Yellow Dock

While riding in the car on day, I insisted that my husband stop so that I could find out what that Brown plant was. (They usually get between 2 to 4 feet tall.) I got out of the car and found that it was a stalk of funny shaped seeds. Now I wanted to know who these seeds belonged to. I asked but most people have no idea what is growing around them, so it was time to research.

Did you notice that I wanted to know "Who" the seeds belonged to? Each plant has its own personality and is there for us to use. It is the human that needs to approach the plant because they have for a very long time felt we didn't appreciate them as beings.

I really learned a lot about this wonderful plant. The reason that I only saw the seeds was because the leaves had died off already. These leaves look so strange as they are long. Sometimes as much as 18 inches long and as wide as 2 to 3 inches. The edges of the leaves are wrinkled like stretched crepe paper.

The seeds have "wings" on them and grow on the top of the plant.

I used to think that this plant, being one of the docks like burdock was good for only its usable iron but after researching it, I have found so many good things that this plant is capable of doing.

I decided to see what Dr. James Duke's database could tell me and was amazed at all of the abilities in this plant. I decided to check on the constituents in Yellow Dock's roots. I will lay out some of the abilities that Dr. Duke attributes to these constituents. The following are capabilities in Yellow Dock roots: It is Antiacne, Antiaging, Antialzheimeran, Antianemic, Antiarthritic, Antiasthmatic, Antibackache, Anticapillary- fragility, Anticarpal-tunnel, Anticataract, Antichilblain, Anticolitic, Anticrohn's , Antidandruff, Antidementia, Antidepressant, Antidiabetic, Antiflu, Antiinflammatory, Antiinsomniac,AntiLyme, Antilymphonic, Antimaculitic, Antimigraine, AntiMS, Antipapillomic, Antiparkinsonian, Antiperiodontitic, Antipoliomyelitic, Antipsoriac, Antiseptic, Antistress, Antistroke, Antisyndrome-X, Antitumor, Antiulcer, Antivertigo, Antiviral, Beta-Blocker, Cancer preventive, Candidicide, Cardioprotective, Hypoglycemic, Laxative, Pesticide, Spermigenic, Vasodilator, along with being an Antidote for Lead and Aluminum.

I wrote all of these out so that you can see how many things this one herb is capable of working on. Most of the time when I write that an herb is capable of doing this or that, I know that anyone reading has no idea of all the thing that it can do so this time I decided to show a lot of the information that I gleaned from the Database.

How do hers do all of this? They do it by giving the body what it needs to handle the problem. It doesn't care what the problem is but if it has the ability to help in some manner, it will. Most plants will handle many situations. This is why I tell people not to just take one herb for whatever they are working on. Every time one ingests a different herb, we are giving the body more choices to use to make the corrections.

Dr. Duke has looked into all of the properties in this one plant and has mentioned that if one of these things is the problem, Yellow Dock might be able to provide what is needed to correct this situation.

I found that Yellow Dock Root has Calcium available for the bodies use. It also has Chromium, Iron, Magnesium, Maganese, Niacin, Potassium, Protein, Selenium and Zinc . Most of all it acts like all the other Docks as a blood purifier and perhaps that is why it can take on so many things.

According to Duke's article in PETERSON FIELD GUIDE - MEDICINAL HERBS, the anthraquinones in this plant are great at arresting growths of ringworm and other fungi.

The root is said to be a mild laxative and this is probably due to the action it causes with the liver. A lot of Laxatives do work this way by making the liver release more gall into the bowels, thus relieving the liver and helping it to recover from its overload. (Gall being a good Laxative.)

One must remember that the liver is the detoxer for the entire body. Its job is to detox not only what we take in by eating or drinking but the toxins that we bring in through the lungs and skin from the environment. Now add to that the neurotoxins that we create with stress or anger or even hormones that we are releasing into the system. All of these things create an overload on ones liver.

Dr. Duke does have a warning about Yellow Dock that I will pass on, "Large does may cause gastric disturbances, nausea, diarrhea, etc." It is not poisonous but again I wish to remind you to use herbs as foods. Just as you wouldn't eat a whole pie, you don't want to over indulge in any food/herb.