Solomons Seal- A Shade Loving Herb

Solomon’s Seal is a great little shade loving herb. It is a delicate plant that hates the sun, but thrives and spreads in the perfect, shady situation. Closely related to Lily of the Valley, Solomon’s Seal has tiny, white flowers will turn into small black berries. It is debated, but the flowers, leaves, and berries are said to be poisonous while the root can be eaten or used in medicine. I would suggest researching prior to ingesting this in any way. I hesitated even referring to it as an herb for this reason, but it is technically a very powerful herbal remedy that has been used for thousands of years to treat everything from broken bones and arthritis, to bruising and respiratory issues. The Greeks and Romans knew this plant to be mostly toxic, and there is very little written about it from this time period because of this. It grew in popularity and usage throughout Europe beginning around 1597. The American variety of Solomon’s seal has never really been extensively studied, but we do know that Native Americans did use the roots, especially in cooking.

While researching, I found an amazing article detailing so much history, usages, tincture recipes, and so much more. click here to find this article and learn so much!

You can start this plant from seed, or by planting a piece of the root. It will spread over a few years, and should be planted in an area that will support this. They require little attention once planted, insects don’t seem to bother them. As long as they have shade and slightly moist soil, they seem to thrive. Plus the rich, green color adds so much life to areas that are hard to plant. We have these interspersed with hosta, ferns, and azaleas. They will multiply quickly when they are ‘happy!’