Scented Solomon’s Seal for poison ivy, bruises and wounds

Scented Solomon’s seal, Polygonatum odoratum (syn. Polygonatum officinale, P. anceps or P. vulgare), is often just called Solomon’s seal, but as this name applies to the whole genus, you would be best to go by the latin name when buying the plant or its seed for medicinal use, as the other members of the genus do not have the same properties. Other names by which it is called include angled Solomon’s seal and angular Solomon’s seal.

Scented Solomon’s seal is an attractive plant and may be grown as an ornamental – though as stated, be sure exactly which plant you are looking at before considering its use for medicine. Unfortunately, the fruits are poisonous, so you should either (a) remove the fruits (which look like green berries) as they appear, (b) keep it well out of the reach of children or (c) teach them not to touch it – but bear in mind if they bring friends around to play in the garden, teaching your children may not be enough.

Scented Solomon’s seal is native to Europe and will be found growing wild from Britain to the Himalayas in rocky areas and woods growing on limestone. It is one of very few medicinal herbs which can be grown in full shade or dappled shade – but not in full sun. It’s not fussy about soil type or acidity, so long as it is well drained. Reaching a height of 2 foot 9 inches (80cm), it is a hardy perennial which would be ideal for adding a bit of interest to that shady area in the garden.

You should have several plants on the go at the same time, because you will have to dig one up if you’re going to use it for medicine and they take several years to reach a decent size. This is great if you have a biggish shady patch in the garden, as not a lot else will grow there anyway, and a big patch of the same thing generally looks good. Dig up in fall for preference, before the ground gets too hard. The top part can be discarded, as what you’re after is the underground portion: a rhizome. What you don’t use straight away can be sliced and laid out on trays to dry somewhere airy and out of the sun, turning the pieces over every few days until completely dry. Store in an airtight container somewhere cool and away from light.

Medicinally, scented Solomon’s seal is used both externally and internally. However, internal use is really only for professionals so unless you have a qualification in herbal medicine, please stick to the external uses outlined here.

The part used is the root, properly called a rhizome. If you want to get technical, this isn’t really a root at all but an underground stem. Most of us would look at it and think “root”, though. This is used mainly in the form of a pulp for making poultices, but a decoction is used for other purposes. To make a decoction, put 30g (1 ounce) of root into a saucepan with about 450ml (2.5 US cups, 1 UK pint) of cold water, bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and continue heating until the liquid is reduced by half. Note that this is for external use only.

Use a poultice to treat bruises and wounds, and the decoction to wash areas affected by poison ivy.

As with all plants grown for medicinal purposes, scented Solomon’s seal should be grown organically to ensure that it retains its essential constituents, and that these are not masked by the presence of foreign chemicals. To find out more about growing organic scented Solomon’s seal visit the Gardenzone.

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