From The Forest

This sacred plant of Moon Lodge ceremonies grows from ten to 20 inches tall from a woody taproot. Its inconspicuous May to July blooming flowers are tiny, pale green to yellow and grow from the axils of the upper leaves. It you examine each small blossom you will see that the tube-shaped corolla opens into five petals. The tough, hairy stems are many and unbranched. Leaves are linear with a deeply incised center vein and up to four inches long. Puccoon grows in open dry places, hillsides and along roadways.

Constituents: Lithospermic acid, caffeic acid, D-3-(3,4- dihydroxyphenyl) lactic acid, chlorogenic acid, succinic acid, and rutin.

Cancer aid – Its ability to reduce sex hormone production indicates that Puccoon may be useful in treating breast cancer dependent on stimulation by estrogenic hormones.

Graves’ Disease – The plant strongly depresses the iodide pump but does not inhibit the organification process as do the drugs phenylthiouracil and mercaptoimidazole (which can cause allergic reactions). Use the combination of fresh leaf/flower tincture (30 drops) and root tincture (40 drops) in ½ cup cold water twice daily.

Prostate – Puccoon’s inactivation of LH (luteinizing hormone) helps reduce enlarged prostate glands. Use the combination of fresh leaf/flower tincture (1/4 tsp.) and root tincture (1/2 tsp.) in ½ cup cold water twice daily. Recent Research Documents: Journal of Naturopathic Medicine; Volume 1, Number 1; Inhibition of Endocrine Function by Botanical Agents by Francis Brinker, N.D; Received 12 July 1989, accepted for publication 1 February 1990.