Fern-leaved Biscuit-root - Lomatium dissectum

Fern-leaved Biscuit-root
Lomatium dissectum (Nutt.) Math. & Const.

Family: Apiaceae, Parsley
Genus: Lomatium

Description
General: robust perennial, mostly 50-150 cm tall at
maturity, the several hairless stems usually ascending
rather than strictly erect from a branching stem base, from
a very large, woody taproot.

Leaves: basal and a few alternate, large, the lower ones
the largest, all generally slightly rough-textured, seldom
hairless, pinnately dissected 3-5 times into small and often
narrow ultimate segments up to about 1 cm long.

Flowers: yellow or purple in umbels, some of them
always sterile. Involucre and involucels of well-developed,
narrow bractlets. Rays of the umbel mostly 10-30, equal or
unequal, at least the longer ones mostly 4-10 cm long at
maturity.
Flowering time: May-June.

Fruits: elliptic, 8-17 mm long and 4.5-10 mm wide, the
lateral wings narrow and more or less corky-thickened, up
to about 1 mm wide, the dorsal ribs inconspicuous.

Distribution
Open, often rocky slopes and dry meadows, often on talus,
from the foothills and valleys to moderate elevations in the
mountains, in w., c. and n.e. parts of MT. Also from B.C.
and s. Alberta to CO, AZ and s. CA.

Edible and medicinal plant: see below.

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Contents
Identification
English Names Index
Scientific Names Index
Family Index

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Edible Uses:
The root of fern-leaf bisquitroot is edible cooked, as are all bisquitroots. The are resinous and balsamic. The root can be dried and ground into a powder and then be mixed with cereal flours or added as a flavoring to soups etc. The roots have been boiled to make a refreshing and nutritious drink. Young seed sprouts are edible raw. The seeds have most likely been used as an aromatic flavoring in cooked foods.

Medicinal Uses:
As a medicine, Fernleaf Biscuitroot was considered to be a powerful healing agent by First Nations healers, and was used for a wide variety of complaints. As a springtime remedy, the Okanagan-Collville used Biscuitroot as an alterative to prepare for the heat of summer. Biscuitroot was used as a treatment for sore throat by the Paiute of Nevada, and a decoction of the roots was used as an inhalation and for internal usage in the treatment of colds and flus by the Great Basin peoples. Biscuitroot was considered an important remedy in the treatment of tuberculosis and lung diseases such as asthma by several First Nations groups, including the Nez Perce of Montana, the Okanagan-Colville, the Great Basin, the Paiute, Shoshone, and Washo peoples. In the treatment of venereal disease Biscuitroot root was taken both internally and applied externally by the Paiute. As an adaptogen, Biscuitroot was used by the Blackfoot to assist in weight gain and to assist in healing during convalescence. In the treatment of digestive disorders the Cheyenne drank an infusion of the pulverized roots. In the treatment of compound fractures, including those that had become infected, the Gosiute applied a poultice of the roots to the affected area.
In more recent times, Biscuitroot has come to be used as an important remedy in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections, both viral and bacterial in origin. It can be used as a preventative during epidemics and outbreaks, and as a first line treatment to halt the progression of a cold, in the treatment of asthma and bronchitis, and in severe states of immunodeficiency. For this reason, and with support from preliminary experimental evidence that shows Biscuitroot may have an anti-HIV activity, Biscuitroot can be used as an adjunct in the treatment of AIDS and ARC. As a topical remedy, Biscuitroot is an excellent antimicrobial agent, used in periodontal disease as a mouth rinse, as a fomentation or bath for skin infections, and as a douche for Candida and Gardnerella infections. Some practitioners have also found that Biscuitroot may be helpful in the various forms of viral hepatitis, as an antiviral and perhaps more importantly an adaptogenic alternative to the deadly combination therapies of interferon and ribavirin.

Other Uses:
The pulverized root has been burnt as an incense.