Collinsonia Canadensis.
Research-backed compound with potential health benefits. Traditionally used to tone veins and tissues. Think hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and throat irritation. Astringent properties are the main idea here.
Reviewed March 2026
- Category
- Compound
What Collinsonia Canadensis is, and what it does.
- Does it work
- Maybe. It has a century of traditional use but almost zero modern human trials. You're betting on historical anecdotes, not data.
- How much to take
- Standard dose is around 400-800mg of the dried root, once or twice daily. Tinctures are also common; follow the label.
- Time to feel it
- A tincture gives you that dry, astringent mouthfeel straight away. Anything beyond that builds slowly, and traditional practice ran courses of several weeks.
- The first dose
- Nothing. This isn't a painkiller. Any effects would take weeks to build up.
- With regular use
- After 4-6 weeks, some people report improvement in hemorrhoid symptoms or varicose vein discomfort. Many feel nothing at all.
- How well tolerated
- Considered well tolerated in most. Avoid if pregnant or breastfeeding. Check with a doc if you have kidney problems due to its traditional use as a diuretic.
- How it feels
- You don't really 'feel' it. It's about a gradual, subtle reduction in specific symptoms like swelling or discomfort over time.
- The overlooked benefit
- The root's mucilage swells into a viscous coat in water, which is why old herbal practice reached for it for a scratchy throat rather than for anything systemic.
500 to 1,000mg a day is where Collinsonia Canadensis works.
Source: Traditional eclectic medicine. Stone root for venous congestion.
The proof, claim by claim.
These words describe the research, not the molecule's worth. Research strength is how much work stands behind one claim, and it is never a product score.
Collinsonia Canadensis is documented in the library; the clinical read is in the queue. Nothing about the strength of the research prints until the read is done.
- Astringent action on mucous membranesIn vitro study
- Demulcent coating of the throatNarrative review
- Traditional use for venous and tissue toneNarrative review
- Saponin surfactant behaviour in aqueous extractsIn vitro study
Questions people ask about Collinsonia Canadensis.
- Is this really made from stone?
- No, it's a plant. 'Stoneroot' comes from its hard, dense root and its traditional use for kidney stones.
- Can I just drink it as a tea?
- You could, but it's very astringent and not pleasant. Capsules or tinctures are much easier to take.
- Is it a stimulant?
- Nope. No energy buzz or jitters. It's a tissue and vein tonic.
- Better than standard creams or treatments?
- Unlikely. Think of it as a potential supporting player, not a first-line treatment. Stick with what's proven first.
- Why is it also called Horse Balm?
- Because it has a strong, lemony scent when crushed, similar to other 'balm' plants, and was reportedly used for horses.
Why these belong in the same formula. Each row says what the basis is, from settled biochemistry through to a trial that measured the pair.
Escin reduces capillary permeability and raises venous tone through effects on the endothelial glycocalyx, while stone root contributes tannin-based astringency in the same formulas. The pairing is traditional practice rather than settled combination pharmacology.
Ruscogenins act on alpha-adrenergic receptors in venous smooth muscle to raise tone, a mechanism distinct from stone root's tannin astringency. The two have travelled together in venotonic preparations, so the basis is practice plus one characterised mechanism.
Diosmin slows noradrenaline breakdown in the vein wall and reduces capillary fragility, alongside stone root's astringent role. Only the flavonoid side carries characterised pharmacology, so the pairing sits at early confidence.
Rutin is a flavonol glycoside used in venous-tone formulas, and collinsonia root brings tannins, saponins and a small volatile oil fraction to the same category of product. The two are combined for overlapping traditional use rather than because a trial has measured them together. No combination study was located, so the pairing is formulation convention with plant chemistry behind it.
Grape seed proanthocyanidins and collinsonia tannins are both condensed polyphenols with astringent protein-binding behaviour. Products aimed at venous comfort routinely place them in the same blend. The overlap is chemical and traditional, not a measured additive effect in people.
Pine bark procyanidins occupy the same formulation slot as collinsonia in circulatory-support blends. Both are polyphenol-rich botanical extracts with astringent character. The pairing rests on category convention and shared chemistry, and no head-to-head or combination trial was located.
Vitamin C is a required cofactor for the prolyl and lysyl hydroxylases that stabilise collagen, which is a structural component of normal vessel walls. Collinsonia contributes astringent tannins with no role in that enzymology, so the two act on different footings inside one blend. The cofactor relationship is textbook; the combined effect on any endpoint has not been measured.
Bilberry anthocyanins and collinsonia polyphenols are frequently formulated together in circulatory blends. Both classes are absorbed poorly intact and are extensively metabolised by gut microbiota into smaller phenolic acids. Read the pairing as chemical overlap rather than a demonstrated combined outcome.
Tannins and other polyphenols bind non-heme iron in the gut lumen and form poorly absorbed complexes, a well-characterised food-chemistry interaction. Collinsonia root is a tannin-bearing material, so taking it in the same sitting as an iron dose is expected to lower iron uptake. Separating the two by a couple of hours is the ordinary handling of this interaction.
Ferrous sulfate delivers non-heme iron, the exact form most sensitive to polyphenol binding. Tannins from collinsonia root precipitate iron in the gut lumen before it reaches the enterocyte. The direction is competitive, and dose separation is the standard handling.
Polyphenols and phytate-like ligands reduce zinc solubility in the gut, and tannin-rich botanicals fall into that group. The effect on zinc is smaller and less consistently characterised than the effect on non-heme iron. Read it as a plausible absorption competition worth spacing rather than a quantified one.
Psyllium adds soluble fibre that holds water and softens stool, which supports comfort during normal elimination. Collinsonia is included in the same products for its traditional astringent role. The two work by unrelated mechanisms and the pairing is convention, not a measured combination.
Marshmallow root is a mucilage-forming botanical that coats mucosal surfaces physically. Collinsonia contributes mucilage of its own alongside its tannins. Traditional formularies place the two together; no clinical measurement of the pair was located.
Slippery elm bark forms a viscous mucilage in water, a purely physical demulcent behaviour. It is paired with collinsonia in traditional preparations aimed at mucosal comfort. The basis is historical use plus shared polysaccharide chemistry.
Collagen peptides supply glycine, proline and hydroxyproline as amino acid substrate for normal connective tissue. Collinsonia has no known role in collagen synthesis and sits in the same product for its traditional venous-tone use. Nothing measured supports a combined effect, so the row is formulation practice.
Nothing specific on file for Collinsonia Canadensis. Match the label to the daily amount above, and tell your doctor what you take.
Not medical advice. Show the label to your pharmacist.What Collinsonia Canadensis actually does.
Collinsonia canadensis root and rhizome are tannin-bearing plant material, and tannins bind and precipitate proteins on contact, which is the chemical basis of the astringent sensation these preparations produce.
The alcohol-soluble fraction carries the tannins and volatile constituents, which is why hydroalcoholic tinctures and dry ethanolic extracts differ in composition from a simple water infusion of the same root.
Polyphenols of this class are absorbed poorly in intact form and are largely transformed by colonic microbiota into smaller phenolic acids before any systemic exposure occurs.
The root also contains saponins, which are amphiphilic glycosides that lower surface tension and can act as natural surfactants in an aqueous extract.
Where Collinsonia Canadensis comes from.
It comes from the root of a woodland plant. The root is dug, washed, dried and either ground into powder for capsules or soaked in alcohol and water to make a liquid extract.
Made from a plant. What ends up in the capsule tracks the harvest, so batch testing and a stated marker matter more here than with a made molecule.
A perennial mint-family plant of eastern North American woodlands. The underground parts are the portion used; the aerial parts are not the article of commerce.
Roots are lifted, washed free of soil, cut and dried at low heat to stabilise the material and stop microbial growth before milling.
The dried root is ground to a free-flowing powder that can be encapsulated directly or used as extraction feedstock.
For liquid and dry extracts, the milled root is steeped or percolated in an ethanol and water mixture that carries both the tannins and the volatile fraction.
Vacuum concentration or spray drying removes the solvent and leaves a powder, usually deposited on a carrier such as maltodextrin.
Powder is filled or compressed; liquid extract is standardised for ethanol content and bottled with a dropper.
Wild-collected versus cultivated sourcing is rarely stated on a label, and the two differ in constituent variability.
The forms it comes in.
Problems people have reported.
Read this carefully. These are 4,612 voluntary, unverified reactions reported to the FDA (openFDA). The number mostly reflects how popular Collinsonia Canadensis is, not how risky it is. A report is not proof Collinsonia Canadensis caused anything. It is a signal of what to watch for, nothing more.
Source: openFDA adverse-event reports. Voluntary reporting, not an incidence rate.
FDA Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement regimen.