Archival plate of Lomatium dissectum, L. nudicaule, from Weaver, The Ecological Relations of Roots, 1919, fig. 7, as Leptotaenia multifida

The Moss Herbal Database

Lomatium dissectum, L. nudicaule
Fam. Apiaceae
Parts: Root (L. dissectum) and seeds (L. nudicaule)

Plate: Weaver, The Ecological Relations of Roots, 1919, fig. 7, as Leptotaenia multifida ↗

Lomatium

Lomatium dissectum, L. nudicaule

Also: Desert parsley, Fern-leaf biscuitroot, Barestem biscuitroot

WarmingDryingTonifyingAt-risk

A resinous antiviral root and seed for flu and lingering chest infections.

Two western members of the carrot family: fern-leaf biscuitroot, with a massive resinous taproot, and barestem biscuitroot, whose pungent seeds carry similar medicine. Lomatium is a strong antiviral and expectorant for flu, colds, and stubborn chest infections.

Energetics: Warming, drying, resinous
Taste: Pungent, resinous, celery-like
Family: Apiaceae (carrot family)
Parts used: Root (L. dissectum) and seeds (L. nudicaule)

Medicinal uses 2

The tags sort the evidence behind each use by kind. Members are able to tap a condition to compare every herb for it.

Traditional useLab and mechanism studiesClinical studies

Colds & fluTLC
A strong antiviral for flu and colds, taken early and through the illness; lab studies show activity against flu and other viruses.
Wet cough & congestionTLC
Clears lingering chest infections and stuck phlegm.

Preparations

Seed tea, seed or root tincture, and resin-free root extracts.

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Cautions

The root resin brings out a measles-like, itchy rash in some people; it fades once the herb is stopped. Resin-free extracts and the seeds are gentler.
Lomatium is in the carrot family with deadly water hemlock and poison hemlock; never harvest it without expert identification.
Flu with a high fever, trouble breathing, or confusion needs medical care.

Sourcing

United Plant Savers lists fern-leaf lomatium as at-risk; its roots take years to grow and digging kills the plant. Lightly gathered seed of barestem biscuitroot and cultivated root are the sustainable choices.

Medication interactions

Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the one type of medicine flagged for lomatium, each with the mechanism and what to do. The plain-language cautions above stay open to everyone.

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Pregnancy & breastfeeding

PregnancyAvoid

Lomatium has not been studied in pregnancy, so it waits until after birth.

BreastfeedingAvoid

It has not been studied in nursing; choose other cold herbs while nursing.

Folklore

During the 1918 influenza pandemic, the Nevada physician Ernst Krebs reported that Washoe patients treated with lomatium root fared remarkably well. Many Plateau and Great Basin nations ate the roots and seeds of biscuitroot species as staple foods, and barestem biscuitroot seed was brewed as a tea for colds and coughs.

How to grow

Slow perennials of dry, rocky slopes and meadows that resent disturbance. Fern-leaf lomatium can be grown from fresh seed sown in fall, but it takes years to make a usable root.

In the wild

Dry hillsides, sagebrush steppe, and open woods of western North America, from British Columbia south to California and east to the Rockies.

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