Solomon’s Seal

January 5th, 2009

Botanical Name: Polygonatum biflorum
Family: Liliaceae
Other Names: American Solomon’s Seal, King Solomon’s Seal, King Solomon’s-seal, Small Solomon’s Seal, Lady’s Seals. St. Mary’s Seal.
Synonyms: Lady’s Seals. St. Mary’s Seal. Sigillum Sanctae Mariae.
(French) Scean de Solomon.
(German) Weusswurz.
Part Used: Root.

Habitat: Solomon’s Seal is a common plant that occurs in every county of Illinois . Habitats include moist to slightly dry deciduous woodlands, shady seeps, young flatwoods, woodland borders, and fencerows that are overgrown with shrubs or trees. Less often, this plant may occur in meadows near woodlands and mesic prairies. Solomon’s Seal occurs in both high quality and degraded woodlands.

Perennial native herb found growing in moist sandy, loamy or rocky woods and thickets, N. America from New Brunswick to Michigan, south to Tennessee and Florida.

Description:
This native perennial plant is about 2-3′ tall and unbranched. The central stem is glabrous, glaucous, and round in circumference; it leans over to one side. The alternate leaves are up to 6″ long and 4″ across; they are spaced fairly close together along the stem. These leaves are ovate and glabrous; they have parallel veins and clasp the stem.
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From the upper axils of the middle and upper leaves, there are nodding umbels of 1-5 flowers (rarely more than this). A typical plant will have 12-20 of these umbels, which hang below the leaves. The peduncle and pedicels of each umbel are slender and green. The flowers are whitish green or pale yellowish green and about 2/3–3/4″ in length. Each flower has a narrow tubular shape with 6 small lobes that are slightly recurved. Within the interior of this flower, there is a pistil with a single style and 6 stamens. The blooming period occurs during late spring or early summer and lasts about 3 weeks. Each flower is replaced by a spheroid berry that is about 1/3–1/2″ across. This berry is initially green, but it eventually becomes dark blue-violet. The root system produces rhizomes that are rather stout and knobby; on the upper surface of these rhizomes, there are circular scars. This plant often forms colonies.

The creeping root, rhizome, or underground stem, is thick and white, twisted and full of knots, with large circular scars at intervals, these scars give Solomon’s Seal it’s name. Stems grow to a height of from 18 inches to 2 feet, or even more and bend over gracefully. Large, light green, and broad ovate leaves grow alternately on the stem, clasping it at the bases. The flowers are tubular, succulent and thick, light yellow- green, and hang in little drooping clusters of two to five, growing from the leaf axils. Flowers bloom April to June. The fruit is a small berry about the size of a pea, blackish-blue, fruit is not edible, said to be poisonous. Gather roots in fall as flows fade, dry for later herb use.

Cultivation: Typical growing conditions are light shade to partial sun, mesic levels of moisture, and fertile loamy soil. This plant is fairly rugged and tolerates less than ideal conditions. The foliage persists all summer and is rarely bothered by disease.A very hardy plant, it prefers a light soil and a shady situation. Seeds, or transplants, if taken up with plenty of soil.

Constituents:The main constituents are saponins (similar to diosgenin), flavonoids, and vitamins. The rhizome and herb contain Convallarin, one of the active constituents of Lily-of-the-Valley, also Asparagin, gum, sugar, starch and pectin.

Uses:
The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract various long-tongued bees, including bumblebees, Anthophorine bees, and Little Carpenter bees. The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird also sucks nectar from the flowers. Short-tongued Halictid bees may visit the flowers to collect pollen, but they are not effective pollinators. The berries are eaten by the Greater Prairie Chicken and various birds of the woodlands. White-Tailed Deer are quite fond of the foliage and will chomp off the tops of plants to about 6″ above the ground.

Solomon’s Seal is edible and medicinal, the young edible shoots are an excellent vegetable when boiled and eaten like Asparagus. The root is edible after boiling in three changes of water or sun baked, and is a good source of starch. This herb has a long history of use in alternative medicine dating back to the time of Dioscorides and Pliny.
Medicinal Action and Uses: Astringent, demulcent and tonic. Combined with otherremedies, Solomon’s Seal is given in pulmonary consumption and bleeding of the lungs. It is useful also in female complaints. The infusion of 1 OZ. to a pint of boiling water is taken in wineglassful doses and is also used as an injection. It is a mucilaginous tonic, very healing and restorative, and is good in inflammations of the stomach and bowels, piles, and chronic dysentery.

A strong decoction given every two or three hours has been found to cure erysipelas, if at the same time applied externally to the affected parts.

The powdered roots make an excellent poultice for bruises, piles, inflammations and tumours. The bruised roots were much used as a popular cure for black eyes, mixed with cream. The bruised leaves made into a stiff ointment with lard served the same purpose. Gerard says:
‘The roots of Solomon’s Seal, stamped while it is fresh and greene and applied, taketh away in one night or two at the most, any bruise, blacke or blew spots gotten by fals or women’s wilfulness in stumbling upin their hastie husband’s fists, or such like.’
A decoction of the root in wine was considered a suitable beverage for persons with broken bones, ‘as it disposes the bones to knit.’ On this point, Gerard adds:
‘As touching the knitting of bones and that truly which might be written, there is not another herb to be found comparable to it for the purposes aforesaid; and therefore in briefe, if it be for bruises inward, the roots must be stamped, some ale or wine put thereto and strained and given to drinke . . . as well unto themselves as to their cattle,’ it being applied ‘outwardly in the manner of a pultis’ for external bruises.
Parkinson says, ‘The Italian dames, however, doe much use the distilled water of the whole plant of Solomon’s Seal’ – for their complexions, etc.
In Galen’s time, the distilled water was used as a cosmetic, and Culpepper says:
‘the diluted water of the whole plant used to the face or other parts of the skin, cleanses it from freckles, spots or any marks whatever, leaving the place fresh, fair and lovely, for which purpose it is much used by the Italian ladies and is the principal ingredient of most of the cosmetics and beauty washes advertised by perfumers at high price.’
The roots macerated for some time in water yield a substance capable of being used as food and consisting principally of starch. The young shoots form an excellent vegetable when boiled and eaten like Asparagus, and are largely consumed in Turkey. The roots of another species have been made into bread in times of scarcity, but they require boiling or baking before use.
The flowers and roots used as snuff are celebrated for their power of inducing sneezing and thereby relieving head affections. They also had a wide vogue as aphrodisiacs, for love philtres and potions.

The berries are stated to excite vomiting, and even the leaves, nausea, if chewed.

The properties of these roots have not been very fully investigated. It is stated that a decoction will afford not only relief but ultimate cure in skin troubles caused by the poison vine, or poisonous exalations of other plants.

Dosage of the decoction: 1 to 4 OZ. three times daily.

As a remedy for piles the following has been found useful: 4 OZ. Solomon’s Seal, 2 pints water, 1 pint molasses. Simmer down to 1 pint, strain, evaporate to the consistence of a thick fluid extract, and mix with it from 1/2 to 1 OZ. of powdered resin. Dosage: 1 teaspoonful several times daily.

A medicinal infusion of root or rhizome, is used in alternative medicine as an astringent, demulcent, and tonic. The dried herb is taken as a laxative and restorative, and is good in inflammations of the stomach, indigestion, profuse menstruation, lung ailments, general debility, bowels, piles, and chronic dysentery. A medicinal poultice of the fresh roots is said to fade bruises, also applied to cuts and sores.

Other Species:
Polygonatum biflorum, an American Solomon’s Seal, has characters and constitution similar to the European.

P. uniflorum, now P. officinale, is said to be no longer used. The plant bears a single fragrant flower.

P. verticillatum, bearing its leaves in whorls, is only found in Scotland, and then rarely.

Smilacina Racemosa is known as False Solomon’s Seal.

Folklore:
Once believed to have aphrodisiac properties, and used in love potions. More than likely due to its ability to stop profuse menstruation. Gerard says: ‘The roots of Solomon’s Seal, stamped while it is fresh and greene and applied, taketh away in one night or two at the most, any bruise, blacke or blew spots gotten by falls or women’s wilfulness in stumbling upin their hastie husband’s fists, or such like.’

Recipe:
“Medicinal” tea: To 1 tsp. dried herb add 1 cup boiling water, steep for 10 min. sweeten to taste, take in the morning as laxative.

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:

http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/solomon_seal.htm

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/solsea63.html