27) Yellow Dock
This herb is beneficial as an overall tonic for good health.
Yellow Dock nourishes healthy blood in two important ways:
- it helps keep it clean and free of impurities
- supplies it with vital iron
In fact, Yellow Dock contains more iron than any other plant. It also contains varying amounts of phosphorus, vitamins A and C, and calcium.
Official Latin Name: Rumex crispus
Yellow Dock is also known by the names Curly Dock, Sour Dock, and Narrow Dock. Yellow Dock, a member of the buckwheat family, grows abundantly throughout the United States. The part of this plant used medicinally is the root.
Rumex is an old Latin word for "lance", referring to the shape of the leaves. Crispus means "curly", also in reference to the leaf shape.
Yellow Dock has been used for hundreds of years for its astringent properties, treating a variety of skin problems, including boils, rashes, blemishes and burns.
The Indians used this herb for its special health benefits, and legend has it they endeavored to keep it secret from the Europeans.
Pioneers also used it for nutritional support of the urinary system.
The properties of this herb are:
- alterative
- depurative
- laxative
- purgative
- cholagogue
- astringent
The primary chemical constituents of Yellow Dock Root include:
- anthraquinone glycosides (nepodin, emodin, chrysophanol)
- tannins
- resins
- oxalates
- iron
- phosphorus
- vitamins A and C
- calcium
Yellow Dock is valued even more so today as one of the best available sources of iron. Yellow Dock's high iron content makes it beneficial for treating anemia and pregnant women.
Yellow Dock is used to purify the blood supplied to the glands, improving the flow of bile & digestive fluids.
Yellow Dock has also been known to help improve bladder & liver functions, and reduce bowel inflammation and glandular swelling.
This herb can be used to treat some cases of jaundice, and skin eruptions associated with the toxicity of the intestines.
Another use for Yellow Dock is as a laxative to help relieve mild constipation.
Yellow Dock improves the function of:
- kidneys
- liver
- lymph glands
- intestines - thus aiding the body's natural cleansing processes
It has been used to help the body eliminate pollutants, including heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. You can even cook and eat Yellow Dock as a potherb to improve vision.
Yellow Dock helps to free up iron stored in the liver, thus making it more available to the rest of the body.
Topically, the crushed leaf of Yellow Dock to soothe stings from Nettle plants. It can also be added to a tooth powder for spongy gums, and to a gargle for laryngitis.
Salves, poultices or compresses of this herb have been used for:
- eczema
- hives
- itchy skin
- scabies
- ringworm
The common name Yellow Dock includes the species Rumex occidentalis, Rumex venosus, Rumex obtusifolius and Rumex sangineus, which are used interchangeably with Rumex crispus.
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