Synopsis

Source of validity: Traditional
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American Liverleaf (Hepatica americana), also known as liverwort, has a history of use in traditional herbal medicine among Native Americans and early European settlers in North America. Its leaves were often brewed as a tea or applied topically for a variety of ailments, including mouth sores and canker sores (aphthous ulcers). The traditional rationale for its use stemmed from the "Doctrine of Signatures," which suggested that the liver-shaped leaves indicated its utility for liver and related ailments, though this logic was not scientifically grounded.

Specific references to American Liverleaf for canker sores appear in 19th and early 20th-century herbals and ethnobotanical records, where preparations were used as a mouthwash or gargle to soothe oral mucosa. However, there is no modern clinical research or rigorous scientific evidence to confirm its efficacy for canker sores. The plant contains tannins and saponins, which may have mild astringent and anti-inflammatory properties, but these effects have not been systematically studied in the context of aphthous ulcers. Therefore, its use is best classified as "traditional," with weak evidence supporting its benefit for this condition.

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