Rattlesnake Master

Eryngium yuccifolium

Native to central and eastern North America, rattlesnake master inhabits tallgrass prairies and open fields. This perennial herb is easily identified by its stiff, yucca-like, sword-shaped foliage. By midsummer, tall branching stems rise from the leaves and culminate in round, spiny, silvery green flower heads. Attracting bees, wasps, butterflies, and beetles, the globes provide major pollinator resources in prairie systems [1].

References to rattlesnake master’s efficacy stem from Native American tradition. The roots were used by several Native American tribes to treat snakebite, often in a poultice or decoction [2][3]. Roots have also been used to treat coughs, kidney and urinary ailments. Fibrous leaves were stripped away from the plant and used as natural scrapers or as weaving material to create mats. The many uses of the plant highlight both its practicality and curative properties.

Rattlesnake master is not widely used in modern herbalism, but it remains emblematic of protection and strength. Chemical compounds include saponins and essential oils that may support its historical applications [4]. It is valued most today for its ecological function, providing support for pollinators during the height of summer and strengthening biodiversity within prairie systems [5].

Rattlesnake master is a plant of resilience. Bridging traditional uses with restoration ecology, it links people and prairie through persistence and renewal.

[1] University of Wisconsin–Madison, Horticulture Extension. “Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium).” https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/rattlesnake-master-eryngium-yuccifolium/

[2] University of Kansas, Native Medicinal Plant Research Program. “Medicinal Uses of Selected Plants.” https://nativeplants.ku.edu/medicinal-uses-of-selected-plants

[3] Native Nurseries. “Rattlesnake Master for War, for Medicine, and for Pollinators.” August 30, 2022. https://www.nativenurseries.com/blog/2022/8/30/rattlesnake-master-for-war-for-medicine-and-for-pollinators

[4] Phytochemistry (Elsevier). “Phenolic Compounds and Rare Polyhydroxylated Triterpenoid Saponins from Eryngium yuccifolium.” 2008. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031942208001568

[5] Native Plant Society of Texas. “Rattlesnake Master: A Pollinator’s Dream.” https://www.npsot.org/posts/rattlesnake-master-is-the-pollinator-master/