Wood Sage, Teucrium canadense, a member of the mint family that has interesting irregular flowers that will be in bloom from June to September. The plant has opposite leaves and the leaves are toothed, lance or egg-shaped. This plant has not been used as a wild edible but it was used for a few medicinal purposes. Western herbal medicine had used this plant to cause urination, induce sweeting, and start menstruation. It was used for amenorrhea, leucorrhea, chronic bronchitis, gout, dropsy TB and whooping cough.
Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry.
Wood Sage Sources:
Audubon Guides Box Set – Birds, Tree, Wildflowers & Mammals. Computer Software.Green Mountain Digital. Version: 2.3. Web. Jul 10, 2014.
Felter, Harvey Wickes, M.D., and John Uri Lloyd, Phr. M., Ph. D. King’s American Dispensatory, Vol. 2. Cincinnati: The Ohio Valley Company, 1905. pg. 1924-1925
Foster, Steven and James A. Duke. The Peterson Field Guide Series; A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America. 2nd. ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000. Print. pg. 183-184
Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 874-85
United States Department of Agriculture. Natural Resources Conservation Services. Web.
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