hoary balsamroot
Balsamorhiza incana Nutt.
Medicinal Documentation
Decoction of leaves, roots, and stems taken for stomach pains. Additional commentary: For pains in the stomach and for colds, a tea was made of the leaves, roots, and stems. For headaches, a person would hold her head over the steam of this infusion. In childbirth, a woman was given the root to facilitate the process.156 Moerman states that B. sagittata is used as a gynecological aid, an oral aid, a panacea, a throat aid, and a toothache remedy, and that both species of Balsamhorriza are used as an analgesic, a cold remedy, and in gastrointestinal issues.157
Decoction of leaves, roots, and stems used as a steam bath for headaches
Infusion of leaves, stems, and roots taken for colds.
Botanical Reference
Parts Documented: leaves, roots, stems
Distribution: Moist to moderately dry, open sites in the montane zone; Idaho to Wyoming and Montana