Blazing Star
- Liatris squarrosa L.
- Composite family
Common Names
 Blazing star root
Rattlesnake-master
Scaly blazing star
Parts Usually Used
Root
Description of Plant(s) and
Culture
Scaly blazing star is a native North American perennial plant; it resembles the marsh blazing star but much smaller, has a tuberous root that produces the stem growing only as high as 2 feet and the leaves to 6 inches long. The alternate linear leaves are dotted, the lower of which are longer. The flower spike is also smaller, made up of blue-purple florets, appears from June to September.
Other varieties: Rough blazing-star (L. aspera); Marsh blazing star (L. spicata); Tall blazing star (L. scariosa); also called Rattlesnake master, Eryngo (Eryngium aquaticum L.); A tiny plant called Blazing star (Mentzelia albicaulis) is also known to the Paiutes as the Gravy Plant, (called Ku-Ha).
Where Found
Found in dry, open woods, clearings, and fields from Ontario to Pennsylvania and Florida, and westward to South Dakota, Nebraska, and Texas.
Medicinal Properties
Diuretic
Legends, Myths and Stories
Star grass (Aletris farinosa) is sometimes called blazing star.
Uses
Used for gargle of sore throat. Remedy for gonorrhea, snakebite, wounds, insect bites.
Formulas or Dosages
Decoction: boil 1 heaping tsp. root in 1 cup water. Take 2 oz. 3-4 times a day. If for snakebite, substitute milk for the water in the formula.
Tincture: a dose is 1/2 to 1 tsp.
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