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Common Name: Western Gromwell

General Information

Lithospermum ruderale is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.75 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Western N. America - British Columbia to California.

Habitat

Open, fairly dry places from the foothills to moderate elevations[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.75 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a sunny position in a moderately fertile well-drained soil[].

Edible Uses

The seeds have been used for food[].

Medicinal

An infusion or decoction of the root has been used as a diuretic in the treatment of kidney complaints and also to treat internal haemorrhaging, diarrhoea etc[, ].
A poultice of the dried powdered leaves and stems has been used to relieve the pain of rheumatic joints[].
Some N. American Indian women drank a cold water infusion of the roots daily for six months to ensure permanent sterility[]. Alcoholic extracts of the plant have been shown to eliminate the oestrus cycle and decrease the weight of the thymus and pituitary glands[].

Other Uses

The plant has been used as a dye and body paint[]. No more details are given in the report, but it is likely that the root is used and the colour is some shade of red[].
The hard, white, shiny seeds have been used as beads[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings.
Division.