Gumeweed

Energetics:
Bitter, moist, pungent, warm

Common Names:
Gumweed, August Flower, Asthma Weed, Gumplant, Grindelia, Resin Weed, Rosin Weed, Sticky Heads, Tarweed, Yerba del Buey

Latin Name:
Grindelia robusta

Family Name:
Asteraceae - Aster / Sunflower family

Functions:
Antispasmodic, aromatic, cardiac relaxant, demulcent, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, hypotensive, sedative, tonic

TCM Functions:

  1. Regulates Lung Qi, opens the chest and relieves constraint
    * Asthmatic breathing, tight sore chest, hacking cough
    * Nervous heart beat, palpitations
  2. Promotes urination and reduces fluid congestion
    * Edema, labored breathing, urinary tract infections
  3. Promotes tissue repair and benefit's the skin
    * Poison ivy, eczema and dermatitis (esp. from deficiency)

Therapeutics:
Used for asthma, bronchitis, catarrh, colds, cough, cystitis, emphysema, hay fever, measles, sinus congestion, tuberculosis, whooping cough and poison ivy.

Notes:
Gumweed is a superior remedy for the cough that plagues many children in the dry Colorado Fall, that lingering dry spasmodic cough with rattling, sticky sputum.

Tradition:
The natives boiled the root and drank the tea for the liver; buds on the plant were dried for use with smallpox and measles. A decoction of the leaves was made for running sores, and spring collection of the flowering tops were used as a blood purifier. Gumweed was used by Native Americans to treat most bronchial ailments and reactions to poison ivy. None-the-less, it was not recognized by orthodox practitioners in the US. until the mid 19'' century. Gumweed was officially recognized in the Pharmacopoeia of the United States from 1882 to 1926.

UpS Alternatives:
Use Gumweed as an analog to endangered species Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon californicum). Gumweed is highly available and easy to grow.

Contraindications:
Avoid in cases of Allergic Hypersensitivity to plants in the Asteraceae family. Excess can cause irritation on the kidneys due to the resins in the plant. Avoid in cases of a deficient heart, as it can lower blood pressure.