Opopanax chironium, common name Hercules' all-heal, is a herb of the family Apiaceae.

Description

Opopanax chironium grows 1 - 3 m high. This perennial herb has a branching stem, thick and rough close to the base. Leaves are serrate, pinnate, with long petioles. It produces a large, flat, yellow inflorescence at the top of the branches.

Distribution and habitat

The plant thrives in warm climates like Iran, Italy, Greece and Turkey, but also grows in cooler climates.

Uses

A gum resin (mostly gum) can be extracted from this plant by cutting at the base of a stem and sun-drying the juice that flows out. It has a strong unpleasant odor, unlike the perfumery's opopanax which is aromatic. The resin has been used in the treatment of spasms, and, before that, as an emmenagogue, in the treatment of asthma, chronic visceral infections, hysteria and hypochondria. Opopanax resin is most frequently sold in dried irregular pieces, though tear-shaped gems are not uncommon.