The plant which I am calling American Sweet Cicely (to distinguish it from the European Sweet Cicely which was covered in my last post) is also known as Anise Root, Sweet Anise and Sweet Chervil. Its latin name is Osmorhiza longistylis and it is a native of the Eastern United States. It is not related to anise, anise hyssop, European sweet cicely or chervil.
American Sweet Cicely is a large perennial, reaching a height of around 45 inches (1.2m). It will grow happily in most soils, so long as they are moist, in full sun or semi-shade. It is useful in the kitchen; roots, leaves and young shoots and green seeds can be used raw in salad, the roots can be cooked and the dried seeds used as a seasoning. Finally, the leaves can be used to make tea.
The part used for medicine is the root. It is not one of the most active herbs medicinally speaking, but despite this, it should be avoided in early pregnancy, as one of its uses is to treat amenorrhea (late periods). However, when it is time to deliver the child, it is one of the herbs recommended to ease childbirth.
Make a decoction by putting half an ounce (15g) of dried root into a pint of cold water in a pan. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, then strain and use or bottle for later use. The dose is 75ml (one third US cup) up to 3 times a day. Use this to treat the maladies previously mentioned, and also as a general tonic and treatment for disorders of the kidneys and stomach.
As with all herbs and plants grown for medicinal use, and in particular those where the root is the active portion, American sweet cicely should be grown organically so as to ensure that the efficacy of the active constituents is not masked or changed entirely by the presence of foreign chemicals. To find out more about growing organic herbs visit the Gardenzone.
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I am looking to buy seed, root division or plant of the american sweet cicely. do you know where to get it?? thanks!
This is a duplicate, so removed
OK. I’ve found someone on the Helpful Gardener forum who bought this plant, so I’ve contacted them and asked for the address of the supplier. In the meantime, I found it on this site: http://hoosinn.theshoppe.com/herbs.html – though how to buy I’m not sure. You could try emailing the owner by clicking on the teepee at the bottom of the page. It’s also mentioned here: http://www.ioffer.com/i/Sweet-Cicely-Osmorhiza-longisty-Herb-Seed-Package-21694776 and if you scroll right down nearly to the bottom, there’s a phone number for the owner of the site in the box, as again there seems to be no way to actually buy on that page. Go figure!