Common Name: White Balsam

General Information

Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium is a usually erect, annual plant growing from a taproot; the stem can be 10 - 100cm long[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eastern and central N. America - Minnesota, through Ontario to Nova Scotia, south to Texas and Florida

Habitat

Pine woods and clearings[] in dry open habitats[]. Open sites, often disturbed, roadsides, fields, pastures, open woods, in various soils, most abundantly in sand; at elevations from 5 - 200 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a dry soil in an open sunny position[]. Tolerant of a range of soils in the wild, with a preference for sandy soils[].
Plants are sometimes grown in the wild garden[].
The leaves have a pleasant aromatic smell and an aromatic, slightly bitter, astringent agreeable taste[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The whole plant is anaphrodisiac, antiphlogistic, astringent, diaphoretic, expectorant, vermifuge[, ]. It is used internally in the treatment of throat ulcers, chest complaints, intestinal and respiratory catarrh etc[, 254. and is also applied externally as a poultice to bruises, indolent tumours etc[, ].

A tea made from the leaves and flowers is a mild nerve sedative, diuretic and antispasmodic[].

The fresh juice is considered to be aphrodisiac[]. It is anaphrodisiac according to another report[].

The aromatic dried flowers are used as a filling for pillows, having a sedative effect which is beneficial to consumptives[].

A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[]. This has proved to be of benefit in the treatment of sciatica, lumbago and some forms of arthritis[].

Other Uses

The plant is used as an insect repellent, it is placed in bedmats, books etc[] and in the linen cupboard[].

The flower heads are used as a stuffing material for mattresses[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer.