Elecampane - Inula helenium

Common Names: Elecampane, Inula, Inula helenium, Elecampane root, Horseheal, Horse heal, Elf dock, Alant, Elecampane herb, Elecampane root, Enula campana, Echter Alant, Enula, Aunee, Elny, Elenium, Devel's-bit, Alant root, Alant German, Oko Kristovo, Zlato trank, Énula campana, Litwor, Oman, Oman lékařský, Oman pravy, Omanak, Voman, Vománek, Zaspivřed, Uspivřed

Latin Name: Inula helenium

Origin: Asia, Europe, South America, North America

Short Introduction

Elecampane is cultivated in gardens for a variety of purposes, including its use in cosmetics and the pharmaceutical industry. This low-maintenance herb thrives in deeply tilled, sufficiently moist soil in sheltered locations, adapting well to different climates and soil types. Regularly cutting the plant close to the ground prevents unnecessary stem growth. Optimal growth requires a nutrient-rich soil, ideally following the cultivation of other crops and the addition of phosphatic and nitrogenous fertilizers.

Elecampane can be propagated by seeds, root division, or by sowing root buds. Sowing is typically done in early spring in warm seedbeds, maintaining 20 cm spacing, or later in 50 cm rows with gaps of 25–45 cm between seeds. Germination takes about 2–4 weeks. After planting, regular watering is advised. Transplanting should be done with care, as the roots are fragile and prone to breakage; ideally, root buds are transplanted late in the autumn growing season. Rhizomes are dug up at the beginning of autumn in the plant’s second year, at which point the main root and fibrous roots are separated—fibrous roots can be used for further propagation—and washed in running water. Rhizomes should be dried at temperatures up to 40°C.

Detailed Description

A traditional herb rich in inulin, elecampane is renowned for supporting and harmonizing the digestive system.

Botanical Information

Elecampane is a robust perennial plant reaching 90–150 cm in height. Its rhizome is large, brown, and branched, with a white interior, coarse texture, bitter taste, and camphor-like aroma. From this rhizome grows a tall, woolly, branched stem covered with alternate, stalked leaves that are woolly on the underside, elongated, and oval to egg-shaped with slightly toothed edges. The flowers are about 5 cm wide, with numerous marginal florets, each displaying at least three distinct veins.

Origin and Distribution

Elecampane originates from Central Asia, and due to its adaptability and tendency to naturalize, it now grows widely in many regions worldwide. In Europe, it thrives from northern areas like the United Kingdom across Central and Southern Europe, through Asia, and up to the foothills of the Himalayas. The plant has acclimated to North America, where it grows wild, and it is also found as far south as the edges of Siberia and the northwest regions of India.

Usage / Dosage

According to mythology, elecampane sprang from the tears shed by the beautiful Helen of Troy as she mourned Menelaus, who was bitten by a snake. Elecampane has been cultivated since antiquity across the Mediterranean and other historically connected areas. Records indicate it was used as a root vegetable, often boiled, candied, or eaten raw. In the Middle Ages, a wine made from elecampane root was common. The root was also traditionally used in incense for pagan solstice celebrations.

The root of elecampane is the part most commonly used for therapeutic purposes. Historically, it was used to combat internal parasites, and added to food to enhance appetite, support digestion, ease indigestion, and stimulate gastrointestinal health. It was also employed for mild constipation, liver pain, and inflammatory conditions of the respiratory system, particularly bronchitis. Externally, elecampane was applied to treat rashes, swelling, slow-healing wounds, and as a gargle for inflammatory conditions.

In modern herbal medicine, elecampane is recommended to support gastric juices, intestinal peristalsis, and to promote expectoration. Its inulin content is especially valued in the diet of diabetics. Other traditional sources recommend elecampane to aid normal kidney function, enhance the drainage capacity of the excretory system, and thus increase the elimination of toxins. The root is also used to regulate appetite, maintain digestive health, and restore comfort to the throat and respiratory system.

Of all its constituents, inulin is the most well-studied and commercially recognized. As a water-insoluble polysaccharide, inulin is widely known for its advantages in diabetic nutrition, as it helps regulate plasma levels of free sugars, smooths the intestinal villi, and promotes peristalsis. Thanks to inulin, elecampane is seen as a valuable aid in preventing or treating digestive discomfort.

Experimental work on animals and subsequently humans has explored the effects of elecampane’s constituents, with varying methodologies, doses, and routes of administration. In animal studies, a stimulating effect on appetite was observed compared to control groups. Human subjects have reported improvements in digestion, although there is currently no data confirming a measurable increase in digestive enzyme production.

Both patients and healthy volunteers regularly testify that higher concentrations of elecampane’s active compounds aid their digestive comfort and sense of well-being. Laboratory studies in animal models have confirmed a mild boost in excretory and detoxification processes—especially support of the kidneys and excretory organs—after consuming concentrated elecampane extracts.

Active Compounds

Elecampane’s chemical profile includes essential oil constituents (mainly helenin), sesquiterpene lactones (such as alantolactone, isoalantolactone, costunolide, and germacrene lactone), pectins, triterpenes, sterols, bitters, carbohydrates (mainly polysaccharides), with inulin— a fructose-based polysaccharide—being predominant and lending the genus (Inula) its name.

Traditional Dosage

Dried elecampane root is used at 1.5–4 g per 250 ml hot water, steeped for about 5 minutes under cover as needed. This decoction is typically consumed 2–3 times a day, with a maximum of 4 cups per day for adults. Elecampane tincture is made by combining 25% ethanol with pure crushed root in a 1:1 ratio, administered at 1.5–4.0 ml or 20–40 drops 2–3 times daily. Elecampane wine is prepared by mixing 70–80 g (sources may vary on the exact amount) of crushed root with 1 liter of white wine, steeped for a minimum of 14 days, and taken 2–3 times a day in small shots before meals.