Medicinal Monday... Indian Cucumber Root

Indian Cucumber Root, Medeola virginiana is a native wildflower that has been used for food by many Native American communities. As the name suggests, this plant's roots taste and smell like a cucumber. They can be found in all New England states and as far west as Illinois and south to Florida, where they are listed as endangered. Native American communities found several interesting medicinal uses for this pretty flowering plant that is in the Lily family.

About Indian Cucumber Root

Indian cucumbers have rhizomatous roots that run horizontally through the soil. Native Americans had a good reason for seeking out this plant because its small three-inch white roots are crisp and taste and smell like a cucumber. The best time to forage for them is in late summer because this is when they are the sweetest. Native American communities would eat them raw or cooked them like a potato.

Indian Cucumber Roots grow one to two feet high and have just one single stem. This wooly stem, which has no branches, bears one or two whorls of lance-shaped leaves. Plants that are going to bloom develop two whorls of leaves, the lower set has up to nine leaves and the top set has three to four leaves. A whorl refers to all leaves growing out from one point on the stem. The upper whorl of leaves overhangs the flower, making it a challenge to spot, especially because it is green. The blooms are spidery nodding yellowish-green flowers, whose petals curve back. Eventually, the plant bears blue to purple berries, that stand atop the leaves. This plant grows in moist, shady hardwood and mixed wood forests. Most often, it buds in May and blooms in June. By late July green berries begin to emerge, which ripen in the fall to their blue-purple color with the under set of leaves turning red.

Medicinal Uses

In addition to a source of food, many Native American communities made tea from berries and leaves and gave this mixture to children and babies to treat convulsions. The Iroquois made a compound infusion called "Little Water" and put this solution on injured or sore limbs. They also chewed the raw root to a paste and used it as fish bait on a hook. Many Native American communities also used an infusion of the root as a diuretic to maintain kidney health and to treat swellings.

Did You Know...

The Latin name Medeola comes from the sorceress Medea because the root was thought to have healing properties. Medea is best known for leaving the dismembered body parts of her brother to distract her father from pursuit during her flight with Jason and the Golden Fleece.

This plant is not abundant in the wild. Digging up the roots kills this plant, and for this reason, they shouldn't be foraged.

Indian Cucumber Root is a favorite of deer, voles, and rabbits.

Sometimes the flower of this plant is mistaken for a starflower.

Atlatl Workshop & Competition @ Institute for American Indian Studies

 

Atl means far. Think of the effort it takes to throw a spear far. Using an ancient weapon called an atlatl, you can throw a spear very far with minimal effort. An atlatl is a precursor to the bow and arrows and was used in hunting by Native Americans, along with many other cultures worldwide. Essentially, it is a throwing device using a spear, known as a dart, that uses leverage to give it more velocity. 

On Sunday, May 21 at 11 a.m. the Institute for American Indian Studies, located at 38 Curtis Road in Washington, Connecticut, is holding an Atlatl Workshop with the Institute’s educator, Susan Scherf. During this workshop, suitable for adults, as well as children eight years and up, participants will learn about the fascinating history and different designs of this ancient tool and how it was used. A highlight is to learn how to make your own atlatl and to develop skills to be able to accurately use it. 

Atlatl Supplies

Once you get the hang of it, launching a dart with an atlatl is easy to do because it is similar to throwing a baseball. The difference is that you are flipping your wrist at the end of the throw. You will have plenty of time to experiment using your atlatl to find out what works best for you. Participants will learn how timing, balance, consistency, and follow-through lead to accuracy. Thrown correctly, darts can travel close to 80 miles per hour! After several practice throws, the group will join together for a “just for fun” competition. 

Make your own Atlatl to take home!

Space and materials are limited and registration is required. Please note that a parent or guardian must accompany children under 18. The cost of this workshop is $20 for members of the Institute and $25 for non-members. To register click here. If you have questions, please 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 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 at 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.

Medicinal Monday - Trout Lily

Erythronium americanum also known as Trout Lily is a spring ephemeral flower native to Eastern North America. This charming lily-shaped flower is bright yellow and can be found in Connecticut. Although this plant only appears for a short amount of time in the spring, Native American communities found medicinal uses for this lovely flower.

About Trout Lily

Trout Lily, is a perennial wildflower that blooms in the spring and then goes dormant. Growing in colonies, it blooms before there are leaves on deciduous trees.  The Trout Lily prefers moist, humusy soil and prefers shade to partial shade. The young plants only have one lance-shaped leaf, while the flowering plants always have two leaves.  Just one nodding blossom grows well above the stem. It has six reflexed yellow petals that are often brushed with purple on the outside and have brown-yellow stamens in the center with rusty red tips. Flowers open in the morning and close at night. The flowers are replaced by fruit that takes the form of seed capsules that start out as green and change to brown before splitting open. Non-flowering plants form a new bulb at the end of their roots from which a new shoot will emerge the following year.

Medicinal Uses

The Cherokee and the Haudenosaunee crushed the warmed leaves and poured the juice over wounds that would not heal. The Cherokee also use an infusion of the root to treat fevers and prevent fainting. Young Iroquois women ate raw plants, excluding the roots, to prevent pregnancy. The Iroquois also used a poultice of smashed roots for swellings and to remove silvers. The Montana used the bulb as a dermatological aid by making a poultice and applying it to skin irritations and boils. In addition to medicinal uses, some Native American communities ate the bulb raw or cooked. The bulbs have a cucumber-like taste.

Did You Know...

This plant is called Trout Lily because the mottling on the leaf resembles a trout moving in the water. It is also called Fawn Lily because its leaves are said to resemble the upright ears of a fawn. It is called dog-toothed violet because of the shape of its bulb.

Other names for this plant are adder's tongue, dog-toothed violet, and yellow adder's tongue.

This plant supports the Andrena miner bee family and is vital to the pollination of woodlands, berries, and flowering trees and shrubs.

Black bears are said to dig up the bulbs to eat.

The bulbs are important to the diet of chipmunks.

The genus name, Erythronium is taken from an unrelated European plant, and the subspecies name, americanum refers to America.

Medicinal Monday - Common Chickweed

Common Chickweed is a bright green annual flowering herb that appears all across North America. For many gardeners, when they see chickweed in their lawns they know it is time to start preparing for spring plantings. It is a plant that many love to hate because of the way this plant spreads and sprawls and seems to pop up everywhere. Native Americans found a use for just about everything in the natural world and not only ate common chickweed, a plant known for its' great nutritional value, they also used this plant medicinally.

About Chickweed

Chickweed is a cool weather plant native to Europe but widely naturalized in the United States and, throughout the world.  There are several closely related plants referred to as chickweed, but they lack the culinary properties of common chickweed which is in the genus Stellaria family.

Common chickweed is considered an early spring and late fall plant because it likes cool weather. When first beginning to bud, the leaves of this plant fold over the new shoots and buds to protect them at night. The flowers are oval-shaped and grow in pairs opposite one another.  The flowers consist of five white petals supported by a whorl of five green leaves.  The plant grows in dense mats that hold the soil together in the same way that cover crops do. The flowers resemble carnations because this plant is a member of the carnation family. A unique characteristic of this plant is that it bears both flowers and mature seeds almost simultaneously.

Common Chickweed has hair that goes up just one side of its slender stem in a line.  The stem of the common chickweed, which can grow up to a foot and a half is elastic, so if you pull the stem apart the outer sheath will separate while the inner part stretches. Unlike its relatives, Common Chickweed doesn't have milky sap when the stem is broken.  The roots of this plant are shallow and fibrous.

Medicinal and Culinary Uses of Chickweed

In the early spring, common chickweed is a nutritional treat for Native Americans.  It added the health benefits of fresh greens to their diet before plants they cultivated like corn and beans were in season. Common Chickweed has a fresh and spring-like flavor and is often compared to spinach.  The leaves and tender stems could be eaten raw, boiled, and added to soups or stews. 

The Chippewa made a decoction from the leaves of the Common Chickweed and used it as a wash for sore eyes.  The Iroquois made a poultice of the entire plant and used it to treat cuts and wounds; the poultice would be applied raw and wrapped around the affected area. Tea was also made out of this plant as a kidney and liver tonic.  The Cherokee used an infusion to treat an eye infection.  In general, poultices and salves from dried, fresh, or powered common chickweed were used to treat coughs, colds, hoarseness, and inflammation.

Did You Know...

A common chickweed plant can produce 2,500 to 15,000 seeds that can remain viable for more than a decade. 

Common chickweed is one of the ingredients of the symbolic dish consumed in the Japanese springtime festival, Nanajusa-no-sekku.

Modern herbalists prescribe common chickweed for iron deficiency anemia because of its high iron content.

Stellaria is derived from the word stellar meaning star in reference to the shape of its flowers.

The name chickweed came from this herb's appeal to fowls, in particular, chickens.