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Liatris spicata
Blazing Star; Prairie Feather;
Ezekiel 47:12 "And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."
Nicknames: Blazing Star;[1] Prairie Feather;[1] Button-snakewort;[1] Colic plant;[9]
Classification: Perennial;[8]
Plant Family: Asteraceae;[1] Genus: Liatris;[1] Species: L. spicata;[1] | "Three species are listed (or are candidates for listing) on the Federal Endangered Species List"[9] By the way, those are: L. aspera, L. pycnostachya and L. spicata.[9]
Quick Cultivation Tips: It likes well-drained soil, spacing of about 1 foot.[9] It can tolerate poor soil, and doesn't like dirt that's too rich.[9] Dilute your organic potting mix with some grey or white sand from the yard. It's a trick I like to use, and works well with most plants I find. These plants bloom on the second year typically.[9] They like about one month of cold stratification.
Ethnobotany: Ethnobotany is an important field of study that helps phytochemist know which plants to study for their medicinal qualities. Our ethnobotanical specimin today is called Prairie Feather, or Blazing star, scientific name: Liatris spicata. It was utilized by the very wise Native Americans as a carminative, diuretic, stimulant, sudorific, and expectorant.[2][3][4] Root parts of the plant are most typically suggested by herbalist everywhere.[3][4] Native Americans used it as well for swelling, abdominal pain, and colic/spasms, as well as snake bites. [6] It's also used for sore throat, and as a natural insect repellent.[5] The Native American tribe known as The Cherokee made use of Blazing star as an analgesic for backache, and limb pains.[10] Despite the fact that it is native to North America, once academic source states that it was widely cultivated in Egypt.[11]
Natural Habitat: Eastern United States;[1] I've personally spotted it on my own street, in Navarre Florida, which is in NorthWest Florida. Remember, anything the Native Americans used grows in North America, common sense. It also grows in the eastern portions of Canada, east of the Mississippi River, from the southern US, traveling along the Gulf Coast, through to southern Alabama, and northern Florida areas, north to Ontario and Quebec.[10]
OG Observations: Native American ethnobotanicals need to see a resurgence in popularity and use. I'm in the process of making that happen. I am also going to add an Ayurveda and Chinese medicine section to the ethnobotanicals segment of this website. Rock on.
What is Phytochemistry? What are Phytochemicals? Phytochemist study the medicinal properties of plants by isolating pharmacological phytochemicals from them for research. Phytochemicals are what gives herbal medicine its medicinal qualities. Each plant produces a wide range of pharmacologically active chemical components, each of which has its own wide range of medicinal properties. This makes herbal supplements not a single drug, but an entire pharmacy of drugs. One plant, is a pharmacy, whereas one pill is a single drug. Popular phytochemicals include: CBD, THC, Caffeine, Morphine, Menthol, Melatonin.
Phytochemicals: The main phytochemical components of the essential oil of the Blazing star species (Liatris spicata) was 1,8-Cineole, and α-terpineol.[10] Other phytochemicals found in this species essential oils include: germacrene D (23.7%), myrcene (13.7%), α-pinene (8.1%), and caryophyllene oxide (5.9%).[10] A guaianolide sesquiterpenoid known as spicatin has been isolated by phytochemist from a chloroform extract of Blazing Star(L. spicata).[10] Essential amin acids in Liatris spicata: Isoleucine, leucine, lysine, phenyl alanine, threonine, tyrosine,valine, Non-essential amino acids: Arginine, proline, serine, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, asartic, histidine[11]
Pharmacological / Medicinal Properties: One study that was conducted on Blazing star(Liatris spicata), concluded that it was high in nutritional value.[11] An ethanolic extract of the plant exhibited diuretic, acute anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.[11] It's been reported that the plant is also an effective anodyne, antibacterial, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, stimulant and tonic[11] Common nutritional components of Blazing star include: "phosphorus in high percentages (405 mg/100g). The percentages of potassium, sodium, calcium and iron were 1.94, 0.59, 0.44 and 0.48 mg/100g, respectively"[11]
Related Ethnobotanicals: Bluebell (Campanula rotundifolia), Argyreia nervosa(HBWR), Indian Tobacco(Loeblia erinus), The Cocaine Plant(E. Coca), Rattlesnake Master(Eryngium aquaticum/yuccifolium)
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Academic citations:
[2] "U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases". 1992–2016.
[3] Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey (1975). Cherokee Plants and Their Uses -- A 400 Year History. Sylva, N.C.: Herald Publishing Co. p. 27.
[4] Densmore, Francis (1932). "Menominee Music". SI-BAE Bulletin (#102 ed.). p. 129.
[5] Bureau of Land Management Anasazi Heritage Center Plant Guide" (PDF). Dolores, CO. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-10.
[6] Mahr, Susan (2010). "Wisconsin Horticulture". Wisconsin Horticulture. University of Wisconsin-Extension. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
[7] Henry A. Gleason (1963). The New Britton and Brown Illustrated Flora of the Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada: Illustrated by Original Drawings. Vol. 3. New York Botanical Garden. p. 498.
[9] University of Wisconsin-Madison | Horticulture Department https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/liatris/
[10] Lawson, Sims K., Prabodh Satyal, and William N. Setzer. "The volatile phytochemistry of seven native american aromatic medicinal plants." Plants 10.6 (2021): 1061.
[11] EL FISHAWY, AHLAM M., KADRIYA S. EL DEEB, SHAHIRA M. EZZAT, MARWA I. EZZAT, and AMANY A. SLEEM. "PHYTOCHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF LIATRIS SPICATA (L.) CORMS."
Encyclopedia Sources:
[1] Wikipedia contributors, "Liatris spicata," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liatris_spicata (accessed December 12, 2024).
[8] Plants For A Future Archive
Other resources:
M.A.P.S. Ethnobotanical Studies By Scholars
PubChem - pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov