Elecampane (Inula helenium) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Inula helenium
Family: Asteraceae
Part used: Root
Taste: Bitter, pungent, slightly sweet (root contains inulin)
Temperature: Warm
Moisture: Dry

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Insufficient safety data — traditional caution; avoid during pregnancy

While breastfeeding

Limited data; avoid during breastfeeding as precaution.

For children

Older children under guidance for bronchitis; not for infants

Cautions

Contact dermatitis from sesquiterpene lactones (alantolactone); Asteraceae allergy; large doses may cause nausea/vomiting

General contraindications

Known Asteraceae allergy; contact dermatitis history

Stewardship

Elecampane (Inula helenium) is cultivated; tall perennial with prominent yellow flowers. Stewardship: 'Helen's root' — the plant named for Helen of Troy — carries European classical tradition; teach the etymology.

In the traditional record

Elecampane (Inula helenium) — the species name helenium derives from Helen of Troy in Greek myth, said by Pliny to have grown where her tears fell; cultivated in Greek, Roman, monastic Christian (Hildegard von Bingen), and English herbal traditions (Gerard, Culpeper) as a primary expectorant and pulmonary tonic for chronic respiratory complaints.

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.