Description
Dyssodia pentachaeta is a small plant, usually no more than 8-10 inches high. This perennial forms in clumps and has opposite, pinnatifid leaves arranged in 5-7 linear divisions. The yellow flowers are ½-inch across and form on slender stalks above the foliage clumps. When crushed (as with most Dogweeds) the aromatics emit a pleasant scent. D. acerosa is another small perennial. It is woody at its base and stands approximately 1 foot tall. The dark green linear leaves are attached to the main stems either oppositely or alternately. Small circular glands are noticeable on the leaf surfaces. The yellow flowers are ¾-inch across and form at branch ends. D. papposa is a small 4-16 inch tall annual. Its leaves are 1-2 inches long, pinnatifid, and linearly divided. The flowers are small and tend to be surrounded by inconspicuous rays. All Dogweeds are aromatic. Judge the medicinal potency of individual plants by their pungency.
Distribution
Dyssodia pentachaeta is found from 2,500-5,600 feet sporadically throughout southern California, southern and western Arizona, and parts of New Mexico to Texas. Roadsides are a typical favorite of the plant. Otherwise, it is found in washes and on dry slopes and hillsides. D. acerosa ranges from western Texas to southern and central New Mexico to southeast and central Arizona, and finally throughout the Grand Canyon area. Look for this Dogweed on limestone soils between 3,500-6,000 feet. D. papposa inhabits a wide range of territory: from Illinois to Montana, south to Louisiana and Arizona. Throughout the arid southwest, it is often found in waste places – ditches, fieldsides, etc.
Chemistry
Flavonoids, acetylenic thiophenes, and monoterpenes
Medicinal Uses
Dogweed, like closely related Mountain marigold and Deerweed, is used as a tea to settle an upset stomach. It serves as a useful carminative, used in relieving gas pains from poorly digested food dependant upon stress or general debility of the area. A small amount of the tea is likewise good for colicky babies. When the stomach lining is inflamed from an over production of hydrochloric acid, an excess of alcohol or other gastric insults, Dogweed tea is soothing. Try a cup of tea after a meal that has caused bloating and fullness.
Indications Gastritis
Indigestion/gas pains/colic
Collection
Prune the upper herbage from the plants at the height of their potency, when they are non-stressed and before or during flowering. Throughout the southwest Dyssodia papposa is collected between late July and August, after it responds to Monsoon rains. The other perennials are collected throughout the spring and summer.
Preparations and Dosage
Leaf infusion: 4-8 ounces 3 times daily