue, Yellow Adder's-tongue, Yellow fawn-lily, Yellow Snowdrop

 Caution!  Trout Lily can be strongly emetic  in some people (which means it makes you throw up a lot).

Habitat
     A North American native perennial found growing in damp, open woodlands from New Brunswick to Florida and west to Ontario and Arkansas. Cultivation: a member of the Lily family Trout Lily is cultivated by seed or transplanting of the bulb or corm in fall. Prefers slightly acid well-drained soil, plenty of humus and requires semi-shade. The root is a deeply buried, bulb-like corm, light brown, about 1 inch long, and solid with white starchy flesh. Two or three leaf blades grow from the base and are about 3 inches tall, oblong, smooth, dark green, with purplish mottling, and about 1 inch wide. The slender stem is 3 to 4 inches long and leafless. The flowers of Trout Lily can be bright white or creamy colored to bright yellow it is about 3 inches across, lily-like and drupes with the six petals folded upwards. It blooms in April and May. Gather edible fresh leaves, bulbs and flowers in spring and root in summer to fall. Dry root for later medicinal herb use.

Properties
     Edible and medicinal, the whole Trout Lily plant is used as fresh salad additives, flowers are tasty, or cooked as a pot herb. Trout Lily is used in alternative medicine as contraceptive, diuretic, emetic, emollient, febrifuge, stimulant. Plant constituents include alph-methylene-butyrolactone which has antimutagenic activity. This chemical prevents cell mutation and may prove to be a valuable weapon in fighting all cancers. The leaves and bulb are crushed and used to dress wounds and reduce swellings, for scrofula and other skin problems. A medicinal tea made from the root and leaf is said to reduce fever and fainting, tea also taken for ulcers, tumors and swollen glands.

Folklore
 It is said that the Cherokee Indians would chew the root and spite it in the water to make fish bite. The young women of one tribe ate the raw plant in large quantities to prevent conception, probably due to the fact they were too busy vomiting!

Recipe
Salad addition: Use 1 tbls. per person, fresh flower petals, chopped root, and leaves in a tossed salad.

Article by Deb Jackson & Karen Bergeron

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Alternative Nature Online Herbal
Copyright © 1997 - 2011. All Rights Reserved by Alternative Nature Enterprises.
Editor Karen Bergeron
AltNature Herbals  P.O. Box 93 Erin, TN 37061
Please use email for questions about herbs.  Email karen@altnature.com

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 The herbal information on this web site is intended for educational purposes only. It is not the intention of the editor to advise on health care. Please see a medical professional about any health concerns you have.  Disclaimer - These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.  The information on this web site is not intended to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.

This information is intended as an introduction to how medicinal herb plants are used. It is intended for educational purposes only. I am not a medical professional and I cannot prescribe what herbs are right for you. I cannot answer medical questions, so please do not ask me (or any other complete stranger for that matter) to prescribe herbal cures, treatment or to guess what is wrong with you.

If you use herbs, do so responsibly. Consult your doctor about your health conditions and use of herbal supplements. Herbs may be harmful if taken for the wrong conditions, used in excessive amounts, combined with prescription drugs or alcohol, or used by persons who don't know what they are doing. Just because an herbal remedy is natural, does not mean it is safe! There are herbs that are poisonous such as Poison Hemlock, Jimson weed, and many more.

I will be happy to help you ID wild plants that you find, or help you locate herbs, plants or herb seeds and especially pictures.
email
karen@altnature.com

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