Post by Sam on May 4, 2015 5:39:54 GMT -5
For hundreds of years Squaw Root has been used primarily to help women, particularly in the area of childbirth. The herb has been used to stimulate uterine contractions and induces and promotes the onset of labor when delivery is due or in cases of delayed labor. As a uterine stimulant, Squaw Root also helps in cases of prolonged labor by relaxing the uterus and increasing cervical dilation for easier delivery, less pain and exhaustion and, thus, has earned the nickname, "A Woman's Best Friend." In contrast, Squaw Root will also stop false labor pains.
As an effective diuretic, Squaw Root induces and increases the flow of urine and will help eliminate excess water in the system. The herb also promotes heavy perspiration, which will help eliminate toxins through the skin.
As a mild expectorant, Squaw Root is still used today by herbalists to reduce congestion and help treat bronchitis.
Squaw Root is a tonic that has been known to calm and improve nervous disorders (it has been used to treat hysteria). As an herbal antispasmodic, Squaw Root affects the whole system, thereby having an additional effect on the nervous system. Squaw Root has been used to relieve muscle cramps, spasms and some epileptic seizures, hiccough (hiccup) and whooping cough.
In further promoting women's good health, Squaw Root is believed to have beneficial effects on uterine ailments, including leukorrhea (vaginal discharge) and vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina). It is also thought to help pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, erratic menstruation and retained placenta. In addition, the herb is also believed to relieve ovarian neuralgia.
Squaw Root is an anti-inflammatory that helps to reduce the inflammation of rheumatism, arthritis and gout.
Squaw Root is considered an emmenogogue, an agent that is used to encourage menstruation and regulate its flow.
An old use for Squaw Root was as an effective anthelmintic, a medicine that destroys or expels worms that inhabit the intestinal canal. An alkaloid in Squaw Root, methylcytisine, appears to stimulate intestinal activity and may, thus, be responsible for this purging action