Parts Used: Grass (all above ground without too coarse stems).
Pharmacy name: small-flowered herb – Erigeronis (canadensis) herba (formerly: Herba Erigeronis [canadensis]).
Botanical description.A plant in height from 10 to 100 cm, with an upright rounded stem, densely leafy, unbranched, having stiff hairy branches only in the inflorescence. The leaves are short-pubescent, lanceolate, with bristly cilia along the edge, tapering into a petiole. Numerous yellowish-white baskets are collected in a long branched panicle. Blooms in July-August. Occurs in wastelands and arable lands, now very numerous. Clearings, clearings, bushes, railway embankments and wastelands are inhabited by this Asteraceae, which comes from America and first came to Europe in the 17th century. It spreads quickly due to the amazing unpretentiousness and the extremely large number of seeds produced by each plant. Collection and harvesting is carried out during flowering in mid-summer. The stems are cut to the width of the palm above the soil, tied into bunches and hung out to dry.
Active ingredients: essential oil, tannins, also flavonoids and choline.
Healing action and application. In America, it is used mainly as a remedy for all kinds of diarrhea, which is primarily due to tannins. This action significantly reinforces the essential oil. Its use as a hemostatic agent and against rheumatism, also gout, is highly doubtful.
Small-flowered tea: Pour 1/4 liter of boiling water over 1 full teaspoon of herbs and strain after 10 minutes. If necessary, drink 2-3 times a day in a cup in small sips. If there are other plants of the same action, it is better to use them, for example, erect cinquefoil or dried blueberries.
Use in homeopathy. The original tincture of Erigeron canadensis is made from fresh flowering plants. Used in dilutions D 1 -D6 for renal and uterine bleeding.
Application in folk medicine. In ancient times, of course, they did not know plants native to America, so the authors of medieval herbalists, who drew their knowledge mainly from ancient sources, also do not mention it. In folk medicine, the small-petal is used recently and not often, mainly as a hemostatic and fixative (for diarrhea) remedy.
Side effects are unknown.