Yellow Dock: is one of the blood-cleansers, stimulating the liver to release bile and so helping to ensure that it is working well ...

Common Names: Curled Dock, Yellow Dock

Botanical Name: Rumex crispus

Family: Polygonaceae

Parts Used: Roots, leaves

Plant Type: Perennial

Flowering: June and July

Native to Europe and Africa, yellow dock has become naturalized along roadsides and in ditches and abandoned places in many temperate regions; it is considered a noxious weed in places.

Description: A robust erect perennial, yellow dock has a spindle-shaped yellow taproot from which a smooth, slender stem arises that can reach one to three feet. Wavy-edged, lance-shaped, light green leaves are larger at the bottom of the stem and shorter near the top. Loose whorls of pale green flowers appear on drooping panicles in midsummer, followed by small heart-shaped winged fruits.

Cultivation: Dock is a hardy perennial, growing in full sun and acid soil. It is a weed and, once established, is hard to get rid of.

Harvesting: Pick leaves when young and use fresh. Dig up roots in late summer or early autumn, clean and split lengthwise for drying.

Culinary Uses: Sorrel, which is the cultivated version of dock, is high in vitamin C and has a delicious lemony flavor. Dock does not taste so good, and has a high oxalic acid content which can aggravate gout.

Yellow Dock Magick

Healing. Fertility. Money

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Jupiter

Element: Air

Use the seeds in money spells and incenses.

If you are a woman, tying the leaves to your left arm is said to help conception.

Use an infusion of yellow dock to sprinkle around your business to attract customers.

Herbal Healing with Yellow Dock

Medicinal Actions: Alterative, antiscorbutic, astringent, cholagogue, hepatic, laxative, tonic.

Medicinal Uses: The anthraquinones in the yellow dock root are responsible for the laxative effect of this herb. They work by stimulating the colon to expel waste and toxins. In small amounts anything which has a laxative effect may be cleansing for the body, but large amounts would have a purgative effect, causing excessive peristalsis, resulting in gripping pains. However, at the right dosage the plant gives a gentle action well suited to relieve moderate constipation. Try yellow dock with licorice (Glycyrrhiza), peppermint (Mentha piperita), and German chamomile (Matricaria) to persuade the bowel to adopt better habits rather than forcing it. Yellow dock also acts to aid the digestive process. In the musculoskeletal system where there is often a build-up of toxins resulting from constipation, the herb is cleansing; it is used for this purpose as part of a treatment for arthritis.

Combined with other herbs, yellow dock is well suited to assist the liver in the cleansing of toxins from the skin, and is used in complaints such as eczema, psoriasis, and acne. Try it with herbs like red clover (Trifolium), violet (Viola tricolor) and nettle (Urtica), but be prepared for the treatment to take some time.

The fresh, juicy leaves of yellow dock are the traditional remedy to ease the pain of nettle stings. Rub a leaf directly on to the affected area. It is also used externally for hives and ringworm.

Contraindications:

Do not take yellow dock during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Preparations and Dosages:

The root is made into a decoction. Take 100 ml (4 fl oz) daily for short periods for constipation.

For skin problems, combine with calendula and cleavers and use 100 ml (4 fl oz) daily of the three herbs combined.

As a tincture, take 2 1/2 ml (50 drops) three times daily.

A syrup may be made by boiling 1/2 pound of the crushed root in 2 cups of syrup; taken in teaspoonful doses three or four times daily.

For External Use:

An ointment made with the root simmered in oil (coconut oil will harden when cold and can be used for rectal suppositories) can also be used for skin ulcers, itching sores, swellings and scabby conditions of the skin.

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