An upright perennial herb, 1 foot high or more. Leaves: Basal ones pinnately divided, up to 1 foot long, divided into 3 or 5 large leaflets and a few very tiny ones; leaflets deeply lobed, toothed, hairy; stem leaves divided into 3 leaflets or at least 3-lobed, otherwise similar to the basal leaves but smaller; stipules leafy and deeply divided. The flowers nodding from a 1 ft. high flowering stem, droop downwards and are pinkish, with large purple sepals. Fruits: Several achenes crowded into a spherical head raised on a short stalk above the sepals, each achene with a plumose style 1/4-1/3 inch long.

Anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, aromatic, astringent, diaphoretic, febrifuge, stomachic, styptic and tonic (root)

Plants For A Future

An infusion of roots is taken internally in the treatment of diarrhoea (and is suitable for children to use), dyspepsia, intestinal and stomach complaints, liver disorders etc, it is also applied externally as a wash to various skin afflictions - removes spots, freckles and eruptions from the face.

James A Duke and Maryl Fulton. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs - 2nd Edition, P: 760, CRC Press July 2002.