Medicinal Monday - Beneficial Buckwheat

Despite its name, Buckwheat is not related to wheat and, it isn't a grass! Buckwheat is cultivated for its grain-like seeds and, as a cover crop.  Interestingly, buckwheat is related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb.  The seeds of the buckwheat plant are made of complex carbohydrates and can be used the same way cereals are used.  Native Americans make flour from these seeds and use this plant medicinally as well.

About Buckwheat

Buckwheat was a fairly common crop in the northeastern U.S. in the 18th and 19th century. This plant is a short season crop that reaches maturity in just 70 to 90 days. It thrives in cool, moist conditions, but does not tolerate frost.  Adaptable to a variety of environments, this plant has a branching root system that reaches deep into the soil. The triangular seeds of the buckwheat plant have flowers that are usually white but can also be pink or yellow.  It is an amazing weed suppressor that develops quickly creating a dense, soil shading canopy.  Buckwheat is good for crop production because its' roots take up phosphorus that is unavailable to surrounding crops and then releases these nutrients back into the soil for future crops to benefit from.

Medicinal and Culinary Uses
As one of the native American healing plants, buckwheat is rich in vitamin B, plus essential fatty acids omega 3 and 6 as well as minerals.  It is also a great source of protein and fiber.  Many Native American communities from California to Connecticut use this plant as a food crop and for medicinal purposes. Some eat the seeds raw or grind them into a flour to use porridges and baked goods.

A wide variety of ailments were treated with buckwheat including headache, diarrhea, and wounds.  The Zuni use a poultice of the powdered root and applied it to cuts, arrow, or bullet wounds.  A decoction was also taken for sore throats.  The Iroquois use a decoction of this plant as a pediatric aide for a baby when "the baby is sick because of the mother's adultery."  The Iroquois also use a decoction as a witchcraft medicine to treat a mother that was running around making the baby sick.

Did You Know...

The name buckwheat comes from its triangular seeds that look like the seeds of the much larger beech nut from the beechnut tree.  The name is thought to be derived from the Dutch word for beech.

Buckwheat was first cultivated in China and Japan and dates to 2600 BCE.

Buckwheat's shallow white blossoms attract insects as a source of nectar.

The nectar from the buckwheat flower makes dark-colored honey.

Buckwheat noodles play a major role in Japanese cuisine and are known as soba.

Historically, the Russian Empire was the world's leader in buckwheat production.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies (IAIS)

Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs.  We have an outdoor replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village and Wigwam Escape and a Museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present that allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut.

Medicinal Monday - Surprising Sheep Sorrel

Sorrel, known as Rumex acetosella is a flowering herb in the family Polygonaceae and is commonly found in grassland habitats. Today it is cultivated as a garden herb; however, it is and considered a pest to farmers that cultivate blueberries because of its invasiveness.  Native Americans found medicinal and culinary uses for this plant that grew in many different environments throughout the country.

About Sheep Sorrel

Sorrel is a slender perennial plant that is 4 to 12 inches high and blooms March - November.  It has a base of green arrowhead-shaped leaves and red-tinged stems that sprout from a rhizome that spreads aggressively.  The stem grows one to three feet in height and has maroon colored flowers that grow in whorls in narrow elongated spikes that are male on one plant and female on another.  Blooms are followed by small shiny brown nutlets.  Sorrell originated in Eurasia and the British Islands but was introduced to North America where it is considered a hard to control weed that is found in damp meadows, grasslands and on sandy or acidic soil. 

Medicinal and Culinary Uses of Sorrel

The leaves of this plant are tart and have a lemon like or rhubarb-like flavor. Native Americans use sorrel as a seasoning for meat dishes, they also baked it into bread.  The Kiowa chewed leaves of this plant on long walks to relieve thirst; other Native American communities use it as an antidote to poison.  The Aleut applied a poultice of steamed leaves to warts and bruises and the Cherokee used leaves and blossoms to aid healing of old sores.  The Mohegan used fresh leaves as a digestive aid and would chew them to relieve a stomach ache.  The Squaxin would eat raw leaves to help remedy tuberculosis.

Did You Know...

The name sorrel is derived from the Germanic word "sur" and the old French word "surele" both meaning sour.

Other names for sheep sorrel are sour weed, red sorrel and field sorrel.

Sheep sorrel is an ingredient in essiac tea, an herbal preparation taken to treat a variety of cancers.

The American copper butterfly depends on sheep sorrel for food.

Blueberry farmers are familiar with this plant and consider it a weed because it grows in the same conditions under which blueberries are cultivated.

Sheep sorrel is used as a curdling agent in some types of cheese making.

An ancient Chinese belief was that sorrel could remove freckles.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies (IAIS)

Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs.  We have an outdoor replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village and Wigwam Escape and a Museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present that allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut.

Birds of Prey August 24

On August 24 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. the Institute for American Indian Studies located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut is welcoming staff from the Sharon Audubon Center for a program featuring live birds of prey.

Native American people revere birds of prey for their majestic appearance as well as for their hunting prowess. In some indigenous cultures, birds of prey are considered important because of their ability to fly high, and thus have a closer proximity to the Creator. Feathers from these birds are significant, as they are symbols of honor, and must be earned. Today, across the United States, Native American cultures celebrate these predators in art, jewelry, crafts, beadwork, and basketry.

This joint program hosted by the Institute and the Sharon Audubon strives to increase public understanding of these North American birds of prey and their importance to Native American culture in the Eastern woodlands.  A highlight of this program is that visitors will be able to meet these fascinating creatures up close and watch them being handled by a Sharon Audubon educator. 

This special event is included in the price of admission to the Institute of American Indian Studies. Adults are $10, Seniors are $8, and children are $6; members of the Institute are free. For more information visit the website or call 860-309-9215.

Medicinal Monday - the Magic of Red Spoon Leaf Peat Moss

Moss encompasses the lilliputian universe of bryophytes, plants without tissues or roots, which is pretty amazing. Native Americans living in the Eastern Woodlands valued the many varied properties of a multitude of mosses that grow here including the red spoon leaf peat moss.

About Moss
Mosses are small flowerless plants that grow in dense green mats that seem to carpet the ground usually in a shady damp spot. Mosses do not have seeds and, most develop spores in tiny capsules in order to reproduce.  All mosses make their own food and do not have stems, leaf veins, or roots.  The Red Spoonleaf Peat Moss is distinguished by its shiny red cushion of leaves.  The branches are fat and bunched together and form a rosette at the top.  The leaves are round-tipped and overlap each other.  This type of moss is considered rare and is found in sunny spots in a bog environment. 

Native American Practical and Medicinal Uses
Red Spoonleaf Peat Moss is fairly common in the cool temperate woodland forests of New England.  This moss is extremely absorbent and was used extensively by Native peoples as disposable diapers and sanitary napkins.  This moss was also packed around infants in their cradleboards in the winter to help insulate them against the cold.  This and other mosses are used to help insulate Native dwellings in the winter months as well as providing extra insulation for clothing.  Acting like a preservative, moss was also packed around food stores as insulation. Medicinally, moss was used to help cleanse wounds and, was sometimes used as a wound dressing.

Did You Know

Most mosses are not even one inch high.

Botanists believe that the earliest mosses developed more than 375 million years ago during the Devonia and Silurian Periods.

Mosses are classified in their own plant division of Bryophyta and there are about 12,000 species.

Commercially, the main significance of moss is peat.

Other names for this moss are Magellanic bog moss, Magellan's sphagnum, and midway peat moss.

The antibiotic properties of bryophytes have drawn the attention of botanists and microbiologists in recent years.