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January 2025
The first plant we would like to introduce you to is Purple Stem Angelica (Angelica atropurpurea). Purple stem angelica loves floodplains and riverbanks. Along Murder Creek in Akron and Newstead New York, Angelica is found in huge colonies. Angelica grows alongside giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) along the creek bed where valuable hardwood trees were clear cut and ash trees lie dead from the emerald ash borer.
This is an extremely harsh environment. As trees were logged the sandy loam soil eroded over many decades changing the landscape considerably. This area is subject to ice sheer which makes it difficult for young trees to grow and regenerate the area. The ice freezes along this area during harsh winters. When the water drains, as it inevitably does, it leaves gaps between the ice shelf and the drained water and the ice cracks and drops to the ground. It is challenging for trees to survive the ice without some protection. That has left the area to exist as a meadow and it is here that Angelica thrives. When the ragweed grows slower in drier springs the Angelica shows their seed heads on the horizon of the meadows.
An Amazing Native Plant
“Its name was derived from a monk's dream in which St. Michael, the Archangel, appeared telling the monk what herb to use to help victims of the bubonic plague that was decimating Europe in 1665, (Grieve 36).”3 Medicinal parts include the root, herb and seed. The impact on the body includes, but is not limited to, aromatic, stimulant, expectorant, and diuretic. Native Americans used angelica as a tonic from the roots for rheumatism, seasonal colds, headaches, fever and stomach disorders.1
Angelica is an herb with alternate leaves, ovate leaf shape and grows six feet or more depending on the circumstances. The bloom color is white and green during the months of June, July and August in riparian and swampy habitats in sun or part shade. Angelica also serves as a host plant to the black swallowtail butterfly.
The root, seed, and fruit are used medicinally. Angelica is aromatic, expectorant and diuretic and can be used as a tea. Angelica is used for heartburn, intestinal gas (flatulence), loss of appetite (anorexia), arthritis, circulation problems, "runny nose" (respiratory catarrh), nervousness, plague, and trouble sleeping (insomnia). Angelica is also used to increase urine production, improve sex drive, stimulate the production and secretion of phlegm, and kill germs. Some people apply angelica directly to the skin for nerve pain (neuralgia), joint pain (rheumatism), and skin disorders. Angelica is also used in veterinary practices and the food industry.
I use angelica infused oil in soap making as well as our Seal Salve. Seal salve is great for musculoskeletal pain like arthritis, sciatica and rheumatism. Solomon seal alone is great for pain but is becoming increasingly scarcer due to overharvesting and habitat loss. Angelica is one way to make seal salve more sustainable.
Resources and Learn More:
5. Hutchens, A. (1992) A Handbook of Native American Herbs. Shambhala Publications:Colorado.
6. Hutchens, A (1973) Indian Herbalogy of North America: The Definitive Guide to Native Medicinal Plants and Their Uses. Shambhala Publications:Colorado.
7. Moerman, D. (2009) Native American Medicinal Plants: An Ethnobotanical Dictionary. Timber Press:New York.
8. Neves, L. (2020) Northeast Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 111 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness. Timber Press:New York.
9. Shimmer, P. (1999) Healing Secrets of the Native Americans: Herbs, Remedies, and Practices That Restore the Body, Refresh the Mind, and Rebuild the Spirit. Black Dog & Leventhal:New York.
10. USDA NRCS (2010) Culturally Significant Plants.
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