Zone: Outer Walkway Bed

Season of Interest: Summer (Flowers) and Early Fall (Fruit)

The Doctor’s Notes (Medicinal Use)

Dr. Woodward would have valued Spikenard primarily as an "alterative"—a medicine thought to gradually restore healthy bodily functions. In the 1800s, it was a staple for:

• Lung and Chest Ailments: The spicy, aromatic roots were used to treat chronic coughs, asthma, and "consumption" (tuberculosis). It acted as a warming expectorant.

• The "Blood Purifier": Like many native roots, it was used in syrups to treat rheumatism and skin diseases by supposedly purifying the blood.

• Women's Health: It was frequently used in decoctions to treat "female weaknesses" and as a tonic to support recovery after childbirth.

The Household Assistant (Homestead Use)

On a farm like the Woodward's, Spikenard was appreciated for its sheer presence and its unique culinary possibilities:

• Root Beer & Tonics: The spicy, balsamic flavor of the roots was a key ingredient in early herb beers and root beers. It provided a deep, complex flavor that was both refreshing and medicinal.

• Garden Architecture: Because it can grow up to 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide in a single season, it was used to create "instant" summer screens or to fill large, shaded gaps along the outer edges of the property.

• Wildlife Support: The massive clusters of small berries are a favorite of woodland birds, ensuring that the outer garden remained lively with songbirds throughout the late summer.

Botanist’s Corner

• Form: A massive, herbaceous perennial (not a shrub) that dies back to the ground every winter and regrows with incredible speed in the spring.

• Foliage: Features huge, triply-compound leaves that can give the plant a prehistoric or tropical appearance. The stems are often a striking dark purple.

• Flowers & Fruit: Produces large, arching panicles of tiny greenish-white flowers in mid-summer, followed by dense clusters of small, dark reddish-purple berries in the fall.