Medicinal Monday - Buckbean

Buckbean is a woodland ephemeral that blooms in the spring for a short time. It is the only member of the genus Menyanthes native to North America. Buckbean can be found in Connecticut. Today it is protected in the United States. Its bitter-tasting leaves and other parts of this plant have been used in traditional Native American medicine.

About Buckbean

Buckbean can usually be found growing in bogs, marshes, and on the edges of wetlands. This aquatic flower is a hermaphrodite with both male and female parts and is pollinated by bees, moths, and butterflies. Buckbean can grow up to ten inches and its three rounded leaflets gather around the base of the flowering stems. In May and early June, clusters of white or purple-tinged star-shaped flowers emerge. Buckbean flowers are very fragrant. The short hairs of the flowers on five or six pointed lobes give it a fuzzy appearance. The fruit is a capsule that contains many seeds that are shaped like beans giving this wildflower its name.

photo K. Ziarnek

Medicinal and Culinary Uses

Buckbean has a long history of culinary use. Many Native American communities traditionally dried and ground the rootstocks into flour for bread and cakes.

Medicinally, one of the most common traditional uses was to treat stomach aches and gas pains and as an aid to help digestion. It was also used as an emetic. An infusion of the dried leaves was used to treat rheumatism and skin diseases. The Aleut made a compound of the roots to make a laxative, and the Kwakiuti made a decoction of the stem and roots and drank it to spit blood; they also took this decoction to gain weight.

F. Vasen

Did You Know...

In some parts of Europe, the bitter leaves of this plant were used as a substitute for hops in flavoring beer and they were also boiled in honey to make mead.

Another name for buckbean is bog bean.

Its scientific name is Menyanthes trifoliata. Trifoliata is a reference to its three leaflets. The name Menyanthes comes from a Greek water plant.

As a plant of the wetlands, it has little impact on the lives of wildlife; however, several bird species use it as part of their breeding area.

The Qing Dynasty used it as a sleeping aid.

Medicinal Monday - Plants Used for Witchcraft and Magic

During the year, as we are writing Medicinal Monday, we occasionally run across a plant, tree, shrub, or herb that was used by Native Americans for witchcraft and magic. These beliefs were passed down, by oral tradition in the form of stories, rituals, and ceremonies.  Historic records show that Algonquian and Iroquois accepted witchcraft as part of their world and would use it to explain disasters. Many plants were used to ward off witchcraft and evil spirits or to explain disasters and illness. Here are this year's additions.

Red Cardinal flowers are hard to miss because of how tall they are and their vibrant red color. In the Bluebell family, this flower can be found in the far west United States. Interestingly, it was used in both love and witchcraft. The Iroquois made an infusion of the roots and used it as a love wash to attract their beloved. They also made a special drink with roots to treat trouble caused by witchcraft.

Taken at face value, crinkleroot is an attractive wildflower that can be found in the Eastern U. S. and Canada including Connecticut. Although the root was used to treat everything from headaches to belly aches, it had other uses too. The Iroquois, for example, believed that the roots of crinkleroot had magical powers and used them in a variety of ways to counteract all types of poison. They also used smashed roots in witchcraft rituals to identify the perpetrator.

We know that smoking tobacco is bad for you. But this Indian Tobacco (Lobelia Cardinalis) as opposed to Nicotiana tabacum had an unexpected benefit. Indian Tobacco is native to New England and has extended its range west to Oklahoma. The Iroquois made a decoction of Indian Tobacco to counteract the sickness caused by witchcraft

A pretty two-toned yellow plant nicknamed Butter and Eggs was an unexpected addition to this year's witchcraft list. This plant originated in Eurasia but has naturalized over much of the country including Connecticut. Although one of the most common uses of this plant by Native Americans was to treat gastrointestinal problems, some communities found other uses for it. As for magic, a compound of smashed plants was taken as an anti-love medicine to remove bewitching.

Honoring Native American Veterans November 3 @Institute for American Indian Studies

 Many people may be unaware of the major contributions Native Americans have made to our armed forces. They have fought valiantly in the United States military in every conflict since the American Revolution, even before Native Americans gained U.S. citizenry in 1924.

 

Each year, in honor of Veterans Day, the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington Connecticut honors the exceptional military service of Native Americans in a formal dedication and ceremony. This year, the Institute is once again inviting the public to participate in the program that will honor Native and non-Native Americans whose passion and loyalty have helped to make America what it is today on Sunday, November 3 at 12:30 p.m. The Institute is located at 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut.

 

This year the Institute is honoring three people that collectively represent three branches of the military: Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. The honorees are, Valerie Gambrell (US Army, Eastern Pequot), Sargeant, Reginald Mitchell (US Coast Guard, Golden Hill Paugussett),  and Petty Officer 2nd Class Alicia King (US Navy, Golden Hill Paugussett).

 

Culturally, Native Americans have always celebrated their warriors. This year the Institute is honoring several local Native Americans who have served in the United States Armed Forces. The Crow Hill Singers Drum Group led by Aaron Athey (Mohegan) from Uncasville will perform traditional songs to honor the contributions made by Native American Veterans and all Veterans. A new highlight is that Tails of Joy will have a canine ambassador as part of the proceedings. Tails of Joy is a non-profit dedicated to providing animal-assisted therapy. Following the ceremony, attendees are invited to enjoy light refreshments in the museum.

 

Although this planned event will take place outdoors, if the weather is, inclement it may move indoors. Advance registration is appreciated for this free event. Click here for tickets

https://iaismuseum.charityproud.org/EventRegistration/Index/20669

 

About the Institute for American Indian Studies

Located on 15 acres of woodland, the IAIS offers educational programs, both permanent and changing exhibits and a replicated 16th-century Algonkian village. Its research department maintains extensive archeological and ethnographic collections and conducts archeological digs and other research. Its “Wigwam Escape” escape room offers an opportunity to solve a puzzle while learning about Indigenous life before European settlement. With a focus on “two-eyed seeing”, visitors can learn about the history of the American continent that incorporates more than 12,000-year history of human habitation. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located at 38 Curtis Road, Washington, Connecticut.

 

About Veterans Day

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary marking the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for the annual observance and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day as a way to honor those who served in all American wars. The day honors military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation and a remembrance ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. The ceremony honors and thanks all who served in the U.S. armed forces.

 

 

Medicinal Monday... Butter and Eggs - Sounds Good Right?

There is a pretty little plant called Butter and Eggs that has been naturalized from Eurasia in North America including Connecticut. Named for its bright yellow flower that resembles a snapdragon, this invasive plant also had some traditional Native American medicinal uses.

photo credit Gilles

About Butter and Eggs

This plant grows to be between one and three feet tall and its slender stem is crowned with yellow flowers on top. The flowers are bright yellow with a distinct orange patch on the bottom lobe. Two lobes are on top and point upward and three are on the bottom and point slightly downward. The narrow blue-green grass-like leaves grow on multiple branches and resemble those of flax. This perennial spreads by rhizomes or by seeds. The plant is somewhat toxic as it contains glycosides.

photo Giles

Medicinal,  Practical, and Magical Uses

In traditional Native American medicine, the most common use of this plant was to make a cold infusion from the leaves to treat diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems. Another common use was to make an infusion of the plant and flowers and give it to babies that won't stop crying or to make a compound of the plant and take it to induce vomiting. A practical use was to soak the leaves in milk and use it as an insect repellant. The Ojibwa specifically used a compound that included this plant as a respiratory aid in the sweat lodge. As for magic, a compound of smashed plants was taken as an anti-love medicine to remove bewitching.

photo R. Herring

Did You Know...

Another name for this plant is toadflax because the flower reminded people of the face of a toad!

Other common names include tode, yellow rod, gallwort, monkey flower, and ranstead.

Since coming to America, this plant has spread to 49 states and all of Canada!

Butter and Eggs were used as a dye in Germany and by the Mennonites in the U.S. 

In Scotland, you were advised to circle around a patch of Butter and Eggs three times to ward off evil hexes.

Stories from the Animals @ Institute for American Indian Studies with White Memorial Conservation Center

 Everyone loves a good story. Listening to stories especially those passed down through generations is one of the best ways to connect with each other and the world around us. The Institute for American Indian Studies located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut in partnership with Litchfield’s White Memorial Conservation Center is presenting a powerful program called “Stories from Animals,” beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 19^th.

Colleen Harrak, White Memorial’s Environmental Educator will join award-winning storyteller, Darlene Kascak, of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation and IAIS Educational Outreach Ambassador for an entertaining program that includes stories and live, local woodland animals. The goal of this program is to show participants how to experience Etuaptmumk - a Mi’kmaw saying that translates to “two-eyed seeing.” This idea encourages people to look at the same concept from both Western and Indigenous knowledge.

Oral tradition is an important cultural component in Native American culture because it is the very stories told that keep the knowledge and the traditions alive. “As a storyteller in Native communities, I bear a profound responsibility,” said Darlene Kascak. “I am entrusted with the task of preserving, protecting, and passing down oral stories that are hundreds if not thousands of years old. This role is not a duty it is also a deep-rooted passion that I hold dear. I am driven by the urgency to keep this tradition alive so that future generations can experience the beauty of learning through storytelling,” Kascak added.

The highlight of this program is the combination of several live animal ambassadors brought by the White Memorial Conservation Center and the Native American stories about each of these animals that offer timeless life lessons. The price of participation is $15 for non-members and $5 for members of the Institute. Pre-registration is advised by visiting iaismusueum.org.

 

About the Institute for American Indian Studies

Located on 15 acres of woodland, the IAIS offers educational programs, both permanent and changing exhibits and a replicated 16th-century Algonkian village. Its research department maintains extensive archeological and ethnographic collections and conducts archeological digs and other research. Its “Wigwam Escape” escape room offers an opportunity to solve a puzzle while learning about Indigenous life before European settlement. With a focus on “two-eyed seeing”, visitors can learn about the history of the American continent that incorporates more than12,000-year history of human habitation. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located at 38 Curtis Road, Washington, Connecticut.

Medicinal Monday - Moss Campion

There are more than 12,000 different types of moss that can be found throughout the world.  The oldest moss called Takakia grows high on the Tibetan Plateau and is thought to be over 350 million years old! The moss we are writing about today, Silene acaulis or Moss Campion has been estimated to reach up to 100 years in age, with the oldest known campion moss being 350 years old. Native Americans in the area have found traditional medicinal uses for this helpful plant.

About Silene Acaulis

This round ground-hugging mound of moss is known as a cushion plant. Its leaves are exposed to the elements and the flower buds are hidden between the leaves until they blossom and cover the little mound that resembles a cushion with flowers. It grows in rocky, cold windswept areas above the tree line. It can grow up to 18 " in diameter and two feet high. Under all the leaves is a sturdy taproot and a woody branched base. When this moss flowers pink flowers bloom on little stalks for several weeks in the summer. It is a very slow-growing moss that takes ten years before it blooms for the first side. The flowers are either male or female with more female flowers appearing at higher altitudes.

Photo: Matt Lavin

Medicinal and Culinary Uses

The Eskimos ate the raw root skins as a vegetable. In the Tundra and Arctic regions, Native Americans and First Peoples consumed the roots as a vegetable. The most common medicinal use was to use the plant to treat children with colic.

Photo: Matt Lavin

Did You Know...

This plant is common throughout the northern Arctic and can be found in the mountains of Maine, New Hampshire, and in the high-mountain areas of North America, Europe, and Russia. 

The U.S. Forest Service has reported studies that have shown that the temperature within a plant cushion can be up to ten degrees centigrade higher than the ambient temperature. 

Other names for this plant are cushion plant, cushion pink, or the compass plant because its flowers first appear on the southside of the plant.

Moss Campion is related to carnations.

The raw roots of this plant were consumed as a vegetable in Iceland and in the Arctic Regions.

Medicinal Monday - Hardstem Bullrush

Hardstem bullrush is in the Sedge Family, that is composed of perennial or annual grass like herbs. They are not actually grasses because their stem and leaves are arranged differently. Hardstem bulrush is a giant species of sedge that is native to freshwater marshes throughout much of North America. Many practical and interesting medicinal uses were practiced by Native American communities. This plant can be found in Connecticut and throughout New England.

photo M.Levin

About Hardstem Bulrush

There are two types of Hardstem Bulrush, schoenoplectus acutus var. acutus which is found in the northern and eastern parts of the United States, and schoenoplectus acutus var. occidentalis found in the southwest. This blog has to do with schoenoplectus acutus var. acutus. This tall reedy bulrush grows in marshes and in shallow fresh or brackish water. It has erect olive-green stems that are sturdy and have a diameter of up to four inches. Hardstem Bulrush can grow up to ten feet tall and has grass-like leaves.  At the top of this plant, the pannicle is stiff and made up of reddish-brown spikes that bloom from May through August. It spreads by rhizomes.

Practical and Medicinal Uses

Many communities cut up the roots crushed, boiled, and pounded them to make flour. The roots were often boiled to make syrup, and some communities peeled and roasted the roots. It was common for the lower, tender stem base to be eaten raw and for the young shoots to be eaten as greens.  Just some of the common items made from this handy plant by Native Americans include rafts, mats, rugs, baskets, handles, curtains, bedding, hats, bowls, storage containers, roofing, temporary shelters, and even clothing made by twining wefts and warps for cloth. Some communities made the long stems into a ball and used them in children's games.

Hardstem Bulrush also had several interesting medicinal uses with the most common use being to stop bleeding. The Thompson would burn the stalk and put the ashes on a baby's navel and the Cree made a poultice from the stem and applied it as a dressing to a wound to stop the bleeding. The Ciallam used the hollow stem to suck out the cause of an illness. The Navajo Ramah used this plant as a ceremonial emetic and the Okanagan-Colville and the Thompson used the stems to make headdresses for Indian doctors.

M. Lavin

Did You Know...

Hardstem bullrush or Schoenoplectus acutus var is also called tule, tule rush, or viscid bulrush.

This plant once lined the shoreline of Tulare Lake in California. Until this lake was drained it was the largest freshwater lake in the western United States. This plant is so common in California that there is a town called Tulelake, as well as Tule Lake, a Tule River, and a Tule Desert in California, and California's dense fog, Tule Fog is named after this plant.

This plant is used today to control erosion.