Botanical atlas

Grass of Parnassus

Parnassia glauca

Grass of Parnassus is better known to botanists and wildflower lovers than to herbalists, and it has never held a major place in the North American medicine chest. Its European relative, Parnassia palustris, turns up in old herbals such as Culpeper's, where it was recommended for the eyes and for soothing the heart and liver, though those uses faded from common practice generations ago. The North American Parnassia glauca has instead been prized simply for growing where it grows, in the calcium-rich fens and wet meadows that give it its name, and finding one in bloom has long been treated as a small reward for a walk through healthy wetland. Its glossy, green-veined white petals opening late in the season, after most other wildflowers have finished, have made it a favorite of naturalists and native plant gardeners rather than a working remedy.

In tradition.

Grass of Parnassus is better known to botanists and wildflower lovers than to herbalists, and it has never held a major place in the North American medicine chest. Its European relative, Parnassia palustris, turns up in old herbals such as Culpeper's, where it was recommended for the eyes and for soothing the heart and liver, though those uses faded from common practice generations ago. The North American Parnassia glauca has instead been prized simply for growing where it grows, in the calcium-rich fens and wet meadows that give it its name, and finding one in bloom has long been treated as a small reward for a walk through healthy wetland. Its glossy, green-veined white petals opening late in the season, after most other wildflowers have finished, have made it a favorite of naturalists and native plant gardeners rather than a working remedy.

Safety.

Grass of Parnassus has no real history as an ingested herb and no modern safety data, so it's best treated as an ornamental rather than a home remedy. It's uncommon in the wild, so choose nursery-grown plants rather than digging it up.