Medicinal Monday - Elegant and Useful Coral Bells

Heuchera cylindrica, also known as coral bells is a herbaceous perennial that is native to Western North America. Several western Native American communities found interesting medicinal uses for this pretty flowering plant.

About Coral Bells

Heuchera cylindrical, in the Saxifragaceae family, is native to rocky woods, cliffs, ledges, slips, and subalpine meadows from British Columbia and Alberta Canada south to Northern California, Nevada, Wyoming, and Colorado. It is a hardy, clump-forming perennial from short thick rhizomes and basal leaves. The flowers grow in a spike on an erect leafless stem that can reach up to 35 inches in height. The dark green leathery leaves are oval and are often lobed or toothed and sometimes broad and heart-shaped and grow around the base of the stem. The upper plant is covered with glandular hairs, especially in the narrow flower cluster.  The flowers have very short petals that help to distinguish this species from several others growing in the area. The flowers are bell-shaped and can be pale yellow, creme, green or pink. The plant blooms in late spring and early summer.

Medicinal Uses

The Cheyenne made a poultice of the powdered roots and used it to treat poison ivy and other skin rashes. They also made an infusion of the roots and rubbed the infusion on the skin to treat sore muscles. The Arapaho used this plant for a variety of unspecified ailments. The Blackfoot pounded the roots and used the paste to treat sores. They also used an infusion of the root as an eyewash. The Blackfoot also used a poultice of mashed raw roots to treat snakebites in humans and in horses. As this is in the Alumroot family, the Blackfoot also added the root to dye baths to help to set the color in their dress.

Did You Know

Heuchera cylindrical is also called poker heuchera in reference to its poker-like spikes of creamy flowers. It is also called round leaf alumroot in reference to its rounded leaves.

Bees love the creamy flowers.

Alum is the main ingredient in many mordants, a chemical metallic salt that helps solidify the relationship between pigment and fiber. 

Maple Sugar Festival @ Institute for American Indian Studies March 5

The sugaring off the process in the Litchfield Hills has a long history that began with the Native Americans living here. They were experts at knowing the perfect time to collect the sap which is when the days grow warm and the nights are still cold, and before the trees begin to bud. They would boil the sap down using the most basic techniques and materials collected from the environment. On Saturday, March 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. visitors to the Institute can join IAIS educators at an event that demonstrates and celebrates this golden amber syrup of spring.

Throughout the day, IAIS Educator and Ecologist, Susan Scherf will demonstrate various traditional Native American techniques of collecting sap and boiling it down into syrup for sugar. It is interesting to watch how Native Americans used stone and wooden tools in this labor-intensive process. Visitors will learn about the importance of maple sugar to the diet of Native Americans as well as its usefulness as an item of trade.

Historic records indicate that the collecting and processing of maple sap was a social as well as a working occasion. Women would tap the trees, men would cut the wood for the fire needed to boil the sap, and children tended the sap as it bubbled and boiled. In keeping with the convivial nature of traditional Native American maple sugaring, listening to Traditional Native American stories recounted by Education Director Darlene Kascak, Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, will enrich the visitor experience at the Institute's Maple Sugar Festival. There will also be traditional family-friendly games and activities that are educationally engaging and fun. If you have worked up an appetite, the Institute is serving up pancakes topped with real maple syrup sure to satiate your tastebuds from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Coffee and orange juice will also be available. 

The annual Maple Sugar Festival at the Institute teaches visitors about the importance of the maple season to local Native American cultures. Pre-registration for this event is requested by visiting www.iaismuseum.org to register for this event via Eventbrite. If you have any questions, please call the Institute at 860-868-0516 or email events@iaismuseum.org. The price to attend this very unique festival is $15 for Adults, $10 for Children, and $5 for Members. Pancakes are an additional $5. For the safety of the guests and staff of the Institute, masks are required inside the museum and research buildings regardless of vaccination status. Social distancing is practiced at all outdoor events.

Medicinal Monday - Tall Hairy Agrimony

Even though this plant is called "tall" the flower of this perennial plant in the rose family is rather small and delicate. Agrimony gryposepala is native to North America and has been used for centuries by indigenous people for a variety of medicinal purposes. This delicate yellow flower can be found in Connecticut.

About Tall Hairy Agrimony

This plant can be found across most of the United States and Canada except in the Rocky Mountains. When fully grown this plant is between two and five feet tall. The stems are light green and exude a spicy odor when crushed. The plant blooms in July and August and the flower has five petals with sepals in the flower which are separate and not fused. The yellow flowers bloom on a tall stem in an erect wand-like cluster above leaves that are divided into two or more leaflets with one leaf per node along the stem. The edge of the leaf blade has teeth. The stems are covered with spreading hairs which is the reason for one of its common names. Its root system is fibrous and the plant grows with rhizomes.  It prefers to grow in the shade and is most often found in thickets, woods, soggy meadows, and swamps. The fruit of the Tall Hairy Agrimony is dry and doesn't split open when it is ripe. There are hooked barbs on the fruit that make burrs that can stick to clothes.

Medicinal Use

The Iroquois and Cherokees made an infusion from the roots and drank it to cure diarrhea and vomiting. The Cherokee also made an infusion of the root to build up the blood and to treat the pox. An infusion of the burrs was made to treat fever and an infusion of the root was given to satisfy the hunger of children. Cherokee participants in games of competition took Agrimony each day for seven days before a game to increase strength and clarity. The Iroquois made a decoction of the plant and took it as an emetic for "summer complaint." The Ojibwe used the plant for urinary problems, and the Meskwaki and Prairie Potawatomi used it as a styptic for nosebleeds.  Many Native American communities used it to stop bleeding and it is still popular today as a mild astringent.  

Did You Know...

This plant is also called common agrimony, hooked agrimony, or tall hairy grooveburr. The people in Appalachia call this plant liverwort, beggar lice, and cocklebur.

The species name means having hooked sepals.

The flowers are mainly pollinated by bees. 

The leaves follow a pinnation pattern which is similar to the structure of a feather because of its pattern of branching of veins, lobes, and leaflets and how they grow along a center axis.

Native American Winter Survival Skills and Winter Foraging February 26

 

Surviving and thriving during the cold New England winters requires a clear understanding of the environment that you live in and the knowledge of how to keep your body temperature up and ways to save heat. The Native Americans living in the Eastern Woodlands were experts at this. They were able to find shelter, stay warm, and forage for food regardless of the cold and snowy weather. Intimate knowledge of the landscape, the local resources, and how to use them are the keys to how Native Americans survived winter in New England. The Institute for American Indian Studies located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington is hosting an in-person Winter Survival Program with IAIS educator, Griffin Kalin on Saturday, February 26 at 12 and 2 p.m. 

This intriguing program begins at the Institute’s replicated 16th century Algonkian Village to see how Native Americans lived in the Eastern Woodlands. They will learn about how Native Americans overcame the challenges of staying warm by using a variety of approaches to stay warm. Highlights include how to make a shelter out of things from the natural environment such as snow, rocks, and branches, how to make a fire in the snow, and what was worn to protect body heat. 

New this year, the Winter Survival program will focus on the basics of winter food preservation and material usage. One of the most interesting lessons of this program is that for Native Americans, the great outdoors, even in the winter, provided sustenance because they knew where to look, and how to plan ahead, prepare, and preserve resources throughout the year. Most of us only see a barren landscape in the winter, but as Griffin Kalin - Wigwam Escape Creative Director and Museum Educator - will demonstrate, people living in the Eastern Woodlands long ago were able to thrive throughout the harshest of seasons! 

The winter survival program is suitable for all ages. Make sure that you bundle up as this in-person program is outside. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. The cost of the program is $15 for non-members and $5 for members. To reserve your spot click here. If you have questions or would like additional information call 860-868-0518 or email events@iaismuseum.org. 

 About The Institute for American Indian Studies 

 Located on 15 acres of woodland acres, the Institute For American Indian Studies preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have a 16th c. Algonquian Village, Award-Winning 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 at 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.

Maple Sugar Workshop @ Institute for American Indian Studies February 19, 2022

 

Maple Sugar season is around the corner. If you want to get a jump on the season along with helpful tips on how to tap trees and boil the sap down yourself don’t miss the Maple Sugar Workshop on Saturday, February 19 at 11 a.m. at the Institute for American Indian Studies on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut. 

Cedar Spile

This workshop is a sweet foretaste to the Institute’s annual Maple Sugar Festival that will be held this year on Saturday, March 5. Conducted by Museum Educator and Ecologist, Susan Scherf this workshop gives participants an overview of the history of maple sugar production and how it has evolved over the centuries. Traditional Native American techniques used to collect and boil sap into maple syrup and modern methods will be explained giving participants a perspective on the variety of techniques that can be used. 

A highlight of this workshop is learning the basics of collecting and boiling sap down. It is perfect for backyard hobby producers that want to start producing maple sugar for their own enjoyment. During the course of this workshop participants will watch how traditional sumac spiles are made. Among the many topics discussed will be proper tree identification and how to prepare the tree for the tapping season. Participants will learn about tree health and why and when sap flows. The workshop will also focus on what to look for, and what to avoid in regard to the tapping process as well as examples of the different methods of collecting and boiling sap. The workshop concludes with a talk about the impact of climate change on maple syrup production. 

Pre-registration for this workshop is required. Please visit the website to register at eventbrite. If you have questions, please call 860-868-0518 or email events@iaismuseum.org. The price of participation is $15 for non-members and $5 for museum members. 

About Institute for American Indian Studies 

Located on 15 acres of woodland acres the Institute For American Indian Studies preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have the 16th c. Algonquian Village, Award-Winning 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, Washington, CT.

Medicinal Monday - Delicate and Useful the Maidenhair Fern

The Maidenhair fern has such an old-fashioned-sounding name. It is in the family, Pteridaceae, and is native to the forests in eastern North America. There are multiple species of ferns that have many medicinal uses. This fern can be found in Connecticut and throughout the east coast as far north as Ontario, Canada.

About Maidenhair

Also called Adiantum pedatum, this fern is referred to as the northern maidenhair fern or the five-fingered fern. The foliage of this fern is finely textured and has a distinctive fan shape and lacey, green fronds that gracefully tumble over shiny black, curved stems. This fern grows in a variety of habitats but favors soils that are both humus-rich, moist, and well-drained. It grows in both soil and on rocky ledges if there is enough moisture present. If the soil becomes too dry the plant can go dormant and return to life when there is enough moisture. Maidenhead Ferns spread slowly by branching rhizomes to form large colonies over time. The plant contains mucilage as well as high levels of tannins which give it its astringent properties.

Medicinal & Ceremonial Uses

 In general, this fern was used topically by Native Americans as a poultice or wash for bleeding, insect stings, snakebites, arthritis, and hair.

The Adiantum pedatum species of this fern was used by the Iroquois for children’s cramps, as a decoction.  A compound decoction of the green roots is used as a foot soak for rheumatism and taken internally.  Decoction of roots is taken as a diuretic for the cessation of urine due to stones.  An infusion of this plant is used as an emetic for love medicine.  A compound decoction or infusion is taken for excessive menstruation and a decoction of the roots is used to bring on menses and for abortion.  

Cherokee used Maidenhair for rheumatism. They made a decoction of the root and applied it with warm water as an external rub, or took the infusion internally.  An infusion or decoction of the whole plant was used as an emetic for a fever with chills.  Powdered leaves are smoked for heart trouble or smoked for asthma. Sacred preparation of the whole plant was used specifically for women’s irregular heartbeat.  Cherokee considered Maidenshair a powerful medicine for the heart.

The Costanoan of California used a decoction to purify the blood and for stomach troubles.  Hesquiat of western Canada mixed the ashes in a formula for shortness of breath, and to produce strength and endurance.  The Makah chewed the fronds for a weak stomach.  

The Menomini used a compound decoction of the root for dysentery; they also used the blade, stem, and root in gynecology.  The Micmac and Algonquians used this plant in a decoction for fits.  The Potawatomi of the upper Mississippi River used an infusion of the root for caked breasts and applied a poultice of the plant to the sore back of babies. 

The Hesquiat use of Maidenhair for endurance played out in ceremonial dancing, for which the infusion would be used, especially in winter, to prevent fatigue.  Nitinaht also used Maidenhair for ceremonial dancing.  Such uses along with the sacred preparation practiced by the Cherokee indicate that this beautiful fern was regarded as a sacred medicine.  Additionally, the black stems of Maidenhair were used by Potawatomi as a hunting charm.

Did You Know...

Many Native American communities made a wash of the stems to keep their hair shiny. Highly valued in the 19^th century as a medicinal plant, in modern times maidenhair is still used as a holistic alternative for the treatment of hair loss.

Native Americans used the dark shiny stems in basketry.

This fern provides shelter for toads and lizards.

The maidenhair fern in the Adiantum genus of 200 species grows around the world from New Zealand to the Andes.

Today it is used in woodland gardens and is excellent for naturalizing on shaded hillsides or any protected area. It looks its best when it is kept out of the wind. 

The graceful, fan-like pattern of the Adiantum pedatum is unique among native ferns.

Ferms of the genus that grows in the west are treated as a subspecies called A. pedatum var. or ssp.aleuticum but they look the same.