Couchgrass Root

Western Bulk Herbs – Couchgrass Root

Couchgrass is used for soothes inflammations of mucosal linings, particularly in the urinary tract. It is used in treatment of cystitis, prostatitis, and urethritis, and also to relieve pain of enlarged prostate and kidney stones. The name, dog grass, is derived from the fact that dogs will eat the grass when they are sick to induce vomiting and cool the blood. Famous herbalist Nicholas Culpepper wrote that “although a gardener may be of another opinion, a physician holds that a 1/2 acre of dog grass to be worth 5 acres of carrots twice told over.”

Latin Name:
Agropyron repens

Common Names:
Agropyron repens, Elymus repens, couchgrass, quackgrass, quickgrass, twitchgrass, Agropyron firmum, Couch Grass, Cutch, Dog Grass, Dog-grass, Doggrass, Durfa Grass, Elymus repens, Elytrigia repens, Graminis rhizoma, Quitch Grass, Scotch Quelch, Triticum firmum, Triticum repens, Wheat Grass, Witch Grass.

Parts Used:
Rhizome, roots, stems, dried and cut.

Properties:
Taken internally as a tea and used for baths.

Traditional Uses:
Demulcent (Substance that soothes irritated or inflamed skin or mucous membranes)

Topical Uses / Applications:

Culinary Uses:
Not used in cooking.

Chemical Properties:
Agropyrene (bactericidal), calcium, fructosan, magnesium, manganese, mannitol, mucilage, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, silicon, sodium, tin, triticin, zinc.

Cautions:
Do not use Couchgrass if there is edema from heart failure or kidney insufficiency. Excessive use of Couchgrass may lower potassium and blood sugar levels in the body.

Folk Lore:
N/A

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Resources:
PDR for Herbal Medicines, 2000. Medical Economics Company, Montvale, New Jersey.

The New Holistic Herbal. David Hoffmann, 1990. Barnes and Noble Books, New York.

A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve, (Dover Publications, New York, 1971)

Major Herbs of Ayurvedic.Compiled by Dahur Research Foundation and Dahur Ayurvet Limited, Ghaziabad, India., 2002. Churchill Livingstone, London, England.

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition, Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble, 1986. Eastland Press, Seattle, WA.