Medicinal Monday...Wild Bergamot

Wild Bergamot is a fragrant showy plant that has many medicinal uses. This hardy plant is a perennial wildflower that is native to most of North America. Many Native American communities found this plant useful for medicinal purposes. There are also accounts of members of the Hidatsa that would crush the leaves of this fragrant plant and use it to perfume their clothes. Bachelors in the Dakota community would carry bunches of the plant in their coats to emit a pleasant fragrance. The Kutenai placed the leaves on hot rocks in a sweathouse and used this plant as incense.  The Omaha used the leaves as a perfume for their hair. The Cheyenne chewed the leaves and used them as a perfume for horses. The stems, leaves, and flowers were sometimes used as pillow stuffing because of this plant's pleasant fragrance.

About Wild Bergamot

Wild Bergamont is also known as Monarda fistulosa is in the Mint family. It grows in prairies, open meadows, woods, and roadsides. It is a perennial herb also known as Bee Balm or Oswego Tea that can be found in 48 states in North America and in northern Mexico and southern Canada. It can grow up to four feet high and is characterized by lance-shaped leaves up to four inches in length and clusters of tubular-shaped pink to purple flowers up to three inches wide. This plant blooms from June through September and prefers full sun. It is considered to be drought resistant and can tolerate a wide range of soil including sand. This plant will not be found in Florida, Hawaii, or California.

Medicinal Uses

Wild Bergamot has been used by many Native American communities and is considered to be a very important plant for its useful medicinal and food uses. The Blackfoot used an infusion of the plant to treat coughs and made a poultice of the flower head and applied it to treat wounds and cuts. They also made a solution to treat sore eyes. Many communities chewed the root for swollen neck glands. The Cherokee used a poultice of leaves to treat headaches, and colds, and as a treatment for colic. They also used a hot infusion of the leaf to bring out measles and to treat stomach trouble. An infusion of the leaf or root was taken orally and wiped on the forehead to treat nosebleeds. The Chippewa chewed leaves and placed them in their nose to treat headaches. They also made a decoction of the roots and blossoms to treat worms. The Choctaw rubbed the plant on a child's chest for pain. The Crow made an infusion and took it for respiratory problems. The Dakota made an infusion of the flowers and took it to treat abdominal pain. The Flathead would hang plants on walls for colds and make an infusion to treat coughs, chills, and fever. The Koasati would bathe in a decoction of leaves to alleviate the chills. The Ojibwe used the leaves to treat headaches and would place the leaves in their nostrils to induce sneezing. They also made a decoction of the root to treat stomach pain.  Many communities would use the oil in the plant to treat bronchitis and would seep the flowers and leaves into a tea to treat the flu. The Navajo used a cold infusion of the plant as a wash for headaches and the Lakota used an infusion of the leaves for fainting. The Sioux used an infusion of blossoms for colds and fevers and chills. The Winnebago used a decoction of leaves to treat skin eruptions such as pimples.

Culinary Uses

Many communities including the Cherokee, Lakota, Hopi, Pueblo, Spanish Americans, and Tewa use this plant as food, and some dried it and stored it for the winter. The Apache and Iroquois used the leaves to make a drink out of the leaves. The Isleta and Laguna used the plant as a seasoning for meat and stews. The Blackfoot used the dried flowerheads for sucking broth or soup. The Flathead would pulverize the leaves and sprinkle them on meats as a preservative. The Acoma ground the leaves and mixed them with sausage for seasoning. The Apache would boil young leaves and stems to make a non-intoxicating drink.

Did You Know...

Wild Bergamot is attractive to bees as well as other pollinators including butterflies. It is an important source of nectar for bees.

One of the most common contemporary uses of Monarda fistulosa is as an ornamental plant.

It is also grown to help facilitate prairie restoration and to restore forage for wild bees. 

Carvacrol is a chemical derived from Wild Bergamot which has been shown to have antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. 

This plant has also shown some value as a mosquito repellant. 

Medicinal Monday... Partridgeberry - an aid in childbirth and much more

Mitchella repens also known as the partridgeberry is a most attractive woodland creeping vine. The common name of this plant (partridgeberry) is a reference to the belief that it is a favorite food of foraging partridges.  It is native to North America and can be found in Connecticut. Native American communities use this plant in several interesting ways. 

Partridgeberry forms a verdant carpet on the woodland floor

About Partridgeberry

Partridgeberry is a delicate vine in the Rubiaceae (madder) family. It is only about two inches high forming a beautiful mat of trailing vines on the forest floor. It spreads when the nodes of these vines come in contact with the soil and take root.  This trailing evergreen plant with dark green rounded leaves has white fragrant tubular flowers that grow in pairs and are covered with dense white hairs giving them a fuzzy appearance. The flowers in Connecticut usually begin to bloom in early summer. The flowers are followed by a berry that is initially green but gradually ripens to a bright red by the fall. Look for two bright red eyes on the surface of the berry that is formed because of the pollination of the two flowers that fuse together to form it. If not eaten by wildlife or picked by foragers the berries remain red through the winter. Partridegberries are usually found in the rich woodland soils in eastern North America growing in shaded woods and along stream banks or on sandy slopes. 

Delicate pink and white tubular-shaped flowers

Medicinal Uses

In general, the most common use of this plant among the Native American communities was as an aid in childbirth. Many communities made tea from the leaves which were given to women with severe menstrual cramps, to help with labor pain and ease delivery, and as a wash to treat sore nipples during breastfeeding. There were many other uses for this delicate vine. The Abnaki made a poultice of the plant and applied it to swellings while the Cherokee took a tea for monthly menstrual cramps. They also made an infusion that was given to a baby to encourage breastfeeding and also took it for hives and sore nipples. The Cherokee also made an infusion of the root of partridgeberry and mixed it with milk and took it to treat bowel complaints and piles. As a veterinary aid, they gave an infusion to a pregnant cat and her kittens. 

Look for the berries in the fall

Delaware made a hot infusion of the roots and twigs and used it as a steam treatment for stiff joints and sore muscles. They made an infusion of the entire plant to treat suppressed menses and to strengthen female reproduction. The Iroquois used the berries to treat severe labor pains and would also make a compound decoction of the roots and bark for back and urinary pain. They also made a compound infusion for children with convulsions and vomiting and to treat fevers. A decoction of roots was sometimes given to newborn babies as a physic for stomachaches or rashes, and a poultice of vines was given to babies with swollen abdomens. Pregnant mothers would take a compound infusion of the plant to prevent rickets in the baby. 

The Cherokee and Iroquois and others also ate the fruit. They would mash them into cakes, which they dried and later reconstituted with water to make a sauce and mix it into stew or cornbread. 

The Berries will stay red through the winter months

Did You Know...

The genus name, Mitchella is for a Virginia Botanist, John Mitchell, who corresponded with Linnaeus.  Repens refers to the vines creeping habit.

The fruit is consumed by Ruffed Grouse, Bobwhite Quail, turkeys, skunks, and white-footed mice.

Other names for this plant include Twinberry, Running Box, Deer Berry, Pigeon Plum, and Squaw Vine which is no longer used.

The berries are fleshy but not very tasty.

Today partridgeberry is a popular ground cover in gardens and landscaped areas.

Lacrosse – More Than Just A Game New Exhibition @ Institute for American Indian Studies

Lacrosse was originally played by eastern Native Americans and Canada’s First People. The Institute for American Indian Studies located at 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut has just opened a fascinating special exhibition, “More Than a Game: The Story of Lacrosse,” that will be on view at the Institute through August 2022. 

This well-researched exhibition touches on a variety of subjects, many of which are unexpected in light of the game many of us know today. Some of the most interesting aspects of the exhibition relate to the spiritual importance of lacrosse and how it connects to creation stories, the way they settle differences, and its continued social and communal significance. 

This exhibition also explores the appropriation of lacrosse by Euro-Americans and Canadians. In the 1860’s Dr. George Beers of Canada wrote the first standardized rulebook for lacrosse in an attempt to “civilize” the game. By the 1890s, Native American communities were banned from participating in national competitions. This part of the exhibition includes documentation in the form of newspaper clippings and images that depict the history of lacrosse in popular culture and how it was interpreted. 

More Than a Game also highlights how traditional lacrosse sticks evolved in North America. Several lacrosse sticks on display showcase the three major styles of Native American lacrosse and demonstrate the different regional interpretations of the game. 

This exhibit touches on the relationship between lacrosse and Native communities today. It delves into the saga of the Iroquois Nationals, the only Native American athletic team permitted to compete in international competitions. Don’t miss the exhibition’s video that shows Native Americans making wooden sticks in the traditional way and relating why it is important to the future of their culture. This exhibit can be summed up by a quote by Rex Lyons, Onondaga, “Lacrosse is part of the story of our creation, of our identity, of who we are. So when we play the game, we always say that there’s a simultaneous game going on in the Sky World and our ancestors are playing with us.” 

The Institute for American Indian Studies is open Wednesday – Sunday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. and admission is $12 for adults, $8 for children 3-12, $10 for seniors, and members are free. 

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 - Indian Buckwheat - Not of Pancake Fame!

Buckwheat or Fagopyrum tataricum is believed to be one of the world's first domesticated crops that spread from Central Asia, the Middle East, then to Europe, and finally to America in the 1600s. This variety of buckwheat is grown today in the US which is the 4th largest producer in the world. There is, however, buckwheat that is native to America's southwest, called Indian or Flat-top Buckwheat which was used for medicinal purposes by the Native American communities living in that area. Indian Buckwheat is not what pancakes are made from because it does not belong to the Fagopyrum tataricum genus.

About Indian Buckwheat

Eriogonum fasciculatum is an evergreen shrub found in California, the southwestern United States, and northwestern Mexico. It is in the Polygonaceae family that also includes rhubarb and sorrel. This low-spreading shrub bears clusters of frilly pink and white flowers in the summer months that turn a distinctive mahogany color in the fall. This plant, which is a prolific bloomer has small, narrow, rolled leaves that grow in profuse clusters along the branches and are leathery and wooly on the undersides. They resemble the leaves of rosemary. The fruit is a small one-seeded fruit that does not open to release the seed. This variety of Buckwheat (there are several others) grows primarily in the desert regions and in the coastal foothills. It is tough and easy to grow because it tolerates very dry conditions. 

Medicinal  & Practical Uses

Buckwheat was an important medicinal plant for Native Americans. Kumeyaay, who called it Hamill boiled flowers and leaves into a tea and used it as an eyewash, mouthwash, and a remedy for headaches, stomach aches, and bladder infections. The Coahuilla made a decoction of the leaves and took it for stomach pain and headache, and to treat urinary problems. The Diegueno made a decoction of flowers and gave it to babies to treat diarrhea. They also made a decoction of dried flowers and dried roots and used it to promote a healthy heart. The Navajo used a decoction of this plant as an anti-witchcraft medicine. The Omaha and Zuni made a poultice from the powdered root and applied it to cuts, and arrow or bullet wounds. The Tubatulabal made an infusion of the dried heads of the flowers and used it to treat stomach aches and diarrhea. The Zuni made a decoction of the root and took it to treat hoarseness and colds.

Many regional Native American Communities gathered the tiny seeds and ground them into flour that was used to thicken stews. The Kawaiisu used the leaves of this plant to line acorn granaries in order to prevent the nuts from getting wet. They also used the plant's wood-like stems to pierce their ears.

Did You Know...

This plant is attractive to honey bees and is a good source of nectar over many months, especially in dry areas. It is an important source of honey in California.

This plant is used for erosion control and post-fire mitigation.

It increases crop yields when planted in hedgerows.

Because it can tolerate dry, hot conditions it is a favorite ornamental plant in the desert and water-wise gardens.

This plant is a host to the parasitic plant called Cuscuta californica, a type of dodder that looks like strands of orange spaghetti.