Also known as the Oregon Sunflower, arrowleaf balsamroot is an all around wonderful permaculture plant that is edible (salad, bread/cakes, oil, and coffee), medicinal (treating stomachaches, rheumatism, burns, poison ivy rashes, and more), and is a food source for wildlife as it can withstand heavy grazing.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot – Balsamorhiza sagittata

Life cycle: Perennial / Ease of propagation: Moderate / Hardiness zone: 4-8

All parts of the plant is edible and has been known to be used in numerous ways. According to Plants for a Future, the root is sweet and can be eaten raw or cooked, but slow baking is best (the Flathead Indians would bake them in a fire pit for at least 3 days). Young shoots and young flowering stems can be eaten raw or cooked. The leaves and petioles can be boiled and eaten. The seed was a prized source of oil for many native North Americans. Seeds can be roasted, ground into a powder and used with cereals when making bread. The raw seed can also be ground into a powder and formed into cakes. And the roasted root is a coffee substitute.

Arrowleaf balsamroot also has a wide range of medicinal uses. “An infusion of the leaves, roots and stems has been used as a treatment for stomach pains, colds, whooping cough, TB, fevers and headaches. A decoction of the root has been taken at the beginning of labor to insure easy delivery. The juice from the chewed root is allowed to trickle down the throat to treat sore mouths and throats whilst the root has also been chewed to treat toothaches. The smoke from the root has been inhaled as a remedy for body aches such as rheumatism. The root is chewed or pounded and used as a paste on wounds, blisters, bites, swellings and sores. A poultice made from the coarse, large leaves has been used to treat severe burns. An infusion of the leaves has been used as a wash for poison ivy rash and running sores. The seeds have been eaten as a treatment for dysentery.” (Plants for a Future)

In their native habitat, Oregon Sunflower are often found on open hillsides. They prefer well-drained, sandy, loamy soil in full sun. They can withstand hard frosts once established but they will not do well in standing water/wet environments.

Sowing Instructions

Sow in early spring in a greenhouse and lightly cover the seeds. Transplant the seedlings into individual pots when at least two sets of true leaves emerge and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.

References

https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Balsamorhiza+sagittata

Arrowleaf Balsamroot Seeds are available for STEEM, SBD and USD

View our entire Seeds of Abundance seed catalog at Homesteaders Co-op

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