This member of the Chicory family is an indigenous perennial herb, has a smooth stem, and grows 2–4 ft. high. The stem is stout and purplish, with radical leaves, lanceolate, and all irregularly dentate. This plant grows plentifully in moist weeds and in rich soils, from New England to Iowa, and from Canada to Carolina. It is a member of Asteraceae and tribe Cactaceae. Recently this species was considered to be in the genus Prenanthes including European, African, Asian, and North American species.
Leaves are alternate and variable in shape i.e. deeply and irregularly lobed. Flowering stems are 1 to 2 meters tall and leaves are pinnately lobed. Paniculate inflorescence comprises of drooping capitula composed of ligulate flowers. Capitulate has 8 to 14 flowers with yellow to cream-colored corollas. Flowers are 8 to 14 mm long having lower had fused into a tube. Each flower produces a single achene topped by pappus which supports wind dispersal. An involucre comprises of two whorls of green bracts. The inner whorl has eight lance-shaped bracts about 8 to 14.5 mm long. An outer whorl has five to nine much shorter bracts. Its habitat is sandplain grasslands and also occurs in rocky slopes along roadsides and in other disturbed habitats. Usually, coarse stems have purple coloration exuding a milky sap when damaged.
Uses
The milky juice of the plant is taken internally, and the root, cut in small pieces or grated, is useful and acts most favorably in cases of dysentery or diarrhoea.
Facts About Lion’s Foot Plant
| Name | Lion’s Foot Plant |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Nabalus serpentaria |
| Common/English Name | Prenanthes Serpens, Rattlesnake-Root, White Lettuce, Cancer Weed, Canker root, Rattlesnake root, White cankerweed |
| Plant Growth Habit | Perennial plant |
| Root | Branching, tuberous |
| Stem | 1 to 2 meters tall, green or often purplish |
| Leaf | Smooth, thick, deep green |
| Medicinal parts | The whole plant |
| Flower | White or yellowish, 11-14 mm long |
Lion’s Foot Plant Scientific Classification
Scientific Name: Nabalus serpentaria
| Rank | Scientific Name & (Common Name) |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae (Plants) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta ( Vascular plants) |
| Superdivision | Spermatophyta (Seed plants) |
| Division | Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants) |
| Class | Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons) |
| Subclass | Asteridae |
| Order | Asterales |
| Family | Asteraceae ⁄ Compositae (Aster family) |
| Genus | Prenanthes L. (Rattlesnakeroot) |
| Species | Prenanthes serpentaria Pursh (Cankerweed) |
| Synonyms |
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Dose
1 teaspoonful of the granulated root steeped in 1 cup boiling water. Drink cold 1 cupful during the day, a large mouthful at a time. Of the tincture, 10–20 min.
Externally
In case of snake bites, steep the leaves in boiling water and apply as a poultice.
Homeopathic Clinical
Tincture of whole fresh plant—Constipation, Ophthalmia.
Medicinal uses
- Root decoction is used for treating canker sores, dysentery, and diarrhea.
- Drink milky juice to cure snake bites.
- A poultice made from leaves is used as first aid for a snake, insect, and dog bites.
- Native Americans put the powdered root in food for stimulating milk flow after childbirth.
- Apply the leaves steeped in water to the wound and change it frequently.
- Root decoction is used for treating rattlesnake bites and dysentery.
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