Home > Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine > Lycopodium

Description

Lycopodium (Lycopodium clavatum) is a perennial evergreen plant that grows in pastures, woodlands, heaths, and moors of Great Britain, Northern Europe, and North America. It has a slender stem that trails along the ground and vertical branches that grow to 3-4 in (7.5-10 cm). The plant belongs to the Lycopodiaceae family and is related to mosses and ferns. It is often called club moss. Other names include wolf's claw, stag horn, witch meal, and vegetable sulfur.

The pale yellow pollen collected from the spores is used to make the homeopathic remedy called lycopodium. The pollen is odorless, water resistant, and highly flammable. For this reason, it used to be a component of fireworks. It was also used to create a coating for pills.

Early physicians used...