Narrowleaf stoneseed is perennial plant, 10 to 45 cm tall, with woody taproots. Leaves are alternate, simple, with entire margin, linear to lanceolate, hairy, rough on surface, 15 to 50 mm long, 5 to 10 mm wide. Yellow quinate flowers are in fascicles on the top of stems. Narrowleaf stoneseed blossoms from April to June. It grows on dry soils, on plains, from foothills to altutude about 2100 m. It ranges in the Great Lakes area, throughout the Great Plains up to the northern Mexico, southern California, and British Columbia.
Cheyennes used narrowleaf stoneseed, if someone "was irrational from any illness." They prepared a tea of roots, leaves, and stems, which they rubbed on the head and face of patient. For paralysis, the roots, leaves, and stems were ground fine, and a bit of the powder was rubbed on the affected body part. It caused a prickling or tinny stinging feel on the skin. Some mentions appeared that the plant was sometimes used green. A healer wrapped the leaves in a cotton cloth, crushed them with his teeth, and rubbed on the affected body part. It is felt the mentioned prickling or stinging. Also, Cheyennes used this plant, if someone was very sleepy and they wanted to keep him awake. A doctor chewed it fine and spit and blew it in the person’s face. Beside it, the doctor rubbed the chewed plant on the person’s chest, where the heart was situated. Grinnell writes that the prickling or stinging feel is the most probably mechanical. The very fine hairs of the plant cause it. It could explain counter-irritant effect (Grinnell 1923 II: 185).
