About Corydalis flavula (Raf.) DC.
Corydalis flavula, commonly known as yellow fumewort, yellow harlequin, fume-root, and yellow fumitory, has the scientific synonyms Capnoides flavulum (Raf.) Kuntze and Fumaria flavula Raf. It is an herbaceous perennial plant native to the eastern United States, and its natural habitat is open woods and slopes. Corydalis flavula is classified in the order Ranunculales, a group of plants that often contains many alkaloids that range from making plants distasteful to toxic. Early use by Native Americans involved inhaling the smoke of the charring plant. Early American medicine adopted some of the aboriginal knowledge about the effects of plant alkaloids, similar to the use of heroin for pain and belladonna for hearing problems, and used this species to staunch bleeding wounds and as an anti-emetic. Chinese medicine uses plants of the Corydalis genus as pain relievers, muscle relaxants, and to slow activity of the gastrointestinal system.
