What Is Toothache Grass?

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)。

It is fire dependent, and it thrives (and can only be found) in fire-maintained environments with a special preference for longleaf pine wiregrass ecosystems in the coastal plain. This lovely plant is closely associated with areas that have seasonal inundation, and can be found in and around wetlands and bogs, particularly places with acidic soil.

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.

顾名思义，牙痛草是专门用来治疗牙痛和缓解疼痛的。在非洲，牙痛草在放牧地区很常见，通常被用来治疗蜜蜂蛰伤和狗咬伤的疼痛。在美国，它根本不常用。主要是因为它并不常见，其药用价值也不为人所知。

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.

这个过程的最后一部分由你决定:干燥，粉末，新鲜咀嚼，切碎，并把它加入你的个人滋补品或茶，制作酊剂，磨碎，放入胶囊——无论什么!选择权在你。

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.

I have also found that some like to incorporate toothache grass tubers (in a powder or paste) with homemade deodorant, toothpaste, or shampoo. The added tingle effect makes these products feel like they’re working, and adds a nice relaxing feel to the process.

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

如前所述，这种植物有助于治疗牙痛。它还可以大大减轻喉咙痛的感觉。

如果你正在经历一些人所说的水腹蛇(口干)，牙痛草会特别有帮助，因为它经常被用作唾液刺激剂(一种增加唾液的物质)。我可以从个人经验证明，这种植物会引起强烈的麻木感，并产生过量的唾液。

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:

是的，这是一个很酷的物种，但我们不会教授它，直到你读了几年学位，更好地理解保护，因为如果一群不关心保护的兴奋的人知道这个物种，他们可能会来到这些发现它的小区域，收获太多，伤害当地的种群，消灭这个物种。

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.然后等待一个生长季节或更长的时间再回来。如果你想要的比这个方法提供的更多，找其他地方收获，或者考虑自己培养。

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。

Cultivating your own is a grand idea, as it helps re-establish a fun and beautiful plant species. It can be rather easy to grow, if conditions are right (it prefers sandy soils). I have included general habitat characteristics here, but if you’re interested in growing it yourself, read up on more specific habitat needs.

With that said, if you have areas on your homestead with acidic soils, seasonal inundation, wetland edges, or longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystems, they can be the perfect place to grow toothache grass. Also keep in mind that the reason this plant is fire dependent is because seeds are only produced after a region has been exposed to fire. So create an extremely small burn plot around it and seasonally burn the area (research this, too).

你可以在网上订购种子(你不太可能在当地的商店里找到它们，但还是试着去看看)。If you’re purchasing seeds, make sure the scientific name matches (Ctenium aromaticum).