如果你住在美国东南部，你可能对一种独特的地方性植物很熟悉。几个世纪以来，牙痛草一直被用来帮助缓解局部疼痛和牙痛相关的疼痛(顾名思义)。
它依赖于火，并且只能在火维持的环境中茁壮成长，特别偏爱沿海平原的长叶松线草生态系统。这种可爱的植物与季节性洪水地区密切相关，可以在湿地和沼泽及其周围发现，特别是在酸性土壤的地方。
Toothache grass, (Ctenium aromaticum) is a genus of perennial grass in the true grass family, Poaceae. As mentioned, it is found in the Southeastern United States, however, there are about 20 types of toothache grass found in Africa and the New World.
As the name implies, toothache grass has been specifically used to treat toothaches, and alleviate pain. In Africa, toothache grass can be quite common in grazed areas and is often used to treat pain associated with bee stings and dog bites. Stateside, it isn’t commonly used at all. Mostly because it isn’t commonly found and its medicinal benefits are not well known.
How to Identify Toothache Grass
It’s a fun, twisted, curly-topped grass that generally grows about 2 to 6 feet tall (think hay in height, diameter, and color). Honestly, just check out the photos. We could go into the technicalities of toothache grass inflorescence, but one look at a photo and you’ll know it when you see it.
如果你试着把树根压碎(而不是直接咀嚼)，你会发现它们有一种相当强烈的气味。
And if you’re curious to catch this plant in flower, it generally does so in a June to August timeframe.
How to Use Toothache Grass
Generally, the most popular method is to pull the plant by the base of the stem, being careful not to break the connection between the base and thick tuber root. The root is the most potent part and is most desirable to produce the wanted effects. However, some have found the lower stem to be effective as well. That way, there’s more of the entire plant to use rather than just the bottom.
Because of the way toothache grass is used, the entire plant has to be uprooted and killed in order to receive the medicinal value. This is another reason it is hard to find. People are going into areas with known populations and taking all they see. Please be mindful of over harvesting.
Processing of this plant is to pull up the tubers and cut off the top of the stem, preserving the bottom and tubers. I would also recommend peeling away the top layer sheath of the stem, and of course, to wash the tuber that has been buried in the ground.
The last part of this process is up to you: Dry it, powderize, chew it fresh, chop it, and incorporate it into your personal tonic or tea, make tinctures, grind it up and place in capsules — whatever! The choice is yours.
My favorite is simply chewing the tubers. My second favorite is getting new friends to try it. It’s always comical to see their reactions to the tingly sensation.
我还发现有些人喜欢把牙痛草块茎(粉状或糊状)和自制的除臭剂、牙膏或洗发水混合在一起。额外的刺激效果使这些产品感觉他们正在工作，并增加了一个很好的放松的感觉的过程。
If you’re interested in establishing wild grasses on your homestead, it is an excellent choice for that — even if you aren’t keen on the medicinal uses. Toothache grass will attract birds and butterflies onto your property, if you want to incorporate wildlife habitat.
Fun Fact: In Africa, the top part of the stems is often used to create roof thatching.
Benefits of Toothache Grass
As already explained, this plant is useful in helping with toothaches. It can also greatly reduce the sensation of a sore throat.
Toothache grass can be particularly helpful if you’re experiencing what some people like to refer to as cottonmouth (dry mouth) as it is often used as a sialagogue (an agent that increases saliva). I can attest from personal experience that this plant causes a strong numbing sensation and an excess production of saliva.
Now, to get into the “How?” of it. Toothache grass contains three natural anesthetics: pellitorine, dodecadienamide, and isoaffinin. These anesthetics are also referred to as tingle molecules — a name I personally like better.
长期以来，Pellitorine在传统医学中用于治疗牙痛。除此之外，人们还发现pellitorine对提高男性的表现和睾酮水平有好处，还能对抗蚊虫叮咬疾病和细菌。
Dodecadienamide and isoaffinin have been used in traditional medicine for the specific purpose of dentistry work and oral medications. Isoaffinin has even been placed in chewing gum, oral products, colognes, and some topical cosmetics for the tingling and soothing sensation it produces.
Be Environmentally Conscious When Harvesting Toothache Grass
Given its very characteristic appearance, if you’ve seen it before, you’ll immediately recognize it. When I was in school and learned about toothache grass, my professor emphasized conservation-minded awareness. To paraphrase:
Yes, this is a cool species, but we don’t teach about it until you’re a couple years into your degree and better able to understand conservation because if a bunch of excited folks who don’t care about conservation know about this species, they’ll likely come out to these small areas where it’s found and harvest way too much, hurting the local populations and wiping out the species.
With that problem addressed, I would strongly advise you to be environmentally conscious if you’re ever harvesting toothache grass. Go by Robin Kimmerer’s approach from her book “Braiding Sweetgrass.” Don’t take the first plant you see, because it maybe the only one. If you find more,take less than half of what is locally available.Then wait a growth season or more before returning. If you desire more than the amount this method offers, find other spots to harvest, or consider cultivating your own.
有趣(但悲伤)的事实:由于灭火、砍伐树木、城市发展和土壤扰动，牙痛草正在减少。再次强调，要有保护意识。写这篇文章让我很纠结，但我相信提高人们的意识可以帮助重新建立它，特别是如果人们有兴趣在自己的家园上种植它。
培养自己的植物是一个伟大的想法，因为它有助于重新建立一个有趣和美丽的植物物种。如果条件合适，它很容易生长(它更喜欢沙土)。我在这里列出了栖息地的一般特征，但如果你有兴趣自己种植，请阅读更具体的栖息地需求。
也就是说，如果你的宅地中有酸性土壤、季节性洪水、湿地边缘或长叶松草生态系统，它们可以是种植牙痛草的完美地方。也请记住，这种植物依赖火的原因是，种子只在一个地区暴露在火后产生。所以在它周围建立一个非常小的烧地，并季节性地烧这个区域(也研究这个)。
You can order seeds online (it’s unlikely you’ll find them in a local store, but try anyway just to see). If you’re purchasing seeds, make sure the scientific name matches (Ctenium aromaticum).
Leave a Reply