Witnessed by: Western
Gumweed (Grindelia camporum), of the Asteraceae family. Resinous perennial with stiff stems and sticky, gummy flower-heads; native range: dry plains and roadsides of western North America. Globally recognized as gum plant, rosinweed, tarweed in English. The part used is flowering tops and leaves. Balsamic and resinous in odour, bitter and acrid to taste.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
GUMWEED
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- gumweed
- Scientific name
- Grindelia camporum Greene
- Family
- Asteraceae
Form
- Part used
- flowering tops and leaves
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Western
- bitter · acrid (balsamic-resinous)
Temperature
- Western
- warm, drying
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- lungs · nerves (vagus) · kidneys
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Western
- antispasmodic, expectorant, bronchodilator, mild vagal sedative, antiseptic
Cautions
Contraindications: cardiac weakness; large doses may irritate the kidneys
Toxicity: resins irritant in overdose; the plant may concentrate selenium from soil
Interactions
- Western
- antihypertensives: may add to blood-pressure lowering and cardiac depression
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