Medicinal Monday - Fool's Huckleberry

This plant goes by several interesting names including false azalea, skunk bush, rusty leaf, mock azalea, and fool's huckleberry. Today it is prized as an ornamental plant especially because of its autumn coloration. There is historical documentation that Native Americans living in Northwestern North America from Alaska through the Pacific Northwest to northwestern California and Wyoming found practical as well as medicinal uses for this showy shrub.

About Fool's Huckleberry

This deciduous shrub can grow to 12 feet tall and has an erect but straggly, spreading look. The branches are often grouped together and when young they have a whorled and glandular appearance, as they get older they have reddish scaly-shredding bark. The bluish-green leaves grow in clusters along rust-colored branches. They are oblong in shape and finely serrated with a central vein that protrudes at the apex. The leaves turn a bright red-orange color in the fall.  When the leaves are crushed they have a skunk-like odor. Both leaves and stems are sticky to the touch. The urn-shaped pinkish-orange flowers hang down in clusters near the end of the branches. The fruit is a dry, ovoid capsule. Fool's Huckleberry can be found in nutrient-rich areas of coniferous forests and along stream banks.

Medicinal Uses

The Hesquiat used this plant as an oral aid and would suck the nectar from the flowers to sweeten their breath. The Kwakiutl chewed the leaves to relieve heart pain and stomach trouble. They also made a poultice of heated leaves and applied them to sores and swellings. The Nitinaht used the bark of this shrub to counteract evil spells.

The Quileute wove the twigs of this shrub together with cedar bark and used it for grills on the bottom of their canoes. The Nitinaht made slingshots from the branches of this shrub as well as a variety of children's toys.

Socially, the Quileute would break off a forked twig from Fool's Huckleberry and wave it in the air by a woman to make a man fall in love with her. 

Did You Know...

The white-banded black moth is a predator of this shrub.

Fools Huckleberry is poisonous to cats, dogs, horses, and other animals because the leaves contain grayanotoxins. Signs of poison include abdominal pain, irregular heartbeat, involuntary muscle contractions, and coma that can lead to death.

The andromedotoxins in the leaves make them poisonous to humans

It is referred to as false azalea because its leaves bear some resemblance to those of azalea.

Medicinal Monday...Mountain Maple

Not the tallest of trees, Acer Spicatum Lam is native to northeastern North America including in  Connecticut's higher elevations. It has a number of interesting medicinal as well as decorative uses, making this small shrub-like tree useful as well as interesting.

About Mountain Maple

Acer Spicatum Lam is a deciduous shrub or small tree that grows from Saskatchewan to Newfoundland, south to Pennsylvania, and in the high elevations of the southern Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia. This tree grows in moist woods in rich, well-drained soils, on rocky hillsides, and along streams.  It seldom grows to more than thirty feet high and tends to grow in clumps that form dense thickets. The bark is reddish brown to gray, and it is thin and somewhat furrowed.  The twigs are hairy, green, red, or brownish red and the pith is brown. The leaves are opposite, three-lobed, hairy, and have coarse teeth and deeply sunken veins. It usually flowers in June after the leaves are fully formed. The blossoms are greenish-white to yellow and grow in long cylindrical spike-like clusters. The fruit is a pair of winged seeds called samaras that are pink when young and turn brown in the fall.

Medicinal and Decorative Uses

There are several interesting decorative uses for this tree. The bark, for example, was used to make a rose-tan-colored dye, and the wood was used to make arrows. The leaves were used as designs for bead and applique work by many Native American communities including the Menominee and Ojibwa. The Ojibwa also used the roots of this tree to make the bowl for the dice and bowl game. The Potawatomi also used the leaves as a pattern for bead and applique work and would burn deer antlers until they turned to charcoal and used this to rub against the backs of the leaves. This surface was then placed on birch bark until the pattern of the leaves emerged, forming a pattern for the beadwork.

Medicinally, one of the most common uses was to make an infusion or poultice of the outside bark to treat sore eyes. The Algonquin made a poultice of boiled root chips and used it as a dermatological aid to treat wounds and abscesses.  The Iroquois made a compound decoction of the roots and bark and took this mixture to treat internal hemorrhages and as a gastrointestinal aid. The Potawatomi made a compound mixture containing the bark of this tree and took it to relieve coughing. The sap is a source of sugar and can be boiled to make maple syrup. 

Did You Know?

The wood of this tree is close-grained, soft, light, and not used commercially.

Acer is the Latin word for maple, and spicatum means spike bearing.

It is also referred to as Moose Maple because in the winter this animal eats it. It is also the preferred food of the whitetail deer.

The name Lam is a reference to French biologist, Jean-Batiste Lamarck, who died in 1829.

The Mountain Maple is distinguished from the Sugar Maple by the shape of the leaves. Sugar Maples have five lobes and the edges are smooth, in contrast to the Mountain Maples leaves that have coarse teeth. Also, the flowers grow differently and the Sugar Maple is a much taller tree.

Medicinal Monday... Robin's Plantain

Robin's Plantain is in the Aster family and is typically dismissed as a weed. Most people don't know that this "weed" has a long history as a healing plant often referred to as "nature's band-aid." Many native American communities found a variety of medicinal uses for this delicate flower.

About Robin's Plantain

This is a biennial, short-lived perennial wildflower that is widespread across much of the United States and can be found in Connecticut. Individual flower stalks give rise to a daisy-like flower that is a silvery light lavender color with a yellow eye. The flower blooms in May over a  dense carpet of grey-green fuzzy leaves that act like a tight ground cover. The leaves are toothed and the widest is toward the tip.  It can be found in rocky woodland, sand dunes, on the slopes of wooded bluffs, along the banks of rivers, and in forest clearings. It tolerates many different kinds of soil and prefers partial sun.

Medicinal Uses

The most common use of this plant is to make tea and drink it as a diuretic to help treat urinary problems. This plant is also used to treat a variety of ailments. For example, the Cherokee make a poultice of the entire plant and apply it to the temples to treat a headache. They also make a cold infusion of the roots and take it to treat colds and coughs. To make an astringent, they boil the entire plant and mixed it with tallow, and apply it to sores. It was also taken for poor sight and to stop bleeding. The Iroquois made a decoction from the roots and took it as a cold remedy. They also made a decoction of the entire plant including the flowers and drank it as an aid for tuberculous.

Did You Know...

Another name for Robin's Plantain is Lynhaven Carpet. It was named after Virginia Beach's Lynnhaven River where it was found by Charles Cresson.

Today, it is a favorite of groundcover for gardens because it tolerates a variety of conditions and is easily divided by its side roots. 

Its genus name is Erigeron means fleabane that refers to the superstition that dried clusters of flowers of this plant could be used to rid a dwelling of fleas.  The word pulchellus means beautiful, and this plant is one of the most attractive of the Fleabanes.

Creating A Ripple Effect Institute For American Indian Studies Joins World Water Day Celebration March 18

 

On Saturday, March 18, the Institute for American Indian Studies partnered with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Steep Rock Association, and the Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition to celebrate World Water Day. This event is being held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Institute at 38 Curtis Road in Washington, Connecticut. 

Water is one of the most vital resources for all beings and has important cultural significance in many indigenous communities, not only as a source of life but also as a source of medicine and healing. The Institute is celebrating World Water Day, an initiative by the United Nations, with a series of fun and educational activities. 

The day kicks off with a hike to the Shepaug River with Matt Devine, a fisheries biologist with Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, to learn how to identify a healthy river ecosystem. This experience gives people the opportunity to learn about the importance of sampling, studying, and enhancing fisheries from a scientist that has done this work for more than 12 years. Participants will also gain insight into how local indigenous cultures have used water throughout time. 

In the afternoon, the Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition will present an interactive program on springtime vernal pools and their importance to the local ecosystem. A highlight is to find out which organisms only use vernal pools to raise their young in a pop-up exhibit featuring a fascinating variety of aquariums and terrariums. 

If you like to make things and have fun learning at the same time, don’t miss the chance to create a cornhusk dragonfly with an IAIS educator, that you can take home as a memento of the day. While making the dragonfly, learn about its significance and importance to the indigenous and scientific communities. 

The day concludes with story time with IAIS Educator, Irene Norman (Mohawk descent) who will tell both traditional and contemporary Native American stories that have connections to water. 

Not to be missed while at this event is the current exhibition at the Institute, “Nebizun: Water is Life” that will be on view through the end of March. This exhibition introduces visitors to the Abenaki worldview of the importance of water and features artwork by Abenaki artists of the Champlain Valley and the Connecticut River Valley. 

The tickets for the morning and afternoon portions of this program are $12 for non-members, and $8 for members, respectively. Space is limited so pre-registration is requested. To register visit http://www.iaismuseum.org, email events@iaismuseum.org, or call 860-868-0518. If you are spending the day, it is advisable to pack a brown bag lunch and to dress appropriately if you are planning to participate in outdoor activities. 

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 allow 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.

Medicinal Monday - Unicorn Root

Aletris farinosa is known by magical names such as Unicorn Root, Blazing Star, and Star- grass. It is an attractive wildflower that can be found in Connecticut and throughout much of New England. It grows as far north as southern Canada, west to Texas, and south to Florida. Historically, Native American communities collected this plant for an interesting variety of medicinal uses. 

About the Unicorn Root

This is a fairly wide-ranging and common plant species growing in eastern North America in a variety of habitats and elevations. This herb prefers to grow in moist or dry peat and sandy soil and, can be found in sandy woods and thickets, and in prairies. The plant itself is single-stemmed resembling a wand or unicorn horn. It has a thick short rootstock that resembles a rhizome. It can grow up to two and a half feet and, can bloom as early as April, although, in Connecticut, it blooms in August. The grass-like leaves grow at the base of the stem providing good protection for the roots. The tubular-shaped flowers have six petal-like tepals that are fused, except at the tip, where they flare out. The flowers have an unusual texture, they are rough and grainy. Fertilized flowers form tiny seeds that develop into capsules. When they are ripe, the capsules split open releasing the seeds.

Medicinal Uses

Another name for this plant is Colic root. This refers to one of the most common uses, to treat colic and excessive crying.  Many communities made a tonic and gave it to women with a history of miscarriage. Another popular use of this plant was to make an infusion of leaves and take it for stomach problems and dysentery. The Cherokee made a decoction and took it to treat muscle pain, fevers, lung disease, jaundice, and coughs. They also made a tonic that was taken to tone and strengthen the uterus and, to help women become pregnant. The Micmac used the root to treat menstrual disorders and infertility. The Rappahannock used an infusion of the entire plant and, gave it to women and girls for female problems.

Did You Know...

The Greek name Aletris refers to one of the stages of an ancient ritual where a young woman learns to bake bread. Aletris means, "a female slave who grinds the meal."

In Greek, Farinosa means mealy, emphasizing the flour-like appearance of this plant.

Other names for this plant are colic root, blazing star, crow corn, star grass, and white star grass.

Scientists think that this plant might act like estrogen which could affect pregnancy. It is not recommended to take it if you are pregnant or have other hormone-sensitive conditions.

The fresh roots of this plant are poisonous.