Lobelia

Harvest the entire above ground plant between the end of July and the end of October. If drying dry in shade and the product should be stored out of light, especially if powdered. (Hoffman, 1988; Hutchens, 1992) Care should be taken by harvesters to protect themselves from irritation to skin by excessive exposure or eyes by the slightest exposure. Some species of Lobelia have caused contact dermatitis by commercial harvesters.

Lobelia has been very involved in the history of American herbalism. Through its history the safety and appropriateness of using lobelia have been debated. Nineteenth-century eclectic healers and herbalists were sometimes  called “lobelia doctors”, a derogatory term at the time, based on its enthusiastic use among them, and public debate about its safety.

New Englanders and Europeans used L. inflata for a long time before the 19th-century era of the eclectic physicians (Hutchens, 1992). North American lobelias were brought to Europe in the 16th century for medicinal purpose. The latinized name Lobelia was given by Linnaeus in honor of Matthias de Lobel, a botanist and private physician to King James I (“Lobelia”, 2004).

In the 19th-century medicinal use of lobelia was revived most notably by a charismatic American herbalist Samuel Thompson and it became a symbolic herb of the eclectics. For a half a century or so eclectic physicians, country doctors and herbalists promoted use of lobelia in a variety of ways. In many eclectic texts lobelia is described as a circulatory stimulant or depressant, depending on the dose, and nervous system stimulant or depressant, dependent on dose, with a myriad of specific indications related to the actions. During an era when purging and bloodletting, and mercury preparations were popular in conventional medicine, lobelia was a cathartic remedy used by the range of practitioners, from herbalists and country doctors to medical doctors.

Lobelia has a history of use supporting respiratory health. Lobelia contains several alkaloids that appear to provide some nicotine-like stimulation during smoking cessation.

The safest ways to begin to use lobelia are topically or in small amounts in combination with other herbs.

There are five main categories of applications:

• Emetic, or as a purgative, historically

• Antispasmodic

• Expectorant

• Relaxant to the airway

• Subtle nervous system effects by small amounts in formula or topical uses

Lobelia inflata and a few other species which are endemic to North America have traditional use among many Native American tribes, including applications of leaves, flowers, seeds, and roots. Eclectic and modern uses reflect many of the traditional ones.