Medicinal Monday - Closed Bottle Gentian

For thousands of years, Native Americans have used herbs, and plants not only to heal the body but also to purify the spirit and bring balance into their lives and surroundings. Gentiana is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the gentian family that consists of about 400 species. Native American communities have found several medicinal uses for this plant which is known for its trumpet-shaped flowers.

About Closed Bottle Gentian

This plant is found in the alpine and temperate regions in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Closed Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) is found throughout the northeastern half of the United States including Connecticut. This flowering plant grows in moist rich soil in full or partial sun and is often found in flood plain forests, thickets, and swampy areas. This plant is erect and can grow up to three feet high with a non-branching stem.  The leaves are lance-shaped and devoid of hair and move up the stem in a whorled pattern. Bottle gentian has a flower that is rich blue in color and blooms from August through October. The flower is bottled shaped with a closed mouth or terminal. It grows in clusters at the top of the plant or on the upper tier of the leaves. 

Medicinal Uses

The Iroquois used an infusion of the roots to treat pain, headaches, and chills. An infusion of roots was also used to treat sore eyes. A poultice of the roots was applied to sore muscles and a compound of the plant was made as a liver medicine. The Iroquois also used the plant in witchcraft and would hang the dried roots of this plant in their dwellings as an anti-witch charm. The Meskwaki used a poultice of the root to treat snakebite. A compound infusion of the roots was used as a wash to banish loneliness and cure jealous witchcraft. 

Did You Know...

The genus name of this plant is a tribute to Gentius, an Illyrian king that is said to have discovered the tonic properties of this plant. Illyria is a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula.

King Gentius used the roots of yellow gentian on his malaria-stricken troops in 500 B.C.

The American subspecies of this plant was named in honor of Henry C. Andrews, an English botanical artist, and engraver.

Only a strong bee can force the corolla or mouth of the flower of this plant open to get the nectar and deposit pollen. One such bee is the Digger Bee.

The Eastern Carpenter Bee chews a narrow slit at the bast of the flower and steals the nectar without pollinating the plant. 

Whitetail deer are one of the few animals that eat the tender tops of this plant before they have a chance to flower. 

Bottle gentian is considered endangered in New York and Maryland. 

Some gentians are used to make certain types of liquors and schnapps.

Gentians are a key ingredient in Angostura bitters.