cancerweed
- noun
- US
- Some gardeners cultivate cancerweed for its attractive flowers and traditional uses.
Examples
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The herbalist recommended using cancerweed for its potential healing properties.
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Several patches of cancerweed grew along the forest edge in spring.
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I found some cancerweed in the garden.
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Many herbalists use cancerweed for its medicinal properties.
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In the wild, cancerweed is often found thriving near streams and shaded areas.
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Herbal remedies often include cancerweed due to its long history of use in traditional medicine.
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The landscape was dotted with cancerweed, adding a vibrant splash of purple to the greenery.
Synonyms
A plant like sage with hairy leaves and small purple flowers that grows in the eastern United States
A small sage plant with curved leaves like a harp and pale blue flowers that grows in eastern US woodlands
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word cancerweed is made of cancer and weed. The part cancer comes from a Latin word meaning 'crab' and later was used for the disease 'cancer'. A helpful way to remember the name is that people once used this plant as a herbal remedy for lumps or growths, so the name connects the plant to the disease and to its traditional use.