Opopanax chironium

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Opopanax chironium
Apiaceae - Opopanax chironium.JPG
Opopanax chironium
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Opopanax
Species:
O. chironium
Binomial name
Opopanax chironium
Synonyms [1]
List
  • Dorema chironium (L.) M.Hiroe
  • Laserpitium chironium L.
  • Malabaila opoponax Baill.
  • Malabaila orientalis Benth. & Hook.f. ex Arcang.
  • Maspeton chironium (L.) Raf.
  • Opopanax bulgaricus Velen.
  • Opopanax chironium subsp. bulgaricus (Velen.) N.Andreev
  • Opopanax glaber Bernh.
  • Opopanax opopanax (L.) H.Karst., not validly publ.
  • Pastinaca altissima Lam.
  • Pastinaca opopanax L.
  • Peucedanum opopanax (L.) M.Hiroe
  • Selinum opopanax (L.) Crantz
  • Siler chironium Crantz

Opopanax chironium, common name Hercules' all-heal, [2] is a herb of the family Apiaceae.

Contents

Description

Opopanax chironium grows 1–3 metres (3 feet 3 inches – 9 feet 10 inches) high. [3] This perennial herb has a branching stem, thick and rough close to the base. Leaves are serrate, pinnate, with long petioles. It produces a large, flat, yellow inflorescence at the top of the branches. [4] [5]

Distribution and habitat

The plant thrives in warm climates like Iran, Italy, Greece and Turkey, but also grows in cooler climates. [2] [4]

Uses

A gum resin (mostly gum) can be extracted from this plant by cutting at the base of a stem and sun-drying the juice that flows out. It has a strong unpleasant odor, unlike the perfumery's opopanax which is aromatic. [3]

Flowers of Opopanax chironium Apiaceae - Opopanax chironium-001.JPG
Flowers of Opopanax chironium

The resin has been used in the treatment of spasms, [4] and, before that, as an emmenagogue, in the treatment of asthma, chronic visceral infections, hysteria and hypochondria. [3] Opopanax resin is most frequently sold in dried irregular pieces, though tear-shaped gems are not uncommon. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Opopanax chironium (L.) W.D.J.Koch". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Opopanax chironium". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 Remington, J.P.; Wood, H.C. (1918). The Dispensatory of the United States of America (20th ed.). Philadelphia & London: J.B. Lippincott Company. p. 1526.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "A Modern Herbal | Opoponax". botanical.com. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  5. "Opopònaco - Significato ed etimologia - Vocabolario". Treccani (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-11-03.

Further reading