Medicinal Monday - Crinkleroot

Crinkleroot or Cardamine diphylla is an attractive wildflower that can be found in the forests of Connecticut and in much of New England. It is a spring perennial herb in the Brassicaceae family that has been used by many indigenous people of North America for food and medicine for centuries.

photo Doug McGrady

About Crinkleroot

This perennial grows up to one foot tall and is a hermaphrodite because it has both male and female organs. It is native to much of the U.S. and Eastern Canada and typically grows in moist woodland environments, although it cannot grow in deep shade. It spreads via rhizomes and is in the mustard family. The leaves are coarsely toothed and the stem has two leaf stalks that grow opposite of each other giving the plant its moniker of "two-leaved." The flowers that appear in late April or early May are white or pink. The blooms mature into pods about five weeks after the flowers die off. Mature pods release seeds. The seeds take up to four years before they bloom. Although similar to Cut-leaved toothwort, it is different because its leaves don't grow in a whorl.

Medicinal Uses

Many Native American communities made a poultice from the roots to treat headaches, colds, and fevers and to relieve stomach problems and venereal disease. Traditionally, the Cherokee and the Malecite chewed the roots to soothe sore throats and to treat colds and fevers. The Deleware used the roots as a stomach medicine and to treat venereal disease. The Iroquois chewed raw roots for stomach gas and made a poultice of the roots to bring down swellings. They also made tea from the roots and took it as a love medicine. The Malecite made an infusion of the roots and gave it to children as a tonic. The Micmac made tea from the roots and drank it as a sedative. The Iroquois believed that the roots had magical powers and used them to counteract all types of poison. They also used smashed roots to find someone who practiced witchcraft.

Laval University

Many Native American communities used the roots of this plant for food. They would eat it raw or cooked. It was prized for its peppery taste. Specifically, the Abnaki used the roots as a condiment and put it in sauces and relishes. The Algonquin ground the root and mixed it with vinegar for use as a relish. The Cherokee boiled the leaves and stems and ate them like a vegetable, they also used the leaves in salads. The Iroquois ate salted roots raw. The Ojibwa ground the roots and mixed them with salt, sugar, and vinegar and used it as a relish.

Did You Know...

The name Cardamine is derived from the Greek word Kardamon and refers to its association with the mustard family. 

The species name, diphylla is also Greek and refers to another name for this plant, "two-leaved." 

The West Virginia butterfly uses the plant to lay its eggs.

Special bees known as Andrena arabis collect pollen from Cardamines.

In folklore, the root was used to treat toothaches.

This plant was discovered by Andre Michaux, a French botanist who went on many expeditions in the U.S. to collect plants.