Bistort

Polygonum bistorta

MEDICINAL:

• Bistort root, when ground and mixed with echinacea, myrrh, and goldenseal, is a great dressing for cuts and other wounds.
• It is also a powerful astringent, used by mixing a teaspoon in a cup of boiled water,
• and drunk several times a day, as a treatment for diarrhea and dysentery.
• The same mixture can be used as a gargle for sore throats.
• Bistort is good to drive out infectious disease,
• and is effective for all internal and external bleeding.

RELIGIOUS:

• An amulet fashioned of the root of Bistort is carried when one wishes to conceive.
• Sprinkle an infusion of bistort around your home to keep out unwanted visitors of the mischievous variety, such as poltergeists, sprites, etc.

GROWING: Bistort prefers damp soils, such as in cultivated fields. It is native to Europe, but has been grown in Nova Scotia and as far south as Massachusetts. It is a perennial that reaches up to 30 inches tall.