Called Lady's Slipper because of the shape of its delicate flower, it is the roots and rhizomes of the plants that are used medicinally. Used as a nerve tonic, it has been used to produce a calming and cheering disposition, especially in children.
A member of the orchid family, Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium pubescens), is native to North America. It is not very common among current supplemental ingredients.
Lady's slipper has been prescribed by herbalists in combination with other botanicals for insomnia, nervous irritability, menstrual irregularities, mental depression and childhood excitability.