Medicinal Monday Small Leaf Pussytoes

There are more than 40 types of Pussytoes whose colored tips resemble kitten toes! They are part of the genus of Antennaria in the Aster Family and are native to the Northern Hemisphere with the highest species diversity in North America. Small Leaf Pussytoes are usually used today as a ground cover and are prized for their small silvery leaves.  Found in the western part of the United States, many Native American communities found medicinal uses for this delicate slowly spreading herb.

About Small Leaf Pussytoes

Anternnaria parvifolia or small-leaved pussytoes are low-growing mat-forming perennials. They have distinctive silver-green leaves that are due to the dense white hairs on their leaves. What makes this plant different from others in this genus is that the white hairs on the leaves rarely erode away except in very old leaves. The plant has spoon-shaped basal rosette leaves at the base of the stem as well as linear-shaped leaves distributed along the flowering stem, called cauline leaves. There are two to seven flowering heads on the top of the stem that are clustered closely together and made up of many tiny flowers. Female and male plants have a set of overlapping bracts that surround the flower head with tips that can be white, pink, green, red, or brown. The female bracts are larger than the male. Small leaf pussytoes grow best in open habitats on dry soil where they can get plenty of sun. They are spread by above-ground stems and seeds produced by female plants. The seed has a pappus of whitish bristles ringing the top of the seed.

Medicinal and Ceremonial Uses

Many Native American tribes used Small Leaf Pussy Toes to treat liver inflammation, hepatitis symptoms, and skin sores. For example, the Lakota created a poultice of the entire plant to treat swellings. They also chewed the tips like tobacco or gum. The Cherokee used this plant to make medicinal tea for gastrointestinal problems and to aid digestion. The Navajo chewed the plant with deer or sheep tallow as a blood purifier and also used the greens in foods. The Navajo Ramah used this plant ceremonially to treat a mad coyote bite. In witchcraft, they made a cold infusion of the root and drank it as protection from witches. 

Did You Know...

Another name for Small Leaf Pussytoes is Nuttall's pussytoes.

The Lakota Medicine Men called this plant "Eagle Medicine."

Medicinal Monday Early Meadow Rue

Early Meadow Rue or Thalictrum dioicum with its attractive lacey foliage with white and gold flower-like tassels can be found throughout New England including Connecticut. It is one of the earliest flowers to emerge in the spring in the woodlands. Native American communities used this dainty ephemeral herb medicinally in several different ways. 

About Early Meadow Rue

This woodland spring ephemeral, which is part of the Buttercup Family grows up to one foot high on a pale green to purplish stem. The leaves are arranged alternately on the stem and are divided into segments once and then further divided into leaflets. The upper leaf is medium green and the underleaf is pale green. Corymbs or branched flower structures form at the top of the stem and hold pendant flowers that droop. Early Meadow Rue flowers are either male or female (they are dioecious hence the name dioicum) and are found on separate plants. Both male and female flowers have 5 to 7 sepals but lack petals since they are wind-pollinated and don't need to attract insects. Male flowers have two or more yellow stamens and female flowers grow upright and have 20 pistils. Clusters of seeds form on female plants after the blooms fade. The seeds are called achenes and are ellipse-ribbed and pointed at each end. After the plant blooms in the spring, it dies down in the summer and goes dormant in the fall until the following spring.

Medicinal Uses

There are not many documented uses for this spring ephemeral among Native American communities. It has been documented that the Cherokee made an infusion of the roots and used it to treat diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems.  They also took an infusion for vomiting. The Iroquois made a decoction of the roots and used it as a wash for sore eyes. They also made a decoction of the roots to treat heart palpitations. Blackfoot Indian girls used to tie the flower or seed bunches in their hair. Girls felt it was a great love medicine, that would help them attract the first male who saw them. Several other tribes of Amerindians also felt meadow rue was a love potion. It was given to a quarreling couple to stop the argument. The Ojibwa and Potawatomi, for example, would secretly place the seeds in the couple's food to overcome the quarreling

Some of Canada's First People used the roots to cure snake bites. They also used the leaves as an ingredient in spruce beer.

Did You Know...

The genus name, Thalictrum thalictroides comes from the Greek word thaliktron which was a name used by Dioscorides to describe the plant genus. It refers to the plant's three-lobed dark green leaves that resemble meadow rue.

Because they are pollinated by the wind these flowers don't attract insects. 

Rabbits and deer eat the leaves which are also food for several species of moths. 

Another name for this plant is Quicksilver.

Warm Up to Winter - with Virtual Programs @ Institute for American Indian Studies

Whatever the weather is like outdoors, learning something new indoors can be the perfect way to spend a cold winter afternoon. With that in mind, the Institute for American Indian Studies has developed a new Saturday series of virtual programs that are intriguing and ideal for those seeking indoor diversions this winter. 

This presentation is the third in the Institute’s Annual Native American-Archaeology Roundtable series. This ongoing series seeks to explore ecological ties, past and present, through the sharing of new technologies, new findings, and new analysis that helps bring Indigenous communities into greater focus. 

On Saturday, January 27 at 2 p.m. the topic will focus on “Lessons in Food Sovereignty from White Tailed Deer and Wampum in 17th century New England.” Participants will join Elic M. Weitzel, a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology from the University of Connecticut along with the Institute's Staff for this virtual presentation. Weitzel specializes in human ecology and anthropology and will discuss how recent analysis of deer and quahog remains from archaeological sites in Southern New England suggest that European colonialism and capitalism put unprecedented pressure on these species even though fewer people lived in this region at the time. The discussion will highlight that overexploitation wasn’t a demographic problem and that pre-colonial Indigenous methods of gathering the bounty of the land appear to have been more sustainable. According to Mr. Weitzel, these results corroborate traditional and Indigenous ecological knowledge asserting that food sovereignty can permit long-term sustainable resource use, a concept that is very important around the world today. 

To participate in this program and to receive the Zoom link please register online at https://www.iaismuseum.org or call 860-868-0518 or email events@isismuseum.org. The price of participation is free for members of IAIS and LHAC members and $10 for non-members. 

Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram for dates and times of further talks in this series in the coming months.

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 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 at 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.

Medicinal Monday... the Majestic Eastern White Pine

The Eastern White Pine is one of the most quintessential trees of New England.  In the book, Reverence of Wood, Eric Sloane, who lived in Kent, Connecticut, writes about the White Pine as being one of the most important trees to early Americans. He noted that from it, people could produce paint, tar, turpentine, firewood, building materials, lampblack, tanbark, resin, and pitch.  

The white pine tree was among the first that colonists discovered and then coveted when they came to this country. Records show that almost every year after 1653, England received white pines from the colonies. By the 1690s their disappearance from the American landscape began to show. They became so popular for shipbuilding that King George III of England passed a law that restricted the use of any white pine with a 24-inch diameter or more for exclusive use by the British Navy. Like the Stamp Act and the Tea Act, this law regarding white pines was a catalyst for the Revolutionary War.  Long before the colonists settled in America, Native American people, especially in the northeast of the country found many uses for this monarch of the American forest.

About the Eastern White Pine

The scientific name for this tree is Pinus strobus and it is the largest conifer of the eastern and upper Midwest forests that can grow over 150 feet in height with a diameter of up to 40 inches. They can easily reach 200 years in age and one of the oldest has been recorded as 450 years old. The trunk of this tree is tall and cylindrical with pyramid-shaped crowns that are distinguished by distinctive plate-like branching. It's the only pine with five needles per group that emerge from buds at the end of or along the branches. White pine needles are slender and between two and five inches long giving the tree a soft appearance. When the tree is young, the greenish-gray bark is smooth, as it ages, the bark turns a brownish color and forms deep furrows. White Pines can grow in a variety of soil and is found across  Southern Canada from Manitoba to Newfoundland, in New England, and throughout the northern and eastern states from Minnesota and Northern Iowa and southward to Georgia and Alabama.

Medicinal Uses

Common medicinal uses were to treat coughs and colds as well as skin eruptions and sores.  For example, the Algonquin and the Iroquois made a poultice of wet tree bark and applied this mixture to the chest to relieve coughing while the Abnaki, Mohawk, and Micmac made a decoction of the bark and drank it to treat coughs. The Chippewa and Iroquois made a poultice of pine pitch and applied this mixture to cuts and wounds while the Delaware made a poultice of pitch to draw out poison from boils. They also made an infusion of twigs to treat kidney disorders and pulmonary diseases like Tuberculosis. 

The Iroquois made a decoction of raw bark and took it to treat rheumatism and also made a compound decoction to treat colds and coughs. The Iroquois also made a decoction of shaved knots to treat poison ivy, scabs, and skin eruptions. They also ate raw bark to alleviate stomach pains and cramps and to avoid typhoid. Another popular use was to use a decoction of leaves as a wash for babies and non-walking infants. Many communities made a powder from the wood and used it on chafed babies and on sores. 

The Menominee made an infusion of the bark to treat chest pain and they also used a poultice of bark to soothe wounds, sores, and ulcers. The Micmac used the sap to stop hemorrhaging and they also used the bark, leaves, and stems to treat the grippe and scurvy. 

The Mohegans made a poultice of sap to treat boils and abscess pains and also used a mixture of bark and sap to treat coughs, colds, and boils. The Montagnais boiled the sap from the tree and took it to treat sore throats and consumption. The Ojibwa used the dried leaves as an inhalant and would boil crushed leaves and use the steam to treat headaches and backaches. The Potawatomi used the pitch as a base for salve to treat a variety of skin problems and the Shinnecock would chew pitch to treat coughs.

Practical Uses

Many Native American communities would eat the inner bark of the white pine when food was scarce. In addition to this, many tribes used the pitch or resin from the wood and bark to caulk boats and canoes. Boughs of this tree were used on the ground or floor and covered with bedding and slept on. The wood was used for lumber, carving, building canoes, and kindling and fuel.

Did You Know...

Native American tradition holds that when the Five Nations composed of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca found themselves at war and looking for peace, they gathered under a towering white pine to establish the Great Peace Law. The tree became a symbol of peace with its branches providing shelter, its evergreen leaves representing enduring peace, and its needles growing in clusters of five a symbol of the unity of the five nations.

 It is the provincial tree for Ontario and the state tree of Michigan and Maine.

The tallest white pine is in Bolton New York measured at 174 feet.

Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons, and Osprey often nest and perch in tall white pines that grow near the water.

Gray and red squirrels, deer, mice, and songbirds eat the seed.

The white pine weevil is the tree's greatest insect pest that affects timber quality and volume. 

Diseases, including white pine blister rust, red ring rot, root rot, wood decay, and certain needle fungi, cause losses in white pine stands. Such natural elements as snow, ice, and wind may also cause damage to white pine. 

Try Your Skill Playing Snow Snake - January 20 @ 1 p.m.

 The snow snake game was once one of the most popular winter games played in North America. Many Native American Communities played it from Maine to California, Oklahoma to Alaska. Today, this game is being revitalized across the country. On Saturday, January 20 at 1 p.m. at the Institute for American Indian Studies on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut, competitors can make their very own snow snake and then test their skills playing this traditional game. 

Originally, snow snake was the traditional Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) game played during the winter. The sport has its history in hunting when long spears were thrown like snow snakes across the ice and snow to catch prey, without coming too close and scaring them away. Most often, snow snake was played when the men of the village returned from their annual winter hunting trip. It was – and still is – an exciting game of skill to the Haudenosaunee people and many other Native Communities. 

Snow snakes are hand-made from a flattened piece of wood with a notch at one end that makes them easy to throw. Some sticks are carved in intricate patterns that resemble a snake and then coated with wax. Participants in this workshop will learn how to make their very own snow snake with Susan Scherf, Educator, and wood crafter at the Institute. This workshop includes materials and wood-burning kits. Participants are welcome to bring their own whittling knife if they have one although it is not required 

A friendly competition follows the snow snake workshop at the specially prepared snow snake track. The object of the game is to see how far participants can throw the snow snake along a snow trench. The person who throws the snake the farthest after several rounds is the winner! The snow snake game is a test of both skill and strength, and a good throw can go more than 100 yards. 

 This game is often referred to as a medicine game because it lifted the spirits of the people during the long winter months. The Institute for American Indian Studies is excited to share this game that is great for socializing, and remembering the traditions of generations of Native Americans who came before us. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. The price of participation including materials is $20 for non-members and $10 for members. For more information call 860-868-0518, email events@iaismuseum.org, or click here to register online. 

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 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 -American Holly - Festive, Tough and Useful

With its spiny dark green leaves and bright red berries, Ilex opaca also known as American Holly is often used in festive holiday decorations. According the the Holly Society of America over 1000 cultivators are making this one of the most popular trees in the world. It is known as the hardiest broadleaf evergreen. Like the Common Holly, the American Holly is another variety in the Aquifliaceae or Holly Family, the difference is that it is native to North America. In addition to the many medicinal uses found for this plant, Native American communities believed it symbolized courage and was often attached to their war shields.

About American Holly

Ilex opaca is found in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts but is absent in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. It is native to the eastern and south-central United States and can be found west to southeastern Missouri and eastern Texas. This upright evergreen tree grows in a pyramidal shape that slowly matures to the height of up to 50 feet in the wild. It is found in woods, forest bottomland, on the edges of swampland, and along coastal dunes starting in Cape Cod and ending in Virginia. The leathery leaves are deep green and have spiny marginal teeth. American Holly has male and female flowers that grow on separate trees making it dioecious. Greenish white flowers bloom in May and June with the male plants having up to 12 flowers growing in clusters and the female plants growing one or two flowers. Both the male and female plants are needed to produce the bright red berries. Bright red or orange fruits known as drupes ripen in the fall on pollinated female trees. The berries stay on the trees through the winter and are a favorite of birds. 

Medicinal Uses

The most common Native American use of American Holly was to make tea from the leaves to treat coughs and colds. Native American communities found many medicinal uses for the festive tree. The Alabama made a decoction from the bark and used it as a wash for sore eyes while the Catawba made an infusion of the leaves and used it to treat sores and measles. The Cherokee chewed the berries to soothe colic and would scrunch a handful of leaves and rub them on sore muscles to relieve the pain. The Choctaw made a decoction of the leaves and would use this mixture to soothe sore eyes and the Koasati made an infusion of the bark and rubbed it on the skin to relieve itching. 

In addition to medicinal uses, the wood was used to make a variety of cooking tools including wooden spoons. The berries were used to make a dye and sometimes used as buttons.

Did You Know...

The genus name, llex comes from the Latin name Quercus ilex for holm oak and refers to the similarity of their leaves. 

Archeologists have found ritual shell-cups with holly residue dating to 1,200 B.C.

Other names for American Holly are White Holly, Prickly Holly, Evergreen Holly, Christmas Holly, and Yule Holly.

Resistant to salt spray, American Holly is planted to restore damaged coastal areas.