Plant Profile: Spikenard (Aralia racemosa) - a regenerative herb of the Eastern US and Southwest desert region

A close relative of American ginseng, spikenard is a beautiful, ephemeral plant which dies back to the ground each autumn, arising again from the earth in the spring.

Browsed by deer and elk, shaded by Douglas Firs and Aspen, nestled amongst large boulders strewn over the steep hillside, . . . gracefully the delicate green branches emerge from spicy aromatic rhizomes creating an understory for squirrels and chipmunks. Spikenard is emblematic of secluded and serene canyons, places where one can disappear into the forest . . . 

Other Names:  American Spikenard, Life-of-Man, Petty-morel, Spignet

Family: Araliaceae

Origin:  Spikenard is native to North America. Aralia is derived from French Canadian.

Energetics:  Hot & Dry. Pungent/acrid, spicy sweet, slightly bitter. Vital Stimulant. Tonic.

Properties:  Stimulating expectorant, mild aromatic bitter, digestive, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, alterative, Lung tonic/rejuvenative, diaphoretic

Uses:  Asthmatic cough, dry cough, hectic cough upon lying down, backache, laryngitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, bronchorrhea/excess bronchial mucous, hay fever, nasal discharge, cystitis, mastitis, arthritis, skin eruptions, weak digestion, heavy night sweats, depleted adrenals.

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A Nice Walk in the Woods

Although there are at least 68 recognized Aralia species across the world, I’m going to focus on only a few species here, mainly, Aralia racemosa. A. racemosa and Aralia humilis are both native to Arizona and are found frequently, yet the populations are disparate. A. racemosa has an extensive range all the way back to the east coast. A. humilis is found only in southern Arizona and down to southern Mexico in the state of Oaxaca.

I enjoy imagining that as I amble down a rocky canyon lined with oaks and ocotillos above on the hillside in Arizona looking for tree snakes and signs of jaguar before I stumble upon a patch of A. humilis, that some man like myself walking a canyon in Oaxaca may be looking at very similar life forms in nature.

One would assume Aralia species to be rather diverse to exist from North Carolina to Oregon to Arizona to Oaxaca, yet this deciduous or herbaceous perennial shrub cuts a similar figure in whatever terrain it grows. One exception is A. nudicaulis. Another plant of the eastern woodlands with unique, disjunct populations occurring in small pockets in the west.

One interesting difference between A. nudicaulis and the other Aralia species is the appearance of the globose racemes of flowers below the short canopy of leaves. All other Aralia species send their flowers up above the surrounding pinnate leaf clusters. The rhizomatous habit of A. nudicaulis is unique by comparison as well. It sends out long runners which I have followed for 12’ just a couple inches below the soil’s surface before adjoining another sprouting leaf cluster. This plant was used by various tribes as well as by medical professionals of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was often used as a detoxifying agent or a “blood cleanser.” Several tribes across Turtle Island used it as a cough remedy. We once made a very powerful cough syrup upon the fortune of finding cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum), A. nudicaulis, and oshá (Ligusticum porteri) all growing in proximity. The compilation of fresh roots made a wonderful (and terribly bitter) tea to which we added freshly made mesquite pod syrup. Some herbal creations I could never think up, they just come into being.

Wherever you happen to find Aralia species it’s going to be a relatively lush, verdant place. Every population of Aralia species I have come across in Arizona is in a lovely place. It’s the type of place where you want to lay down within the shade and stare up at the slivers of sky made by the tree canopy. A place you may feel you have all to yourself, embraced and sacred. A place where elk, deer, or bighorn sheep may gather. A wild retreat.

A Deep Breath

One of my favorite diversions during a day of romping through the forests and canyons of the White Mountains in Arizona is to chew on a spicy, aromatic stem of spikenard. It brightens my mood instantly, and renews my vigor for any current activity. I can feel my cells becoming better oxygenated. My mind is sharper, my muscles livelier, with more bounce in my step. I discovered one of my favorite patches of spikenard while on the lookout for elk antlers for a carver friend. “That wooded embankment looks good,” I thought to myself as I ambled back down the canyon after a day of exploring the upper reaches. Upon entering the stand of large Douglas firs and ponderosa pines, some long dead and shedding their cubic yards of bark to resemble a residential demolition, I quickly came across a 5-point elk rack. Looking up from the gifted treasure I could see a rocky hillside strewn with dozens of spikenard plants happily basking in the dappled sun of the north-facing, boulder strewn hillside. My enjoyment was uncontainable - ‘This is a place I could take my final rest,‘ I believe I thought to myself. And so began our relationship . . . 

The gentleman I found the elk rack for was also suffering from emphysema. We took a walk that afternoon and I helped him identify it. He would use it intermittently over the next year or so before he passed away in a medical facility, cigarette in hand.

Nonetheless, I have seen dramatic turnarounds from the use of this herb. Any cases of chronic debility in the lungs with asthma, tumors, fungal infections, and the like. I would always turn to oshá, yerba santa, or perhaps wild oregano to address the acute, hot stages, but the root of spikenard, in particular, is an excellent rejuvenative for the lungs and the endocrine system, in general, once the body has lifted out of the acute throes of an illness.

I prefer a high alcohol, fresh root tincture. The fresh leaf tincture, on the other hand, is more transformative for conditions of stuck phlegm with deficient blood supply to the lungs. Think of someone with a chronic, raspy, weak cough in the dead of winter who hasn’t seen much sun and is living in cold, damp conditions. Overall, the leaf preparations are warmer and drier. Whereas, the root preparations are more toning and building with a moist quality - great for a Vata type condition, or for those familiar with four humours classifications, a melancholic (cold & dry) condition or individual. I believe it to be a nice tonic to take throughout the winter time (again, think melancholic) even for those with strong lungs.

One interesting fact is how inter-related lung and kidney function is. The Chinese understood this well. In the winter months, depleted Kidney energy can become evident by lower back or knee pain, frequent urination, aversion to cold, and labored/tight breathing. As the Kidneys are thought to “bring water up to the lungs” and moisten them, kidney deficiency causing frequent urination and poor distribution of fluids can cause constipation (increasing a build-up of toxins) and dry mucous membranes in the lungs (diminishing immune function); note the Yin/Yang relationship of the Lungs and Large Intestine. A remedy such as spikenard root is moistening to the body’s fluids, nourishes adrenal function and Kidney energy thereby helping to balance out a deficiency in the Kidneys leading to impaired lung function. We are made up of fluid, interdependent systems.

 

More on Medicine 

Herbalist and acupuncturist, Jonathan Edwards, has this to say about Spikenard: “Spikenard opens the pathways of nourishment.” I would have to confer with this statement. Insights into the use of herbs comes from various angles and at different levels of perception. His experiences may run deep, carrying a meaning more extensive than that simple sentence. I recognize the various ways Spikenard acts on the human body once ingested: it enhances digestion, immediately opens up and stimulates respiration, calms the mind and senses, enhances eliminative functions, and supports neuroendocrine function. The continued use of the herb as a simple or in formulation has a cumulative effect in how it nourishes our whole being. I find it less stimulating than American ginseng (Panax quinquifolius), a close relative, with less of a boost to energy, but they both work to build up adrenal output and promote a sense of ease and strength within the nervous system when taken over time; perhaps spikenard is even more appropriate in milder cases of fatigue. 

(Panax quinquifolius in Michigan)

I once spent the night of Samhain camped beside my favorite patch of Aralia. Expecting to witness spirited visitors passing through worlds in the conducive old-growth grove in which I spent the freezing night, it ended up being the most quiet and peaceful night in the forest I have ever spent. Nothing. Not a flicker of an apparition, nor did one tiny hair stand up on my skin. Still as the frozen water in my bottle at daybreak. Upon reflection however, . . . through the faint flicker of my humble stick fire projected on to a mossy rock I intuited ancient ancestors working magic in their world of green and undulating nature. An image which would materialize in greater proportions in the coming years across the expanse of another distant canyon - another story for another time. Through this all there was the mysterious power of Aralia and its family perched above my temporary bed, the beds of elk herds, roaming wolves, and quiet deer. She whispered her ancient name to me and I felt it strike me with such clarity and starkness like a glimpse of the past so incomprehensible yet so palpable and real. The continuous fibers of light throughout all time are woven through the strands of Aralia’s being-ness awaiting our connection when we enter her forest sanctuary.