Prickly Ash Bark and Stillingia Root Explained

These two are less familiar than cleavers or clover, partly because both come from North America rather than the British hedgerow.

Prickly ash bark

Prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) is a shrub or small tree native to North America, named for the sharp prickles along its branches. It's a relative of the plant that gives Sichuan pepper its distinctive tingle, and the bark has a similarly warming, numbing character on the tongue. Bark has been used in traditional North American herbal practice for generations, often in blends rather than on its own.

Stillingia root

Stillingia sylvatica, also called queen's root or queen's delight, is a perennial found in the sandy soils of the south-eastern United States. Its root appears in nineteenth-century North American herbal writing, typically as one component of a combination formula.

Why they appear together

Traditional herbalists rarely used a single plant. Formulas combined several botanicals, and this pairing shows up repeatedly in the historical literature on herbal blends, usually alongside cleavers and red clover.

Things worth knowing

• Both are potent botanicals traditionally used in small amounts as part of a blend, which is why the serving size on the label matters.
• Check with your healthcare provider before use if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition.

Both are in Verdaflow Drops.

This article describes traditional use and is for general information only.