Red root, also known as wild snowball and New Jersey tea, is a deciduous shrub native to eastern North America. While the leaf is collected for tea and the flowers used to obtain a light green dye, the root is harvested when the plant is in full bloom in mid-summer and dried in shade. The root also yields a red dye, hence its common name.
Native Americans frequently used red root topically to address skin lesions and internally for cough and other respiratory complaints. The astringency of the root and bark of this herb is attributed to a significant amount of tannins. Red root also contains several peptide alkaloids.
