Spikenard
Quick Facts
- What it is: The root of Aralia racemosa, a North American woodland plant used in folk and Eclectic practice as a cough remedy.
- Main uses: Cough and chest congestion, Hoarseness, Rheumatic aches, Skin washes and poultices
- Active ingredients: Triterpene saponins, Essential oil and resin, Tannins, Phenolic acids such as chlorogenic acid, Polyacetylenes
- Forms: Dried root for tea, Tincture, Glycerite, Capsules, Herbal cough syrups
- Time to effect: Unknown; traditional users expected days. It may do nothing.
- Side effects: Mostly mild stomach upset; rash or allergy is possible.
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What is Spikenard?
Spikenard is the root of Aralia racemosa, a tall woodland plant native to North America. American herbalists used it mainly as a cough and chest remedy. Older books also call it American Spikenard, Indian Root and Life-of-Man.
It is not the same plant as Indian or true spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi). The two names overlap, but the plants come from different families. Check the Latin name on any label before you buy.
Here is the evidence verdict up front. No published human trials of Aralia racemosa could be found. Long traditional use is not proof that a remedy works, and it is not proof that it is safe.
How does Spikenard work?
The honest answer is that nobody knows how spikenard acts in the human body.
The root holds soap-like compounds called saponins. In test tubes, saponins of this kind can loosen mucus and irritate the lining of the gut. That may be the root of the old cough-syrup use, but it has not been tested in people.
Lab work on related Aralia species points to effects on swelling and on blood sugar. Those studies used cells and animals, not people. A result in a dish often does not carry over to a person.
Old writers said the root "cleaned the blood". That phrase has no modern meaning and no test behind it.
What forms does Spikenard come in?
Spikenard is sold mostly as dried root and as liquid extracts.
Dried cut root, simmered in water as a tea.
Tincture, a liquid extract made with alcohol.
Glycerite, a sweet alcohol-free extract.
Capsules of powdered root.
Cough syrups that blend it with other herbs.
Blends are the most common form on shelves. That makes it hard to tell which herb caused a benefit or a problem. Supplements are not checked the way medicines are.
Where it comes from:
Spikenard held a steady place in American folk and Eclectic practice through the 1800s. Eclectic doctors were a group of US physicians who leaned on plant medicines.
Their books listed the root for coughs, hoarseness and chest congestion. It also appeared in "spring tonics" and in washes for sores and rheumatic aches.
Several Native American nations used related Aralia roots in poultices and teas. Settlers borrowed the plant and the name from that practice.
The root faded from US pharmacy lists in the early 1900s. It survived in home cough syrups and in modern herbal blends.
Who should avoid Spikenard?
- Do not use if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, as the effect on pregnancy is unknown.
- Do not use if you are breastfeeding.
- Do not give it to a child under 12 unless a doctor tells you to.
- Do not use if you have reacted badly to ginseng, ivy or other plants in the Araliaceae family.
- Do not use if you take insulin or other diabetes medicine, unless your doctor agrees to monitor you.
- Do not take the alcohol tincture if you take disulfiram or metronidazole, or if you are avoiding alcohol.
- Avoid it if you have liver disease or kidney disease, since no safety data exist for you.
- Never use it in place of an inhaler, steroid or other prescribed treatment for asthma (a long-term lung condition).
- Do not use it in the two weeks before planned surgery.
- Do not put it on an open or infected wound.
When should you see a doctor?
Stop and see a doctor if any of these happen.
Your cough lasts more than three weeks, or you cough up blood.
You have a fever, chest pain, wheezing or shortness of breath.
You get a rash, itching, or swelling of the face, lips or tongue.
You feel shaky, sweaty or confused, which can mean low blood sugar.
You have vomiting, bad stomach pain or diarrhoea that will not settle.
Call emergency services for trouble breathing or swelling of the throat.
Is Spikenard legal where you live?
In the United States it is sold as a dietary supplement. The FDA has not approved it as a medicine and does not check it for safety or effect before sale.
In the UK and EU it is sold as a food supplement. It does not hold a traditional herbal registration, so no health claim may be made for it.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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