Vanilla Leaf

Achlys triphylla

Also known as Sweet After Death, Deer Foot, May Leaf, Vanilla-leaf

At a glance

Family

Berberidaceae (Barberry family)

Type

Rhizomatous woodland perennial

Parts used

Leaves, dried

Size

8 to 16 inches tall, spreading steadily into broad colonies

Bloom

A slender spike of small white flowers held above the leaves, late spring into early summer

Habitat

Deep, shaded floor of coniferous forests, from British Columbia south through the Pacific Northwest to the Sierra Nevada

Acquisition

Grow or buy

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Natural insect deterrent

Sweet vanilla-like fragrance

Lush shaded groundcover

Traditional linen freshener

Traditional uses

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Long before it had a place in any garden catalog, vanilla leaf carpeted the dim floor of old-growth cedar and fir forests, and the peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast knew it well. Bundles of the dried leaves were tucked among stored clothing and blankets or hung in dwellings for their sweet, hay-like scent, and hunters and gatherers reportedly rubbed the crushed leaves on their skin and clothing to help keep mosquitoes and gnats at bay while out in the woods. It was valued less as a medicine to be taken than as a quiet household companion, something to keep the air and the linens smelling clean through the damp forest months. The plant's whorled, three-part leaf has also simply made it a beloved marker of shaded native woodlands wherever it grows.

How to grow & use it

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✦Remedies & preparations
✦ Growing guide
✦Harvest & storage

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Pairs well with

✦Sweetgrass
✦Sweet woodruff
✦Cedar

Substitutes

✦Sweet woodruff
✦Deer's tongue leaf (vanilla plant)

Choose it when

“For the hush of deep conifer shade underfoot, and a whisper of vanilla that only arrives once the leaf has been let go and dried.”

Did you know?

Vanilla leaf is nearly scentless while growing. Only after it is cut and dried does it release its soft, hay-and-vanilla fragrance, a trait shared with sweetgrass and tonka bean and the reason old timers in the Pacific Northwest called it sweet after death.

Safety

Vanilla Leaf has no established history as a food or tea and isn't taken internally, and its fresh or dried foliage may irritate sensitive skin.