Botanical atlas
Stone Root
Collinsonia canadensis
This plant is kept in the atlas for identification and safety, not for use. Read the safety notes below before handling it, and keep it away from children, cats, and food.
Stone root earned its name from herbalists who noted both its hard, stone-like knobby rhizome and its traditional use for complaints of the kidneys and bladder. It became a cornerstone remedy among the nineteenth century Eclectic physicians of North America, who reached for it especially to traditionally support varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and a heavy, sluggish feeling in the digestive tract. Native to the moist eastern woodlands it still grows in today, stone root was valued as a steady, grounding root medicine long before it found its way into apothecary cabinets.
Safety.
Stone root is generally mild and low in toxicity but hasn't been well studied. It may have a diuretic or laxative effect, so those with kidney conditions should be cautious, and it's best avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding since safety there isn't established.
Our sister app HerbLens identifies stone root from a photo and keeps its full botanical portrait: growing guide, harvest notes, and look-alike warnings.
View on HerbLensHerbSense shares traditional herbal knowledge for education, not diagnosis or treatment. Herbs can interact with medicines and conditions. Speak with your doctor before acting on anything here, and seek care promptly for anything severe, sudden, or worsening.