Botanical atlas

Solomon's Seal

Polygonatum biflorum

Solomon's Seal has long been a quiet workhorse of the eastern woodland apothecary, its knobby rhizome dug in autumn and simmered into decoctions or mashed into poultices for bruises, sprains, and aching joints. Cherokee, Iroquois, and other Native American healers used root preparations for a wide range of complaints, including as a wash for wounds and a support for women's health, and early European settlers quickly adopted the plant under the old-world name Sealwort, applying it in much the same way their ancestors had used its Eurasian cousin. In lean seasons the starchy rhizome was also boiled and eaten like a root vegetable, and the young shoots were gathered in spring and cooked much like asparagus. It settled into folk medicine as a gentle, reliable helper for the everyday bumps and strains of rural life.

Safety.

The berries are toxic and should never be eaten; only the rhizome is traditionally used. Before flowering, the leaves can be confused with true Lily of the Valley, which is dangerously toxic to the heart, so correct identification is essential.