Chamaelirium
Botanical name:
Related entry: Helonias
Chamaelirium. Chamaelirium luteum (L.) A. Gray. (C. carolinianum Willd.) Starwort. False Unicorn Root. Devil's Bit. Blazing Star.—This plant is indigenous to the United States. The rhizome is the part employed in medicine. It is commonly known by the erroneous name Helonias, under which title it is recognized by the N. F. (for description, see Helonias). F. V. Greene obtained from it in 1878 a bitter principle, chamaelirin. He states that it is a cardiac poison. Helonin is a term used by the eclectics to define the alcoholic extract found in commerce. Chamaelirium is said to be diuretic, tonic, and anthelmintic. It is usually given in aqueous infusion, one in sixteen, in the dose of a wineglassful.
