Iris

What Is Iris?

Blue flag is a wild iris of eastern North American wetlands, whose rhizome is a bitter herb for the liver, the lymphatic system and the skin. It is always used in small doses, because larger doses cause vomiting and purging ^{8,9Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}.

Iris versicolor grows in marshes and along shores from Manitoba and Newfoundland south to Virginia ^{10Reference 10Henderson · 2002Iris versicolor LinnaeusView study →}. Native Americans used it for stomach complaints, and it became one of the most valued medicines of the nineteenth-century Eclectic physicians, who gave it for sluggish digestion, jaundice, chronic skin eruptions and swollen glands ^{8,9Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}.

The rhizome contains an acrid oil and resin, along with xanthones, iridal-type triterpenoids and a few isoflavonoids ^{2,9Reference 2Hoang et al. · 2020In vitroPhytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitroView study →Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}. Modern research on the species itself is limited to one laboratory study of oral bacterial biofilms ^{2Reference 2Hoang et al. · 2020In vitroPhytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitroView study →}.

The rhizome resembles that of calamus, or sweet flag, and the old name “poison flag” was used to tell the two apart ^{9Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}.

How Is Iris Used?

• Dried rhizome — in small doses, alone or in formulas. Old, light rhizome was considered inactive, and heavy, resinous rhizome was preferred ^{8,9Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}.
• Tincture or liquid extract — given in drops. The Eclectics’ “specific medicine iris” was dosed at 1–20 drops ^{8Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →}.
• Oleoresin — a concentrated resin introduced by John King in 1844 and sold as “iridin” or “irisin”, mostly in pills with other liver herbs ^{9Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}.
• External use — the tincture was painted on goitre and applied to psoriasis, eczema and ringworm, alongside internal use ^{8Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →}.

Traditional Uses

Native American Medicine

Blue flag was highly esteemed by Native Americans, who used it for stomach complaints ^{9Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}.

American Folk Medicine

Blue flag was a popular domestic remedy for producing salivation without using mercury, which earned it the name “vegetable mercury” ^{9Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}.

Eclectic Medicine

Blue flag became one of the most valued early Eclectic medicines. The Eclectics did not use it as a purgative, but as an alterative and cholagogue in small, repeated doses ^{8,9Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}.

Harvey Felter (1922) listed its specific indications as soft, enlarged lymph glands; fullness of the thyroid or spleen; chronic liver disorders with jaundice and clay-coloured stools; nausea and sour vomiting, especially after fatty foods; and rough, greasy skin with disorders of the oil glands ^{8Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →}.

It was given for goitre and thyroid enlargement over several months, for bilious and sick headache, and for constipation with a sluggish liver. On the skin, it was used for psoriasis, chronic itching eczema, ringworm and prurigo ^{8Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →}.

Indications

• Chronic skin conditions, including psoriasis, eczema and oily, acne-prone skin [rhizome, internal and applied; Eclectic use]
• Sluggish liver and jaundice with pale stools [rhizome; Eclectic use]
• Nausea and sour vomiting after fatty food, and bilious headache [rhizome, small doses; Eclectic use]
• Constipation with a sluggish liver [rhizome; Eclectic use]
• Enlarged lymph glands [rhizome; Eclectic use]
• Scanty urine and dropsy, usually alongside other diuretic herbs [rhizome; Eclectic and Physiomedical use] ^{9,11,13Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →Reference 11Cook · 1869Iris Versicolor — Blue FlagView study →Reference 13Ellingwood · 1919Ellingwood, F. (1919). Iris. In The American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/ellingwood/iris.htmlView study →}
• Goitre and thyroid enlargement [rhizome, internal and applied; Eclectic use]
• Stomach complaints [rhizome; Native American use]

Botany

Blue flag is a perennial of the iris family (Iridaceae). It grows from pale pinkish-white rhizomes, 1–2.5 cm thick, which branch freely and form large clumps ^{10Reference 10Henderson · 2002Iris versicolor LinnaeusView study →}.

Its leaves are narrow and sword-shaped, 10–80 cm long and 1–3 cm wide, and often purplish at the base. The flowering stems are 20–60 cm tall and branch once or twice ^{10Reference 10Henderson · 2002Iris versicolor LinnaeusView study →}.

The flowers are violet-blue, rarely white. The large outer petals (sepals) carry a greenish-yellow, downy patch surrounded by purple veining on white, and the inner petals are much shorter. It flowers from May to July ^{10Reference 10Henderson · 2002Iris versicolor LinnaeusView study →}.

The seed capsules often stay on the plant over winter ^{10Reference 10Henderson · 2002Iris versicolor LinnaeusView study →}. Blue flag arose as a hybrid between two other North American irises, Iris virginica and Iris hookeri ^{10Reference 10Henderson · 2002Iris versicolor LinnaeusView study →}.

Distribution

Blue flag grows in marshes, along shores and roadsides, and in the mountains of eastern North America. Its range runs from Manitoba east to Newfoundland and south through New England and the Great Lakes states to Virginia ^{10Reference 10Henderson · 2002Iris versicolor LinnaeusView study →}.

In parts of Atlantic Canada it is becoming a weed, because livestock avoid it and graze its competitors ^{10Reference 10Henderson · 2002Iris versicolor LinnaeusView study →}.

Growing Conditions

Cultivation snapshot for Iris

Lifeperennial

• A true wetland plant — thrives in constantly moist to wet, humus-rich soil at pond and stream margins, bog gardens and rain gardens.
• Tolerates up to a few inches of shallow standing water over a muddy bottom, making it well suited to pond edges and container water gardens.
• Prefers full sun to part shade; flowering is best in full sun.
• Cold-hardy across a wide range (roughly USDA zones 3–9) and spreads by rhizome to form clumps over time.

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Pharmacology & Research

Blue flag has one modern laboratory study of its own: a 2020 comparison of Iris extracts against oral bacterial biofilms ^{2Reference 2Hoang et al. · 2020In vitroPhytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitroView study →}. Two rat studies from the 1980s and 1990s tested it alongside two other plants ^{4,5Reference 4Bambhole · 1988AnimalEffect of some medicinal plant preparations on adipose tissue metabolism — rat/in vivoView study →Reference 5Bambhole et al. · 1993AnimalReduction of diet-induced obesity in rats with a herbal formulation — rat/in vivoView study →}.

The rest of the Iris literature concerns other species, chiefly I. germanica, I. tectorum and I. domestica, whose rhizomes are rich in isoflavones ^{3,6,7Reference 3Guo et al. · 2026In vitroIridis tectori rhizome alleviates LPS-triggered inflammatory responses through inhibiting NF-κB signaling in macrophages — mouse/in vivo and in vitroView study →Reference 6Ibrahim et al. · 2017In vitroIbrahim, S. R. M., et al. (2017). 8-Hydroxyirilone 5-methyl ether and 8-hydroxyirilone, new antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitor isoflavonoids from Iris germanica rhizomes — in vitro. Bioorganic Chemistry, 70, 192–198. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28069265/View study →Reference 7Woźniak et al. · 2015ReviewBelamcandae chinensis rhizome — a review of phytochemistry and bioactivity — reviewView study →}. No human study of blue flag has been published.

1. Antimicrobial

A 2020 study tested 15 methanol extracts from five Iris species against single-species biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, and against a mixed oral biofilm ^{2Reference 2Hoang et al. · 2020In vitroPhytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitroView study →}.

Blue flag leaf, root and rhizome extracts inhibited both quorum sensing and bacterial adhesion during biofilm formation, in a concentration-dependent way. With I. pallida, blue flag was one of only two species whose extracts all cut adhesion in the mixed oral biofilm by more than half ^{2Reference 2Hoang et al. · 2020In vitroPhytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitroView study →}.

The extracts were less active against mature biofilms, and I. pallida was the most effective species overall. None of the extracts was toxic to human fibroblasts ^{2Reference 2Hoang et al. · 2020In vitroPhytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitroView study →}.

Across all 15 extracts, adhesion inhibition tracked the myristic acid content, and quorum-sensing inhibition tracked the content of a steroid, 7-β-hydroxystigmast-4-en-3-one ^{2Reference 2Hoang et al. · 2020In vitroPhytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitroView study →}.

Gap: a single laboratory study of an oral-hygiene use, with no animal or clinical data.

2. Anti-Inflammatory

No study has tested blue flag for anti-inflammatory activity. In a related species, an ethanol extract of Iris tectorum rhizome suppressed nitric oxide, iNOS and inflammatory cytokines in stimulated macrophages by inhibiting NF-κB signalling. A single oral dose of 50–200 mg/kg lowered IL-6, MCP-1 and TNF-α in endotoxaemic mice ^{3Reference 3Guo et al. · 2026In vitroIridis tectori rhizome alleviates LPS-triggered inflammatory responses through inhibiting NF-κB signaling in macrophages — mouse/in vivo and in vitroView study →}.

That extract contained the isoflavones tectoridin, iridin, tectorigenin and irigenin ^{3Reference 3Guo et al. · 2026In vitroIridis tectori rhizome alleviates LPS-triggered inflammatory responses through inhibiting NF-κB signaling in macrophages — mouse/in vivo and in vitroView study →}. Iridin was not detected in blue flag leaf, root or rhizome in the 2020 analysis ^{2Reference 2Hoang et al. · 2020In vitroPhytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitroView study →}.

Gap: every anti-inflammatory result comes from other Iris species. There is no assay, animal model or trial of I. versicolor.

3. Lipolytic / Anti-Obesity

A 1988 rat study tested powders and water and alcohol extracts of three plants, Cyperus rotundus, Iris versicolor (named as “Haimavati”) and Holoptelea integrifolia, and reported that they mobilised fat from adipose tissue ^{4Reference 4Bambhole · 1988AnimalEffect of some medicinal plant preparations on adipose tissue metabolism — rat/in vivoView study →}.

A 1993 study gave obese rats a mixture of the same three plants. The rats lost weight rapidly, with less body fat and higher energy expenditure and metabolic rate than food-restricted rats ^{5Reference 5Bambhole et al. · 1993AnimalReduction of diet-induced obesity in rats with a herbal formulation — rat/in vivoView study →}.

Gap: iris was tested with two other plants, the studies come from one group and are decades old, and they have not been replicated.

4. Antioxidant

Blue flag has no antioxidant assay of its own. Isoflavonoids isolated from Iris germanica rhizomes, including irilone and two 8-hydroxyirilone derivatives, scavenged DPPH radicals in the laboratory with IC50 values of about 9–13 µM ^{6Reference 6Ibrahim et al. · 2017In vitroIbrahim, S. R. M., et al. (2017). 8-Hydroxyirilone 5-methyl ether and 8-hydroxyirilone, new antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitor isoflavonoids from Iris germanica rhizomes — in vitro. Bioorganic Chemistry, 70, 192–198. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28069265/View study →}.

The 2020 analysis tentatively identified irilone A and irisolidone in blue flag rhizome, but did not measure how much was present ^{2Reference 2Hoang et al. · 2020In vitroPhytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitroView study →}.

Gap: antioxidant activity has never been measured in an I. versicolor extract.

5. Antidiabetic

The same I. germanica isoflavonoids, together with irisolidone, inhibited the starch-digesting enzyme α-amylase in the laboratory by 66–78% ^{6Reference 6Ibrahim et al. · 2017In vitroIbrahim, S. R. M., et al. (2017). 8-Hydroxyirilone 5-methyl ether and 8-hydroxyirilone, new antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitor isoflavonoids from Iris germanica rhizomes — in vitro. Bioorganic Chemistry, 70, 192–198. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28069265/View study →}.

Gap: a single enzyme assay in a different species, with no cell, animal or human data.

Mechanisms

The actions described in the Eclectic literature, bile flow, salivation, vomiting and purging, were attributed to the rhizome’s acrid oil and resin ^{8,9Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}. They have not been studied with modern methods.

The other rows in the table come from related Iris species and from the one laboratory study of blue flag.

Clinical Trials

No clinical trial of Iris versicolor has been registered or published.

Last checked: September 2026.

Phytochemistry

The Eclectic pharmacists found that the rhizome contains starch, gum, tannin, sugar, an oil and a resin. The oil carries the taste and smell of the root, and they regarded it as the source of its activity. Distilling the fresh rhizome with water yields a white, camphor-like substance ^{9Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}.

An 1881 analysis reported signs of an alkaloid ^{1,8,9Reference 1Cressler · 1881Cressler (1881). [Analysis of Iris versicolor rhizome] — constituent analysis. American Journal of Pharmacy, p. 602. (Reported indications of an alkaloid; cited in King’s American Dispensatory, 1898.)Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}. A full analysis of the commercial rhizome by Power and Salway in 1911 found no alkaloid and no glucoside ^{12Reference 12Power et al. · 1911The constituents of the rhizome of Iris versicolor — phytochemistryView study →}.

That 1911 analysis found a small amount of yellow essential oil carrying traces of furfural, and a little isophthalic acid, the first time that acid had been found in nature. It also found what was apparently a trace of salicylic acid, with tannin and sugar ^{12Reference 12Power et al. · 1911The constituents of the rhizome of Iris versicolor — phytochemistryView study →}.

The resin made up about 8.7% of the rhizome. From it Power and Salway isolated an unnamed phytosterol, myricyl alcohol, heptacosane, ipuranol, and lauric, palmitic, stearic, cerotic, oleic and linoleic acids ^{12Reference 12Power et al. · 1911The constituents of the rhizome of Iris versicolor — phytochemistryView study →}.

“Iridin” in the old books is the Eclectic oleoresin, John King’s concentrated resin of the rhizome sold under that name ^{9,12Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →Reference 12Power et al. · 1911The constituents of the rhizome of Iris versicolor — phytochemistryView study →}. The same name is now used for an isoflavone glycoside found in other irises ^{2,3Reference 2Hoang et al. · 2020In vitroPhytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitroView study →Reference 3Guo et al. · 2026In vitroIridis tectori rhizome alleviates LPS-triggered inflammatory responses through inhibiting NF-κB signaling in macrophages — mouse/in vivo and in vitroView study →}.

A 2020 analysis of blue flag leaf, root and rhizome tentatively identified xanthones such as mangiferin or its isomers and bellidifolin, and phenolic acids including vanillic, ferulic and protocatechuic acids and salicylic acid or its isomer ^{2Reference 2Hoang et al. · 2020In vitroPhytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitroView study →}.

The rhizome also contained iridal-type triterpenoids, including one named iriversical, the fatty acids myristic, lauric, palmitic and stearic acids, and the steroids stigmasterol glucoside and 7-β-hydroxystigmast-4-en-3-one. Only two isoflavonoids were found in the rhizome, irilone A and irilin B or irisolidone ^{2Reference 2Hoang et al. · 2020In vitroPhytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitroView study →}.

The isoflavone glycoside iridin, common in I. germanica and I. pallida, was not detected in any blue flag extract ^{2Reference 2Hoang et al. · 2020In vitroPhytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitroView study →}.

Constituent Summary

Constituents of the rhizome.

Dosage

No human dose has been tested in research.

Traditional Dosage

The Eclectics gave blue flag in small, repeated doses and continued it over several months for goitre. They held that old, light rhizome had no effect ^{8Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →}.

Safety & Pregnancy

Blue flag is a low-dose herb. In large doses the rhizome is a violent emetic and purgative ^{8,9Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}.

Full Safety Detail

Large doses. Blue flag acts strongly on the stomach and bowel. Large doses cause acid vomiting, frequent watery diarrhoea, burning in the bowel and severe colic, and animals that died after eating it showed marked congestion of the stomach and intestines ^{9Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}. Felter recorded that it can cause fatal gastroenteritis ^{8Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →}.

Fuller therapeutic doses. Even moderately full doses can produce a persistent stomach ache and mild purging. Large doses have also been reported to cause nerve pain in the face, head and limbs, and the herb causes salivation ^{8,9Reference 8Felter · 1922Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.htmlView study →Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}.

Preparation. The fresh rhizome is harsher than the dried. It is acrid when fresh, and loses most of that quality when dried at a moderate temperature ^{11Reference 11Cook · 1869Iris Versicolor — Blue FlagView study →}. The Eclectics dried it at a low temperature and noted that its acridity lessens further with age ^{9Reference 9Felter et al. · 1898Iris (U.S.P.) — IrisView study →}.

Bowel conditions. Because it irritates the gut, it is best avoided with inflammatory bowel conditions, an irritable bowel flare or existing diarrhoea.

Medicines. No interaction study exists. Taken with other laxatives or purgatives, its effects may add together.

References

1. Cressler (1881). [Analysis of Iris versicolor rhizome] — constituent analysis. American Journal of Pharmacy, p. 602. (Reported indications of an alkaloid; cited in King’s American Dispensatory, 1898.)
2. Hoang, L., Beneš, F., Fenclová, M., et al. (2020). Phytochemical composition and in vitro biological activity of Iris spp. (Iridaceae): a new source of bioactive constituents for the inhibition of oral bacterial biofilms — in vitro. Antibiotics (Basel), 9(7), 403. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32664528/
3. Guo, Y. L., et al. (2026). Iridis tectori rhizome alleviates LPS-triggered inflammatory responses through inhibiting NF-κB signaling in macrophages — mouse/in vivo and in vitro. Biomedicines, 14(6), 1291. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42351719/
4. Bambhole, V. D. (1988). Effect of some medicinal plant preparations on adipose tissue metabolism — rat/in vivo. Ancient Science of Life, 8(2), 117–124. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22557642/
5. Bambhole, V. D., & Kamalakar, P. L. (1993). Reduction of diet-induced obesity in rats with a herbal formulation — rat/in vivo. Ancient Science of Life, 13(1–2), 89–96. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22556633/
6. Ibrahim, S. R. M., et al. (2017). 8-Hydroxyirilone 5-methyl ether and 8-hydroxyirilone, new antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitor isoflavonoids from Iris germanica rhizomes — in vitro. Bioorganic Chemistry, 70, 192–198. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28069265/
7. Woźniak, D., & Matkowski, A. (2015). Belamcandae chinensis rhizome — a review of phytochemistry and bioactivity — review. Fitoterapia, 107, 1–14. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26347953/
8. Felter, H. W. (1922). Iris. In The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/felter/iris.html
9. Felter, H. W., & Lloyd, J. U. (1898). Iris (U.S.P.) — Iris. In King’s American Dispensatory — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/kings/iris-vers.html
10. Henderson, N. C. (2002). Iris versicolor Linnaeus. In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (eds.), Flora of North America North of Mexico, Vol. 26 — flora. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200028227
11. Cook, W. H. (1869). Iris Versicolor — Blue Flag. In The Physio-Medical Dispensatory — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/cook/IRIS_VERSICOLOR.htm
12. Power, F. B., & Salway, A. H. (1911). The constituents of the rhizome of Iris versicolor — phytochemistry. American Journal of Pharmacy, January 1911. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/b22432863
13. Ellingwood, F. (1919). Iris. In The American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy — historical materia medica. Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/ellingwood/iris.html

View all 13 references▾