Medicinal Monday - Wonderful Watercress

Watercress is a semi-aquatic perennial herb in the Cruciferae (Brassicaceae) or mustard family and is one of the oldest leaf vegetables consumed by humans. Watercress is distributed worldwide and was introduced to North America by colonists from England where it was a popular salad green. In addition to being a food source rich in vitamins, Native American communities found medicinal uses for this herb that has a peppery taste. 

About Watercress

Watercress can be found in Connecticut where it grows along cold springs, brooks, stream margins, marshes, bogs, ditches, and other places where there is cold flowing water. Watercress often forms bushy colonies spreading across the water like a green carpet. Their hollow stems float on water. The leaves are oval with wavy edges. The small white flowers are tinged with lavender and grow in clusters on the tip of the stem. The plant blooms from April to October. The seeds are long, narrow, curved pods that split open when they mature. Watercress can grow submerged, floating, or as an emergent plant.

Medicinal and Culinary Uses

Watercress is used as a salad green and has a tangy, peppery flavor. This plant boasts many important vitamins and minerals including over 100% of the recommended daily intake for vitamin K. It is also high in antioxidants. The Algonquin, Luiseno, Okanagan-Colville, Saanich, Cahuilla, Cherokee, Iroquois, and Kawailsu, among others, ate the leaves in a salad. The Karok boiled young plants, the Kawailisu fried the plants in grease and salt, and the Cherokee boiled the leaves and ate them with bacon grease. 

Medicinally Native Americans used watercress to treat kidney illnesses and constipation, and some thought it was an aphrodisiac. The Costanoan made a decoction of this plant and used it as a remedy to cleanse the liver. The Mahuna used a decoction of this plant to treat gallstones and cirrhosis. The Okanagan-Colville made a poultice of a fresh plant and applied it to the forehead to treat headaches and dizziness.

Did You Know...

Roman emperors ate watercress to help them make bold decisions.

Until the Renaissance, watercress was used as a breath freshener and palate cleanser in Europe.

Louis and Clark found watercress regularly on their trek across the Louisiana Purchase.

The U.S. Army planted watercress in gardens of forts along western trails as food for soldiers.

Medicinal Monday...PepperGrass

Today we often see peppergrass growing along roadsides and many consider it a weed. Lepidium virginicum or peppergrass has a long and interesting history. This annual has a spicey, horseradishy flavor and is sometimes called "poor man's pepper." It was used as a food seasoning in a time when there was little else available. This plant also has a long medicinal history with Native Americans.

About Peppergrass

Lepidium virginicum is native to many parts of North America including Connecticut and is a member of the Brassicaceae family that includes plants like mustard and broccoli. This annual plant grows from a single taproot from May - November and has a highly branched slightly hairy stem giving this plant an appearance similar to a bottle brush. The defining characteristic of the plant is the upper stems that end in cylindrical racemes of tiny clusters of individual white flowers attached to the central stem. The leaves alternate on the stem and are toothed lance-shaped and somewhat hairy. The seeds are borne in flat, round, dry fruits called silicles. This plant prefers full to partial sun and moist to dry conditions. It can be found in fields, meadows, along roadsides & railroad tracks, and in vacant lots, lawns, gardens, and waste areas.

Medicinal Uses

In addition to being used as a seasoning as well as a source of food, Native Americans had many medicinal uses for this plant. Many communities crushed the leaves to make a poultice to treat insect bites and poison ivy. A poultice of leaves was placed on the chest to treat coughs and colds. Crushed roots were used to draw wounds and blisters. A tea was made from the leaves to treat scurvy. The seeds are used to treat coughs and asthma. There are records indicating that the Cherokee made a poultice of the bruised root and applied it to blisters to draw them out. They also used a poultice to treat coughs. The Cherokee made an infusion of this plant and mixed it with feed to make chickens lay eggs. The Houma made a compound decoction of this plant and took it with whisky to treat tuberculosis.

Did You Know...

Peppergrass is a host plant for a number of butterflies including Cabbage Whites, Checkered Whites, and Sulphurs.

Modern medicine is exploring this plant's anti-microbial properties as a possible treatment for dysentery.

There are no poisonous look likes for this plant. 

The Incas cultivated this plant as there are 175 variations of it.

Peppergrass tends to absorb a high number of metals. This means that plants growing in contaminated soil can absorb and store them and should not be eaten.

Medicinal Monday - Cow Parsnip

Cow Parsnip cannot be missed with its bright beacon of clusters of white showy flowers. This plant, native to the United States, has many interesting ethnobotanical uses by Native American communities from culinary to medicinal, as well as a few interesting practical uses in everyday life.

About Cow Parsnip

This plant is the only member of the genus Heracleum native to North America and is in the carrot family. Cow parsnip is a perennial herbaceous plant that can grow up to ten feet high. Its stems are hollow and very hairy and the three-lobed maple-shaped leaves can grow up to 16 inches across. The flowers are umbrels, which are characteristic of the carrot family and they can reach up to 15 inches across and are composed of tiny white flowers. With so many tiny flowers, cow parsnip is an excellent source of pollen and nectar for many insects and is a larval host for the anise swallowtail. This plant can be found throughout most of the continental United States with the exception of the states along the Gulf Coast. It can be found as far north as Alaska, on the west coast, and in Newfoundland, Canada on the east coast. Cow Parsnip is often found on forest edges, floodplains, wet meadows, and riverbanks, and in open clearings of hardwood forests.

Cow parsnip contains chemicals called furanocoumarins which can cause rashes and burn-like lesions depending on one's sensitivity to the chemical after the skin is exposed to the sun. This chemical is thought to act as a defense against insects, mammals, and fungi. If you don't know your sensitivity to the phytochemicals in parts of this plant, it is best to wear gloves when working with it.

Culinary

Many Native American communities including Yuki, Wet'suwet'en, Tolowa, Thompson, Spokan, Shuswap, Montana, Nitinaht, Ojibwa, Okanagan-Colville, Oweekeno, Pomo, Quinault, Gitksan, Cree, Karok, Makah, Mendocino, Haisla, peeled young shoots and ate them raw like celery, and boiled or steamed them. The Meskwaki cooked the roots like we cook potatoes, the Blackfoot roasted stalks over hot coals, Alaskan Natives would eat the inner pulp of the stem with seal oil, and the Hesquiat ate the leaves, stalks, and flower buds with honey. 

Practical Uses

The stems were used as straws by many Native American communities. Another clever use was found for the hollow stems which were made into flutes for children by the Haisia, Cheyenne, and Blackfoot, to name a few. The Karok use the roots to make a yellow dye that is applied to porcupine quills. The Makah combine stems of large blossoms with seaweed to make baskets. The Menominee and Ojibwa use this plant as a smudge to drive away evil spirits as well as to drive away bad spirits from the camp of a hunter. The Ojibwa also boil the roots and sprinkle them on fishing nets to attract fish. The Pomo used the hollow stems to carry water and also use the dried-out hollow stems as toy blow guns to shoot berries or small pebbles. 

Medicinal Uses

Some of the most common medicinal uses were to make a poultice of the heated leaves and apply them to sores and wounds. For chronic swelling, a poultice of roots was applied.  A soothing drink was made to treat sore throats and colds; dried roots were often chewed for sore throats. A compound infusion of the root was used as a poultice to treat rheumatism. A poultice of baked roots was applied to boils and used to treat hip pain. An infusion of blossoms was rubbed on the body to keep flies and mosquitos away. The root of the plant was placed on cavities to treat toothaches. A compound infusion of the plant was used as a steambath for headaches and rheumatism. Dried, pounded roots were combined with oil and used as a hair ointment and as a wash for dandruff. A poultice of roots was used to treat sore eyes. A decoction of the roots was sometimes used as a wash for purification.

Did You Know...

Cow parsnip is also referred to as American cow parsnip, Satan celery, Indian celery, Indian rhubarb, and pushki.

The genus name, Heracleum is from Heracles and refers to the considerable size of parts of this plant. 

This plant is listed as "Endangered" in Kentucky and as a "Special Concern" in Tennessee.

Never harvest this plant unless you are sure of what it is because there are several look likes including poison hemlock.

Medicinal Monday - Corn is Good for More than Eating!

Corn was cultivated through the centuries by Native Americans. Eventually, it became a staple food in many Native American diets. Corn continues to play a central role in the arts, culture, health, and lifestyle of many Native Americans, nationwide, today. Many tribes hold special ceremonies such as the Green Corn Festival which gives thanks when the corn first ripens and can be eaten by the tribe. Corn was also used medicinally in a variety of interesting ways. The Insitute for American Indian Studies is holding its annual Green Corn Festival on August 14 from 12 noon to 4 pm @ Riverwalk Pavillion Park in Washington.

About Corn

Scientists believe that people living in central Mexico developed corn at least 7000 years ago. It started from a wild grass called Teosinte whose kernels were small and not fused together like the husked ear of modern corn. Also known as maize, the best plants for eating were systematically collected and cultivated.  The first maize was a few inches long with only eight rows of kernels but through systematic selective cultivation, cob length and size continued to grow.

Maize along with beans and squash did not reach southern New England until 1,000 years ago or so. Native Americans in New England planted corn in fields close to their wigwams.  Corn and beans were planted together in raised piles of soil. The beans supported the cornstalk and fertilized it with atmospheric nitrogen as they climbed the stalks. Squash was planted between the mounds and helped to keep insects, raccoons, and other wild animals at bay. The large leaves of the squash also shaded the ground and kept the soil moist. The three crops complemented each other both in the field and in their combined nutrition and were referred to as the three sisters.

Corn in New England

Many Native American traditions, stories and ceremonies surround corn.  In New England, maize is described as a gift of the creator; in several stories, a crow or blackbird delivered kernels of maize and beans to the tribes of the Eastern Woodlands, while other Algonquian stories also recount maize being brought by a person sent from the Great Spirit as a gift of thanks. Each year in August the Institute for American Indian Studies holds a Green Corn Festival with dancers, drummers, food, and educational activities to honor corn.

Medicinal Uses of Corn

Although corn was a staple that many Native American communities relied on as an important source of food and nutrition, corn was also used medicinally. The Western Keres ate the pollen as medicine. The Mohegan made a decoction of dried cobs and used them as a wash for the poison ivy rash. The Navajo made a poultice of the plant and applied it as ceremonial medicine for sore throats. The Tewa mixed cornmeal and water and used it for palpitations and pain. They also would rub a warm ear of corn on swollen glands. Many Native American communities used the tassel of silk on an ear of corn to treat urinary conditions. Corn was also used as a diuretic and mild stimulant. Many communities made an emollient poultice of cornmeal and used it to treat ulcers, swellings, and rheumatic pain. Parched corn was given to treat vomiting and nausea.

Did You Know...

Modern corn silk supplements are used to help prevent urinary tract infections and kidney stones.

Corn is the only native American grain, cultivated by Central American Natives for more than 7,000 years before it migrated north where it became part of the "three sisters" - corn, beans, and squash, a staple of Native American agriculture.

Corn is considered to be a wild grass and the corn kernels are the plant's seeds, while the ear or cob makes up part of the flower.

Corn's scientific name is Zea mays.

Some countries call corn, maize, a word that came from the word Mahiz in the Arawak language of Haiti.

Native American Green Corn Festival A Harvest of Tradition August 14 in Washington, Connecticut

 

Many of us celebrate the sweetness of corn that begins to ripen in early August as a high point of summer’s harvest. We are not alone in celebrating the golden deliciousness of corn. For Native American communities corn is an integral part of their annual lifecycle. For generations, many Native American communities have welcomed the season when corn ripens with a celebration. In recognition of this time-honored tradition, the Institute for American Indian Studies, located in Washington, CT, is holding its 17th annual Green Corn Festival on August 14 from Noon to 4:00 pm at Riverwalk Pavilion, 11a School Street, in Washington, CT. 

The public is invited to join Museum Staff as they welcome the first corn of the summer 2022 season with flute music by Allan Madahbee (Ojibwe), drumming, dancing, children’s activities curated by the Institute’s staff, and traditional stories told by a professional Native American Storyteller. For shoppers and collectors, don’t miss the vendors that are selling Native American-inspired arts and crafts at a variety of price points. All the festivities are taking place in a beautiful park with a sheltered wooden pavilion, picnic tables, and plenty of free parking. 

A highlight of the Green Corn Festival is the Native Nations Dance Troupe led by Erin Meeches, from the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation. Each dance performed has an uplifting and unique story or purpose. Some use movements that imitate animals and others represent an aspect of cultural significance. These traditional dances are sure to delight because they evoke the beauty, honor, and tradition of Native People. The dances will be accompanied by the Quahog Bay Drum Group led by Devin Wixon from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Nation. The dancing will take place at 1 p.m. and at 3 p.m. 

If you have worked up an appetite, no worries because at this year’s Green Corn Festival you will have the chance to try some authentic Native American cuisine and more. Yapopup, the Indigenous Soul Food Truck by Pueblo Chef Ryan Rainbird Taylor (Ohkay Owingeh) will be cooking up some of his favorite Native American traditional food. Another vendor, GV Bites Food Truck will be whipping up Columbian fusion food, and Polar Sweets Ice Cream will be serving up more than 40 flavors of ice cream that will help beat the heat! Admission for this event held rain or shine, is $15 for Adults, $12 for seniors, $10 for children, $10 for IAIS Members, and free for members’ children. Pre-registration is greatly appreciated. Please visit the Institute’s website to register via Eventbrite. 

 About Green Corn 

The expression “Green Corn” refers to the first ripened sweet corn that you can eat. The Green Corn Ceremony is marked with dancing, feasting, fasting, and religious observations. In the Eastern Woodland areas, Native people depended on three staples – corn, beans, and squash. These food items were so important that they were called “The Three Sisters.” The Three Sisters were mixed together to make a vegetable dish called succotash that is still popular today. 

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 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 - Black Western Chokeberry

One of the most useful plants used by Native American communities is the Black Western Chokeberry. It has a  multitude of uses as food, medicine, and an aid in hunting and fishing. Several Native American communities even used this plant in ceremonies. The Blackfoot for example made a berry soup that was used for most ceremonial events such as the transfer of a tipi design or the opening of a Medicine Pipe or beaver bundle. Women would prepare the soup and at the appropriate time in the ceremony, the soup was served to all participants. The Lakota tied branches to the sacred Sun Dance Poles and the Navajo use the leaves as an emetic in various ceremonies. The Winnebago, Ponca, and Pawnee use the fruit in a variety of traditional ceremonies.

About Black Western Chokeberry

Native to North America, the Black Western Chokeberry or Prunus virginiana is a small to a medium-sized shrub that loses its leaves, seasonally. This shrub can grow up to 20 feet tall and can have a trunk as thick as twelve inches. The leaves are oval with serrated edges and the flowers grow in shoots and bloom in the spring. The fruits range in color from bright red to black and have a very astringent taste that is somewhat sour and bitter. As the berries ripen they tend to get a bit sweeter and darker. The fruit contains a large stone in the center. 

Culinary Uses

For many Native American communities, chokeberries are an important source of food in their traditional diets. The fruit was highly prized and used to flavor meats, and stews, and made into beverages, wine, preserves, and syrups.  Many communities including the Algonquin, Paiute, Ojibwa, Apache, Omaha, Cahuilla, Dakota, Laguna, Navajo, Kiowa, Yuki, Okanagan-Colville, Lakota,  Acoma, Menominee, Blackfoot, Meskwaki, Paiute, Cheyenne, Cochiti, and Cherokee, would eat the chokeberries raw right off the branches. The Algonquin, Montana, Thompson, Kawailisu, Shuswap, and the Potawatomi used the fruit to make wine and preserves, and the Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Cochiti, Cahuilla, Ojibwa, Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca, Iroquois, Chippewa, Omaha, Kiowa, Laguna, Klamath, Thompson, Coeur d' Alene, Gosiute, Shuswap, Acoma, Dakota, Keres, Navajo, and Okanagan-Colville, dried the berries and stored them for future use. Many communities crushed the berries and mixed them with fat that was used in soup. The branches of this shrub were peeled and inserted into the meat as a spice. The Cheyenne boiled the berries and added sugar and flour to make a pudding out of them. The Cree would mix the fruit with fish eggs and grease and eat the mixture as a snack, they also used the fruit as a syrup for pancakes. The Iroquois and Ojibwa mixed pulverized fruit with dried meat flour and used this mixture in soup. The Lakota used the leaves to make tea during the Sun Dance and the Meskwaki used the bark to make a beverage. The Montana Indian and Sioux would use the fruit as an important ingredient in the preparation of pemmican. The Paiute used the stems to make a fragrant tea, they would also mash the berries and make them into little cakes and chew them like chewing tobacco.

Medicinal Uses

Many Native American communities used various parts of this shrub to treat a number of ailments. The Algonquin, Chippewa, Okanagan-Colville, Iroquois, and Cherokee made an infusion of bark for coughs and to loosen phlegm. The Blackfoot, Iroquois, and Gros Ventre use berry juice for diarrhea and to treat sore throats. The Cherokee and Crow make a wash for sores and ulcers from the root bark and used an infusion to treat chills and fevers. They also used gave a warm infusion to women experiencing labor pains. The Cheyenne pulverized unripened berries to treat diarrhea. The Chippewa made a decoction of the inner bark and used it to treat cramps and hemorrhages from the lungs. They also made a decoction from the bark and used it as a blood-cleansing scrub. The Thompson used a decoction of twigs to treat diarrhea and also used the broken sticks to treat colds. The Paiute, Cree, Okanagan-Colville, Kutenai,  Sanpoli, Ponca, Penobscot, Menominee, Mendocino, Sioux, and Crow made a decoction of the bark to treat diarrhea. The Flathead would make an infusion to treat intestinal worms. The Flathead used warm bark resin to treat sore eyes. The Iroquois used the inner bark to treat wounds and used the stalk of this plant in prenatal care. The Menominee made a sweet infusion of the inner bark and gave it to children to treat diarrhea. The Meskwaki made an infusion of the root bark and used it for stomach troubles and as a sedative. The Navajo used a cold infusion of the dried fruit to treat stomachaches. The Penobscot and Potawatomi used an infusion of the bark as an eye wash. The Gosiute used a decoction of the bark as a blood medicine for nose hemorrhages. The Haisla and Hanaksiala made a poultice of the leaves and applied the mixture to oral abscesses. The Oregon Indian pounded dried chokeberries and mixed them with dry salmon and sugar and used this mixture to treat dysentery. The Paiute and Shoshoni used the steam from boiling bark to treat snowblindness. The Thompson made a decoction of the bark and gave it to women after childbirth as a strengthening tonic.

Practical Uses

The Blackfoot used the wood of this shrub to make roasting skewers and incense tongs. The Cherokee used the wood from this shrub to make furniture. The Cheyenne, Kawailisu, and Lakota used limbs from the shrub to make arrow shafts and bows. The Crow use the wood of this shrub to make tipi stakes and pins. A decoction of branches, leaves, and berries was given to horses for diarrhea. The Montana mixed the sap with different colored clays and use it as a paint for Indian designs. The Navajo use wood from this shrub to make dance implements, prayer sticks, and square hoops for ceremonies. The Shuswap mixed berries with bear grease and made paint for painting pictographs. The Thompson use the shredded bark as an ornament on the rims of baskets. The Great Basin Indians make a dye from the inner bark. The Ponca boiled bark water and use it as a wash on traps to remove the scent of former captures.

Did You Know...

The chokeberry is related to the black cherry.

The chokeberry is often considered a pest because it is the host for the tent caterpillar, which is a threat to many fruit plants.

Moose, elk, mountain sheep, deer, and rabbits eat the foliage, twigs, leaves, and buds of this shrub.

The stone of the fruit is poisonous.

Chokeberry is toxic to horses, moose, cattle, goats, deer, and other animals with segmented stomachs, especially after the leaves wilt. Wilting releases cyanide and makes the plant sweet but deadly.

Symptoms of a horse that has been poisoned are heavy breathing, agitation, and weakness.