Mid-April

Hello friends, April has been rushing by and we are about a month away from the end of the semester. I haven’t had much time to work on my research as I have been busy with classes. But, this research always gets me in a good mood so I’ll be spending this weekend working on it. This week I have been studying Helenium Autumnale, otherwise known as ‘Sneezeweed’. This is a prairie wildflower that blooms from June to October. There are many Helenium varieties but the Autumnale is the one on my list. It is known to be toxic to grazing animals such as sheep. It upsets their stomach. This seems very odd seeing how it has been used by humans as a remedy for colds and diseases of the chest. I have yet to find how the plant was prepared. Have a wonderful week! -Wendy

References: • Elecampane. (2018). In P. Lagasse, & Columbia University, The Columbia encyclopedia (8th ed.). Columbia University Press. Credo Reference: https://ezproxy.pc.maricopa.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/columency/elecampane/0?institutionId=5317 • Wang et al. (2018) Total sesquiterpene lactones isolated from Inula helenium L. attenuates 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in mice. Phytomedicine. Volume 46, Pages 78-84. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711318301363 • https://www.izelplants.com/native-perennials/helenium-autumnale-common-sneezeweed/