Lobelia is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

 comprising 360–400 species, with a subcosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan distribution

In biogeography, a taxon is said to have a cosmopolitan distribution if its range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. For instance, the killer whale has a cosmopolitan distribution, extending over most of the world's oceans. Other examples include humans, the lichen...

 distribution primarily in tropical to warm temperate regions of the world, a few species extending into cooler temperate regions. English names include Lobelia, Asthma Weed, Indian Tobacco, Pukeweed, and Vomitwort.

Some botanists place the genus and its relatives in the separate family Lobeliaceae

Lobeliaceae

Lobelioideae is a subfamily of the plant family Campanulaceae. It contains 32 genera, totalling about 1200 species. Some of the larger genera are Lobelia, Siphocampylus, Centropogon, Burmeistera and Cyanea....

, others as a subfamily Lobelioideae within the Campanulaceae

Campanulaceae

The family Campanulaceae , of the order Asterales, contains about 2000 species in 70 genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and rarely small trees, often with milky non-toxic sap...

. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group

Angiosperm Phylogeny Group

The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, or APG, refers to an informal international group of systematic botanists who came together to try to establish a consensus on the taxonomy of flowering plants that would reflect new knowledge about plant relationships discovered through phylogenetic studies., three...

 did not make a firm decision in this, listing the genus under both families.

Lobelia is probably the base form from which many other lobelioid genera are derived; it is therefore highly paraphyletic and not a good genus. For example, the Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

an species (see Hawaiian lobelioids

Hawaiian lobelioids

The Hawaiian lobelioids are a group of flowering plants in the bellflower family, Campanulaceae, all of which are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. This is the largest plant radiation in the Hawaiian Islands, and indeed the largest on any island archipelago, with over 125 species...

) originated from a single introduction to Hawaii 15 million years ago, probably from an Asian Lobelia in Lobelia subg. Tupa. However, the group has not yet been studied adequately to rearrange the classification.

Lobelia species are used as food plants by the larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

e of some Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...

 species including the Setaceous Hebrew Character

Setaceous Hebrew Character

The Setaceous Hebrew Character is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the Palearctic ecozone. It is a common species throughout Europe. It is also found in North America, from coast to coast across Canada and the northern United States to western Alaska. It occurs in the Rocky Mountains...

.

The genus is named after the Belgian botanist Matthias de Lobel

Matthias de Lobel

Mathias de l'Obel, Mathias de Lobel or Matthaeus Lobelius was born in Lille, Nord-Pas de Calais, France, and died at Highgate, London, England after serving as a physician to William, Prince of Orange and James I of England.Lobel studied medicine in Leuven and Montpellier...

 (1538–1616).

Selected species

Lobelia aberdarica Lobelia aberdarica Lobelia aberdarica is a species of plant in the Campanulaceae family. It is restricted to the uplands of Kenya and Uganda . Its natural habitats are lower and upper montane and subalpine swamps and meadows. It has been brought into cultivation.-References:* Agnew, A.D.Q. and S. Agnew. 1994. Upland... R.E. & T.C.E.Fries (Kenya Kenya Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...  and Uganda Uganda Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by... ) Lobelia anatina F.Wimmer – Southwestern Blue Lobelia Lobelia anceps L.f. Lobelia appendiculata A.DC Lobelia assurgens L. Lobelia bambuseti Lobelia berlandieri A.DC. Lobelia boykinii Torr. & A.Gray ex A.DC. Lobelia canbyi A.Gray Lobelia cardinalis Lobelia cardinalis Lobelia cardinalis is a species of Lobelia native to the Americas, from southeastern Canada south through the eastern and southwestern United States, Mexico and Central America to northern Colombia... L. (syn. L. fulgens) – Cardinal flower (Americas Americas The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily... ) Lobelia chinensis Lobelia chinensis Lobelia chinensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name .-Chemical constituents:... Lour. João de Loureiro João de Loureiro was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary, paleontologist, physician and botanist.In 1742 he travelled to Cochinchina, remaining there for 30 years. He became a specialist in Asian flora and on his return published Flora Cochinchinensis .- References :... – (East East Asia East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...  and South Asia South Asia South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east... ) Lobelia collina Lobelia collina Lobelia collina is a species of plant in the Campanulaceae family. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montanes and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:... Kunth Carl Sigismund Kunth Carl Sigismund Kunth , also Karl Sigismund Kunth or anglicized as Charles Sigismund Kunth, was a German botanist... (Ecuador Ecuador Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border... ) Lobelia comosa Lobelia coronopifolia Lobelia deckenii Lobelia deckenii Lobelia deckenii is a species of giant lobelia of the mountains of East Africa. It grows in moist areas, such as valley bottoms and moorland, in contrast to Lobelia telekii which grows in a similar, but drier habitat. These two species produce occasional hybrids... Hemsl. (Eastern Africa Africa Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area... ) Lobelia dentata Lobelia dentata Lobelia dentata is a herb found in eastern Australia. The habitat is eucalyptus woodland and forest, often on sandy soils. An uncommon species, but it may be locally abundant after bushfires.... Cav. Eastern Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... Lobelia dortmanna Lobelia dortmanna Lobelia dortmanna is a species of Lobelia native to cool temperate regions of northern Europe and northern North America .It is a stoloniferous herbaceous... L. (Northern North America and Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... ) Lobelia erinus Lobelia erinus Lobelia erinus is a species of Lobelia native to southern Africa, from Malawi and Namibia south to South Africa.-Description:... L. – Edging Lobelia (Southern Africa) Lobelia flaccidifolia Small Lobelia flaccida Lobelia gaudichaudii Lobelia gaudichaudii Lobelia gaudichaudii is a species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name Koolau Range lobelia. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Oahu.There are two subspecies of the plant. One, ssp... A.DC (island of Oahu Oahu Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...  in Hawaii) Lobelia gerardii Lobelia gibberoa Hemsl. Lobelia heterophylla Lobelia heterophylla Lobelia heterophylla is a blue to purple flowered herb found in Western Australia. The specific epithet refers to the variety of leaf forms found on individual plants. The species was first described by Jacques Labillardière in his seminal work on Australian flora, Novae Hollandiae Plantarum... Labill. Lobelia hypoleuca Hillebr. William Hillebrand William Hillebrand was a German physician. He traveled the world, including over 20 years in the Hawaiian islands. In 1850, Hillebrand lived at what is now Foster Botanical Garden in Honolulu. He also became known as a botanist.-Life and career:... – Kuhiaikamoowahie (Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of... ) Lobelia ilicifolia (syn. L. purpurascens) – Purple Lobelia Lobelia inflata Lobelia inflata Lobelia inflata is a species of Lobelia native to eastern North America, from southeastern Canada south through the eastern United States to Alabama and west to Kansas.-Growth:... L. – Indian Tobacco (Eastern North America)

Lobelia kalmii Lobelia kalmii Lobelia kalmii is a species of flowering plant with a distribution primarily across Canada and the northern United States in temperate and boreal regions... L. (Northern North America) Lobelia laxiflora Kunth – Sierra Madre Lobelia Lobelia leschenaultiana (C.Presl) Skottsb. Lobelia monostachya Lobelia monostachya Lobelia monostachya is a species of flowering plant in the Campanulaceae family that is endemic to the island of Oahu in Hawaii. It inhabits cliffside mesic shrublands in the southern Koolau Mountains at an elevation of . It was previously believed to be extinct. In 1994 it was rediscovered and... (Rock) Lammers (island of Oahu in Hawaii) Lobelia nicotianifolia Lobelia niihauensis Lobelia niihauensis Lobelia niihauensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name Niihau lobelia. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the islands of Oahu and Kauai. It is thought to be extirpated from Niihau... H.St.John Harold St. John Harold St. John was a professor of botany at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa from 1929 to 1958. A prolific specialist in field botany and systematics, he is credited with discovering about 500 new species of Pandanus, along with many other species, especially in the Pacific Islands.Born in... (islands of Niihau Niihau Niihau or Niihau is the seventh largest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii, having an area of . Niihau lies southwest of Kauai across the Kaulakahi Channel. Several intermittent playa lakes provide wetland habitats for the Hawaiian Coot, the Black-winged Stilt, and the... , Kauai Kauai Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",... , and Oahu in Hawaii) Lobelia oahuensis Lobelia oahuensis Lobelia oahuensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name Oahu lobelia. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Oahu. There are about 100 individuals remaining in the Koʻolau Range, and only one known individual in the... Rock (island of Oahu in Hawaii) Lobelia persicifolia Lam. Lobelia pratioides Lobelia pratioides Lobelia pratioides is a small prostrate flowering plant, native to Australia. The leaves are usually between 6 and 15 mm long. Pale blue or lilac flowers are produced from November to January in the species native range... Benth. – Poison Lobelia (Australia) Lobelia pinifolia Lobelia puberula Michx. Lobelia pyramidalis Wall. Lobelia rhombifolia Lobelia rhombifolia Lobelia rhombifolia, commonly known as Tufted Lobelia, is an annual plant from southern Australia. It is 0.05 to 0.3 metres high and produces purple flowers with a white throat and two recurved upper lobes... de Vriese Lobelia rosea Wall. ex Roxb. Lobelia sessilifolia Lamb. Lobelia siphilitica Lobelia siphilitica The Great Blue Lobelia is a species within the Campanulaceae family. It is an herbaceous, perennial dicot native to eastern and central Canada and United States. Growing up to a meter tall, it lives in zones 4 to 9 in moist to wet soils. It produces a spike of zygomorphic flowers in the late... L. (Eastern and Central North America) Lobelia spicata Lam. Lobelia telekii Lobelia telekii Lobelia telekii is a species of flowering plant in the bellflower family, Campanulaceae, that is found only in the alpine zones of Mount Kenya, Mount Elgon, and the Aberdare Mountains of East Africa. It lives at high altitudes on well-drained sloped hillsides... Scwheinf (mountains of Uganda and Kenya) Lobelia tenuior R.Br. Lobelia thapsoidea Lobelia thapsoidea Lobelia thapsoidea is a tall herb occurring in elevated areas of Southeastern Brazil. As all other species in the subfamily Lobelioideae, it is poisonous and should be handled carefully.-External links:*... Schott (Southeastern Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... ) Lobelia tupa Lobelia tupa Lobelia tupa is a species of Lobelia native to central Chile from Valparaíso south to Los Lagos regions.... L. (Central Chile Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... ) Lobelia urens Lobelia urens Lobelia urens has the English name of Heath Lobelia or Acrid lobelia. It has a Lusitanian distribution running from Morocco along the Atlantic Coast to Belgium. It can be found in the islands of south Europe: Madeira, Tercia, Falia, Gibralta. In Spain it is found in grazed pasture of upland... L. – Heath Lobelia Lobelia valida L.Bolus Lobelia zeylanica L.

Mexican spurred lobelias

About eleven species native to Mexico and Central America have spurs on the flowers. These spurred lobelias appear to form a monophyletic group. Most have been classified in the genera Heterotoma (or sometimes Calcaratolobelia). However, since their closest relatives, such as Lobelia anatina, are in Lobelia, Koopman and Ayers classify them in Lobelia.

Partial list:

• Lobelia aurita (Heterotoma aurita). One of the most common understory plants in the Sierra de la Laguna pine-oak forests
  Sierra de la Laguna pine-oak forests
  The Sierra de la Laguna pine-oak forests is a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion, found in the Sierra de la Laguna range at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the state of Baja California Sur of Mexico.-Setting:...
  
  .
• Lobelia calcarata (Heterotoma lobelioides or Lobelia lobelioides)
• Lobelia cordifolia (Heterotoma cordifolia)
• Lobelia flexuosa (Heterotoma flexuosa)
• Lobelia mcvaughii
• Lobelia volcanica (Heterotoma tenella)

Formerly placed here

• Apteria aphylla (Nutt.) Barnhart ex Small (as L. aphylla Nutt.)
• Centropogon cornutus (L.) Druce (as L. cornuta L. or L. surinamensis L.)
• Cyanea angustifolia (Cham.) Hillebr. (as L. angustifolia Cham.)
• Cyanea calycina (Cham.) Lammers (as L. calycina Cham.)
• Cyanea crispa
  Cyanea crispa
  Cyanea crispa is a rare species of flowering plant known by the common names crimped rollandia and Koolau Range rollandia. It is endemic to Oahu, where there are no more than fifty individuals remaining in the Koʻolau Range. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States...
  
  (Gaudich.) Lammers et al. (as L. crispa (Gaudich.) Endl.)
• Cyanea pinnatifida
  Cyanea pinnatifida
  Cyanea pinnatifida is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name sharktail cyanea. It is endemic to Oahu, but it is now extinct in the wild and only exists in cultivation...
  
  (Cham.) E. Wimm. (as L. pinnatifida Cham.)
• Cyanea superba
  Cyanea superba
  Cyanea superba is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common names Mt. Kaala cyanea and superb cyanea. It is endemic to the island of Oahu, but it is now extinct in the wild. It exists in cultivation and some individuals have been planted in appropriate habitat....
  
  (Cham.) A.Gray (as L. superba Cham.)
• Hippobroma longiflora
  Hippobroma longiflora
  Hippobroma longiflora is a flowering plant in the Campanulaceae family. It is endemic to the West Indies, but has become naturalized across the American tropics and Oceania.It is notable for its concentrations of two pyridine alkaloids: lobeline and nicotine...
  
  (L.) G.Don (as L. longiflora L.)
• Mazus pumilus (Burm.f.) Steenis (as L. pumila Burm.f.)
• Pratia angulata (G.Forst.) Hook.f. (as L. angulata G.Forst.)
• Pratia concolor (R.Br.) Druce (as L. concolor R.Br.)
• Pratia montana (Reinw. ex Blume) Hassk. (as L. montana Reinw. ex Blume)
• Pratia nummularia (Lam.) A.Braun & Asch. (as L. begoniifolia Wall.)

Cultivation and uses

Several species are cultivated as ornamental plant

Ornamental plant

Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...

s in gardens. These include Lobelia cardinalis

Lobelia cardinalis

Lobelia cardinalis is a species of Lobelia native to the Americas, from southeastern Canada south through the eastern and southwestern United States, Mexico and Central America to northern Colombia...

(syn. Lobelia fulgens: Cardinal Flower or Indian Pink), Lobelia siphilitica

Lobelia siphilitica

The Great Blue Lobelia is a species within the Campanulaceae family. It is an herbaceous, perennial dicot native to eastern and central Canada and United States. Growing up to a meter tall, it lives in zones 4 to 9 in moist to wet soils. It produces a spike of zygomorphic flowers in the late...

(Blue Lobelia), and Lobelia erinus

Lobelia erinus

Lobelia erinus is a species of Lobelia native to southern Africa, from Malawi and Namibia south to South Africa.-Description:...

, as well as some hybrids. Note Lobelia x speciosa refers to a hybrid derived from Lobelia fulgens, L. cardinalis & L. siphilitica. The term "Fan hybrids" is also used.
Lobelia erinus, a South African annual plant

Annual plant

An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...

 that includes many cultivated selections in a wide variety of colours. They are grown in beds, large pots, window boxes and in hanging basket

Hanging basket

A hanging basket is a suspended container used for growing decorative plants. Typically they are hung from buildings, where garden space is at a premium, and from street furniture for environmental enhancement. They may also be suspended from free standing frames sometimes called hanging basket trees...

s. The plants are most often grown away from sunny hot southern exposures (northern exposures in the southern hemisphere) in soils that are moisture retentive.

In the Victorian

Victorian era

The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

 language of flowers

Language of flowers

The language of flowers, sometimes called floriography, was a Victorian-era means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages, allowing individuals to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken...

, the lobelia symbolizes malevolence and ill will.

Medicinal use

Native Americans

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

 used lobelia to treat respiratory and muscle disorders, and as a purgative. The species used most commonly in modern herbalism is Lobelia inflata

Lobelia inflata

Lobelia inflata is a species of Lobelia native to eastern North America, from southeastern Canada south through the eastern United States to Alabama and west to Kansas.-Growth:...

(Indian Tobacco). However, there are adverse effects that limit the use of lobelia.

Extracts of Lobelia inflata contain lobeline

Lobeline

Lobeline is a natural alkaloid found in "Indian tobacco" , "Devil's tobacco" , "cardinal flower" , "great lobelia" , and Hippobroma longiflora...

, which showed positive effects in the treatment of multidrug-resistant tumor cells. Furthermore, lobeline can be modified to lobelane which decreased methamphetamine

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...

 self-administration in rats. It therefore opens a perspective in methamphetamine dependency treatment.

As used in North America, lobelia's medicinal properties include the following: emetic (induces vomiting), stimulant

Stimulant

Stimulants are psychoactive drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both. Examples of these kinds of effects may include enhanced alertness, wakefulness, and locomotion, among others...

, antispasmodic

Antispasmodic

An antispasmodic is a drug or a herb that suppresses muscle spasms.-Smooth muscle spasm:One type of antispasmodics is used for smooth muscle contraction, especially in tubular organs of the gastrointestinal tract...

, expectorant, diaphoretic, relaxant, nauseant

Nauseant

A nauseant is a substance or an agent that is used to generate the tendency to vomit. Tobacco and egg white are nauseous to children, and produce sickness at the stomach. Nauseants are akin to direct emetics....

, sedative

Sedative

A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....

, diuretic

Diuretic

A diuretic provides a means of forced diuresis which elevates the rate of urination. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics increase the excretion of water from bodies, although each class does so in a distinct way.- Medical uses :...

, and nervine. It has been used as "asthmador" in Appalachian folk medicine

Because of its similarity to nicotine

Nicotine

Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants that constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of the dry weight of tobacco, with biosynthesis taking place in the roots and accumulation occurring in the leaves...

, the internal use of lobelia may be dangerous to susceptible populations, including children, pregnant women, and individuals with cardiac disease. Excessive use will cause nausea and vomiting. It is not recommended for use by pregnant women and is best administered by a practitioner qualified in its use. Several studies show that lobelia is ineffective in helping people to quit smoking.

Two species, Lobelia siphilitica

Lobelia siphilitica

The Great Blue Lobelia is a species within the Campanulaceae family. It is an herbaceous, perennial dicot native to eastern and central Canada and United States. Growing up to a meter tall, it lives in zones 4 to 9 in moist to wet soils. It produces a spike of zygomorphic flowers in the late...

and Lobelia cardinalis

Lobelia cardinalis

Lobelia cardinalis is a species of Lobelia native to the Americas, from southeastern Canada south through the eastern and southwestern United States, Mexico and Central America to northern Colombia...

, were considered a cure for syphilis

Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...

.

Herbalist Samuel Thompson popularized medicinal use of lobelia in the United States in the early 19th century, as well as other medicinal plants like goldenseal

Goldenseal

Goldenseal is a perennial herb in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States. It may be distinguished by its thick, yellow knotted rootstock. The stem is purplish and hairy above ground and yellow below ground where it connects to the...

.

One species, Lobelia chinensis

Lobelia chinensis

Lobelia chinensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name .-Chemical constituents:...

(called bàn biān lián, 半边莲 in Chinese), is used as one of the fifty fundamental herbs in traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...

.

Further reading