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Canada Moonseed

Scientific Names


• Menispermum canadense L.
• Menispermaceae
• Moonseed family

Common Names

American sarsaparilla
Canadian Moonseed
Moonseed
Parilla
Texas sarsaparilla
Vine-maple
Yellow parilla
Yellow sarsaparilla
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Parts Usually Used

Leaves and roots
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Description of Plant(s) and Culture

A perennial vine; the round, woody, twining vine of the moonseed family, with small clusters of purple berries and crescent-shaped seeds. Climbing woody vine; 8-12 feet tall. Root is bright yellow within. The leaves are smooth, with 3-7 angles or lobes; stalk attached above the base. Flowers small, whitish; in loose clusters; June to August. The fruit is globular, bluish-black drupe upto 1/2 inch across; resemble grapes.
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Where Found

Rich, moist thickets, moist woods, hedges near streams. Quebec, western New England south to Georgia; Arkansas; Oklahoma.
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Medicinal Properties

Bitter tonic, diuretic, laxative
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Uses

Native Americans used root tea for indigestion, arthritis, bowel disorders; also as a blood cleanser and “female tonic”.

Externally, physicians used root (tincture) as a laxative, diuretic; for syphilis, general debility, and chronic skin infections. Sometimes used as a substitute for Sarsaparilla.
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Warning

Poisonous. Fatalities have been reported from children eating seeds and fruits. Some people reportedly confuse this plant with edible wild grapes. Care should be taken to correctly identify this herb. The black/purple berries are poisonous. The toxicity of the rootstock is due to its bitter alkaloids.

Never use this herb without medical supervision.
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Bibliography

Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants, by Steven Foster and James A. Duke., Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000

The Herb Book, by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974.

The Rodale Herb Book, edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. Emmaus, PA, 18049., 1974

Secrets of the Chinese Herbalists, by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Company, Inc., West Nyack, NY, 1987.

Indian Herbalogy of North America, by Alma R. Hutchens, Shambala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973

Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, Victoria Neufeldt, Editor in Chief, New World Dictionaries: A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023, 1984

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