Latin Name
Rudbeckia hirta
Other Common Names:
Coneflower, Brown-Eyed Susan, Blackiehead, Yellow Daisy, Golden Jerusalem, Brown Betty, Gloriosa Daisy, Poorland Daisy, Yellow Ox-Eye Daisy, Hairy Coneflower
About
This beautiful flowering plant is wide-spread throughout North America. It is in the same family as Echinacea and has also been traditionally used for its immune-enhancing properties, as well as a treatment for worms. The root most specifically holds these medicinal properties and would commonly be ingested as a tea.
“The harrier black-eyed Susan was usually used as medicine. Black-eyed Susan was also said to increase urination and to have a mild, stimulating effect on the heart. Root tea was taken to treat colds and to expel worms. It was also used as a wash to heal sores, snakebites, and swellings. Juice from the root was dropped into the ear to cure earaches. Black-eyed Susan tea should be strained to remove the irritating hairs.”
Linda Kershaw - Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000
Homeopathic Use
There is a lack of info, thus far, on Rudbeckia hirta in homeopathic use, as opposed to its related Echinacea - Rudbeckia species.