Medicinal Monday - Mysterious Red Baneberry

We have all seen those pretty red berries growing in the wild and wondered if they were edible. They aren't and as a matter of fact, the berries of the Red Baneberry Plant are poisonous and should not be eaten no matter how appetizing they look. Just because you can't eat these berries doesn't mean that Native Americans didn't find a use for this plant. Careful and expert knowledge is a must when using this poisonous plant.

About Red Baneberry

This bushy plant is in the buttercup family and has highly divided leaves with a hairy underside and a short, thick rounded cluster of small white flowers that have a feathery appearance. This perennial can grow up to three feet and is usually found in shady areas in moist to wet soil in the woods. After this plant flowers, the petals fall away and green berries are produced. The berry is ellipsoid shaped and in the late summer, the berries turn bright red and have a black dot on them.  All parts of this plant are poisonous and the berries are the most toxic part of this plant.

Medicinal Uses
Native Americans use the juice from the fruit of the red baneberry to poison arrows. The Algonquin used parts of this plant as an analgesic and a decoction of roots was used to treat coughs and colds.  Many Native American communities including the Chippewa, Cree of Hudson Bay, Cree Woodlands, and Ojibwa used an infusion of roots to help with pregnancy and childbirth. Raw roots were eaten by men to help with stomach pains. In general, the roots were also used for cramps during menstruation. The Cheyanne used this plant in ceremonies.

Did You Know...

A healthy adult will experience poisoning from as few as six berries. Ingestion of the berries causes nausea, dizziness, increased pulse, and severe stomach pains. The berries have an immediate effect on the cardiac muscle tissue and can lead to cardiac arrest. As few as two berries can be fatal to children.

All parts of this plant contain an irritant oil.

The poisonous berries are harmless to birds.

The genus name Actaea is Latin with a Greek origin meaning elder and rubra is Latin for red.

The root of this plant is a strong antispasmodic and is considered to be a strong alternative to Black Cohosh.

Today it is used in gardens as an ornamental plant.

Medicinal Monday - Wild about Wild Honeysuckle

Limber Honeysuckle or Lonicera dioica L, is a low growing vine-like shrub that is native to Connecticut, Canada and the central and eastern part of the United States. This beautiful vine is attractive to hummingbirds and has some interesting medicinal uses that are practiced by Native Americans.

About
Limber honeysuckle is a woody, loosely twining perennial vine that sprawls or climbs on nearby vegetation.  It grows in coniferous and deciduous woods and thickets, often in sandy or rocky ground. It is also found in moist areas and bogs.  Red, tubular flowers with yellow stamens are arranged in whorls at the end of branches. Flowers are one-half to one inch long, with a long, slender tube shape consisting of two lips with five pale hairy stamens with a dome-shaped stigma at the tip. 

Simple opposite pinnately veined green leaves with white undersides are on the branches of this plant. Leaves directly below flowers are fused together like a cup. Young stems have a waxy, bluish-white (glaucous) coating; older woody stems brown or grayish, with shredding bark. The fruit is round to oval, bright red to orange-red berries are ¼ to ½ inch long and grow in clusters surrounded by joined upper leaves. There are three to eight ovoid yellow seeds in each berry. This plant flowers in Connecticut from May - June.

Medicinal
Lonicera dioica was used by the Algonquin, Chippawa, and Meskwaki to treat fever, tuberculosis, menstrual difficulties, kidney stones, dysuria, venereal disease, and worms. It was also used as a cathartic and diuretic. The Iroquois made a decoction of the vines and used it as an emetic “to throw off effects of love medicine.” The berries may cause mild to moderate nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Did You Know?
Other common names for Limber Honeysuckle include Mountain Honeysuckle, Red Honeysuckle, and Smooth leaved Honeysuckle.

The name Lonicera pays tribute to the 16th-century German botanist Adam Lonicer.  Dioica means “two houses,” and comes from an initial mistake by Linnaeus, who thought the plant was dioecious. The term honeysuckle comes from the honey or nectar that can be easily sucked from the flower.

Darwin noted that all members of the genus Lonicera climb with the apical stem, which moves dextrally (left to right) or, as Darwin referred to it, “with the sun.”

Seeds from this plant remain viable after being stored in sealed containers at low temperatures for 15 years.

In May How to Keep Kids Busy and Learning Inside Online Videos 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Many states including Connecticut are on pause and parents are faced with the challenge of keeping their children occupied. Most experts suggest that setting up a routine is important because it makes children feel safe. Staying active and finding activities that educate and entertain at the same time is an important step in the right direction.

With that in mind, the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington, Connecticut has created “Inside with IAIS,” a series of online video programs that will make the most of quarantine for adults and children alike. Thanks to technology, spending time with the Institute and its’ educators is something that you and your family can do through May on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 2 p.m. on Facebook from the comfort of your home.

Museum educators have been hard at work shooting new online videos that show everything from survival skills using Native American techniques to gardening, and traditional storytelling. Programs on survival skills will show what tools Native Americans made and used to survive in the Eastern Woodlands, with many of these methods still used today. Viewers will also learn about the origin and importance of the three sisters garden that is grown every year on the grounds of the museum. There will be tips on how to start your own three sisters' garden right in your own backyard!

 And then there is storytime, perfect for the whole family. Native American stories have been handed down generation to generation for centuries to preserve their culture. Darlene Kascak, a traditional Native American storyteller, who is a member of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation explains the cultural importance of these stories and why they have inspired her and countless others. Traditional Native American stories present essential ideas and values in simple and entertaining ways that show both the positive and the negative. These stories always, teach an important life lesson about things like love, leadership, honor, our connection to the earth, and our relationship with animals that are often depicted through storytelling.

 Not to be missed are the programs with an archeological flavor. There will be several fascinating programs on the importance of different artifacts in the museum’s collection and how they relate to and connect cultures all across North and South America. In another presentation, viewers will dig into the past as they learn about Templeton archeological site, Connecticut’s oldest Paleo-Indian site, located minutes from the museum. An additional program on the process of archeological excavations and a virtual scavenger hunt that is sure to intrigue and entertain are also on the schedule.

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 16^th 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.

List of Inside with IAIS Videos

How to Use an Atatl

https://www.facebook.com/94523613907/videos/634664127102123/

Foraging - Cattails

https://www.facebook.com/94523613907/videos/523490698311579/

Tales from the Rabbit Bag – the Unfinished Creatures

https://www.facebook.com/94523613907/videos/703110497096253/

A Walk in the Woods

https://www.facebook.com/94523613907/videos/1642558659218577/

Archeology – Rocks on the Move

https://www.facebook.com/94523613907/videos/1156179184719998/

How the Chipmunk Got its’ stripes

https://www.facebook.com/94523613907/videos/578809556316736/

Inside Community - https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum/videos/3047169402008405/

Nature Journaling for Kids https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum/videos/236181334191364/

Difference between natural rocks and artifacts https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum/videos/636067410292358/

Outdoor Survival Shelter Building - https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum/videos/618339135563401/

Native American Story About Frogs - https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum/videos/245374036631763/

Native American Story – How the Rabbit Got His Ears - https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=204133197525826&external_log_id=aed5153351e60a51774e54128afc4979&q=Inside%20with%20IAIS

  

Medicinal Monday - Yellow Blue Bead Lily

Found in Connecticut, this flowering perennial forest plant gets its name from the bright-colored blue berries it produces in the late-summer. The Algonquin community found several interesting uses for this plant from protecting them from mosquitos to using the roots of this plant to draw out poison in an open wound. 

About the Yellow Blue Bead Lily
This slow-growing plant is found most often in boreal forests throughout eastern North America. It often forms large colonies in cool, moist, shaded areas, however, it can also be found in mixed forest stands. Established colonies can survive for years as long as there is limited sunlight. The leaves have a leather-like texture and form at the base of the plant, they are soft and not toothed. A single leafless stalk grows up from the base of the plant and ends in several yellow bell-shaped flowers that bloom May - July. The inedible berries begin to ripen at the end of July and, by August they are a deep blue color. The plant regenerates by sending out rhizomes and by its seeds. The berries are pretty to look at but, they are semi-poisonous.

Medicinal Uses
A poultice of leaves is used as a disinfectant and anti-inflammatory by the Algonquin living in Quebec and by the Chippewa. The poultice is applied to wounds, sores, and burns. The Chippewa also make an infusion of leaves and use it as an external wash to soothe wounds and sores. The children bite patterns in the smooth skin of the leaves for entertainment and eat the young shoots of this plant in the spring. The leaves of this plant were crushed and the resulting residue is rubbed on the arms and face as a mosquito repellent. The Ojibwa and the Potawatomi use the roots to ease childbirth because of the plants anti-inflammatory and sedative properties. 

In addition to medicinal uses, the Great Lakes communities, Ojibwa, Menominee, and Meskwaki believe that dogs ate the roots of this plant to poison their teeth before attacking prey. If a dog with poison teeth bit someone, a poultice of the roots is applied to the bite in order to draw out the poison.

Did You Know...

The plant is also called Clinton's lily, corn lily, cow tongue, snakeberry, dogberry, and straw lily.

The plant is named Clintonia borealis in honor of a former New York senator and governor, DeWitt Clinton.

Hunters in North Quebec rubbed their traps with the roots because they believed bears were attracted to the scent.

According to a Mi'kmaq tale, when a grass snake eats a poisonous toad, it slithers in rapid circles around a shoot of the blue bead lily to transfer the poison to the plant.

Medicinal Monday... Cattails

Cattails grow in the wetlands of Connecticut and are easily recognizable by their brown cigar like shaped head. They can be used as a food source and for useful household items such as baskets and mats. The fluffy wool is similar to down and can be used as insulation in clothing. The tight heads are often dry inside even after a heavy rain, making this essential survival tinder. 

Distinguishing Features

Cattails can be found in Connecticut in wetlands, swamps, wet thickets and moist fields.  Fully grown they stand around five to six feet on thin but sturdy stalks.  The pale grayish-green leaves are linear in shape and extend from the stalk like decorative ribbons. 

Cattails are easy to recognize because of the brown cigar head that stands on top of a very long stalk.  The young shoots emerge in the spring, and once fertilized the female flowers transform into the cigar head also called candlewicks that make them so easily identifiable.  These brown tops actually consist of thousands of tiny seeds that emerge in the fall when the flower heads open. 

Medicinal Uses

The pollen of the cattail plant is an excellent astringent and also helps to control bleeding. The root was pounded and used as a poultice on infections, blisters, and stings.  The sticky starch found at the base of the leaves was used as an antiseptic and is said to be a bit numbing.  They were also used to treat infections caused by wounds, sprains, boils, and swelling. Internally cattails were used for abdominal cramps and coughs.

Nutritional & Domestic Use

Many parts of this plant were edible.  For example, lower parts of the leaves were used in a salad; the young stems could also be eaten raw or boiled; the young flowers (cattails) could be roasted. The sticky sap between the leaves is an excellent starch and could be used to thicken soup or broth and the root of the plant was pounded into a type of flour. 


In addition to their nutritional value, cattail leaves and stalks were commonly used for many domestic items.  Mats were woven for and used in the interior and exterior of wigwams in the form of door flaps, chimney coverings, and partitions.   Mats were also woven and used to eat, sit or sleep on.  In addition, using hand-held finger weaving and braiding techniques, Native Americans in Connecticut made string, baskets, bags, belts, straps and even children's toys from this useful plant.

The "fluff" from cattails was carefully collected and used as a source of insulation.  This "fluff" was used to insulate footwear and clothes.  It was even used to pad a baby's sleeping area and as diaper material.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies

The Institute for American Indian Studies preserves and educates through discovery and creativity the diverse traditions, vitality, and knowledge of Native American cultures. Through archaeology, the IAIS is able to build new understandings of the world and history of Native Americans, the focus is on stewardship and preservation.  This is achieved through workshops, special events, and education for students of all ages.


 Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS has an outdoor Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens as well as a replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village.  Inside the museum, authentic artifacts are displayed in permanent, semi-permanent and temporary exhibits from prehistory to the present that allows visitors a walk through time. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut and can be reached online or by calling 860-868-0518.

Medicinal Monday - Rose Mint

Agastache pallidiflora or New Mexico giant hyssop, also known as Rose Mint spreads over desert canyons of the American southwest like a beautiful wand with bright rose-lavender colors. This tall showy perennial has been used medicinally and in ceremonies by the Navajo, Ramah for centuries.

About Rose Mint
This sturdy plant is in the mint family and is native to the southwest, primarily Texas and New Mexico. It has a long cylindrical terminal spikelike panicle of deep rose-purple flowers. The leaves are deeply serrated and the stems are square. This plant is typically found in moist canyons at middle elevations. It is found in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and parts of Colorado. The flowers bloom in densely packed clusters from June - September. They produce a continual mass of lavender rose-scented flowers that are extremely attractive to bees and butterflies. 

Medicinal and Ceremonial Uses

The Navajo Ramah harvest the roots, dry them, and then pulverize them. The result is a powder used to treat sores and cankers. Another use of this plant is to treat fever and bad coughs. The Ramah also make Rose Mint into a fumigant for pest control and deer infection. 

Culturally, Rose Mint is important because it is used in the form of a chant lotion by Navajo, Ramah in ceremonies. It is also considered to be important in witchcraft because it keeps witches and evil spirits away.

Did You Know... 

John Calyton named this genus in 1762. It was first named Brittonastrum pallidiflora by Amos Heller in 1899. The name was changed to Agastache pallidiflora in 1906 by Axel Rydberg.

This plant is also known as Bill Williams Mountain Hyssop

Rose Mint is known to act as a sedative to nervousness and anxiety.

The Institute for American Indian Studies Hosts Inside with IAIS in April Monday, Wednesday, and Friday @ 2 p.m

There are many inspirational stories about how different museums, companies, and individuals are coping with the social distancing restrictions brought about as a result of COVID19. The Institute for American Indian Studies has a few stories of its own and launched a series called “Inside with IAIS” in March. Back by popular demand and social distancing restrictions, the IAIS is continuing its video series “Inside with IAIS” in April. The educational staff at the Institute has pivoted from on-grounds educational programs to internet-based, distance learning programs that are entertaining and educational for the whole family. These programs will take place in April on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 2 p.m. on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum

The Institutes’ Staff Educators and Archeologists have filmed a series of videos that stream on Facebook. Each video has a different focus and story to tell. There are programs on archeological based learning, sessions on foraging and survival skills, as well as broadcasts on Native American Stories that teach a myriad of life lessons for young and old alike.

On Friday, April 10 and 17, Darlene Kascak (STN), a traditional Native American storyteller will entertain and educate with the popular “Tales from the Rabbit Bag,” and on Monday, April 6, there will be an archeological look at the importance of rocks.

If you want to stretch your legs in the great outdoors, take a virtual Nature walk with Institute Staff to learn how to ID plants, trees, and animals this spring on Wednesday, April 8. If you are a fan of survival shows, learn how to forage on Monday, April 13 – you will be amazed at the things you can find that have always grown right under your nose! On April 15, learn what clever tool Native Americans and, many other cultures from around the globe used to hunt with before the invention of the bow and arrow.

Check back often on our Facebook page for updates, new videos, Wisdom Wednesday, Medicinal Monday, and other programming so you can continue to learn from the comforts of home!

One way you can help the Institute for American Indian Studies during this time is to become a member. Our mission is to educate and preserve Native American history and culture and we need your help to accomplish this. Please click the link here and become a member today. As an IAIS Member, your benefits include Unlimited free admission to the museum, Reduced or free admission for special events, Discounted workshop and summer camp fees, Discounts in the IAIS Museum Shop, Quarterly Calendar of IAIS activities and workshops, invitations to exhibit openings and special events, and Your choice of one of four books as a welcoming gift.

About The Institute for American Indian StudiesLocated on 15 acres of woodland acres the Institute For American Indian Studies preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have the 16^th 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.

List of Inside with IAIS Videos

Inside Community - https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum/videos/3047169402008405/

Nature Journaling for Kids https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum/videos/236181334191364/

Difference between natural rocks and artifacts https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum/videos/636067410292358/

Outdoor Survival Shelter Building - https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum/videos/618339135563401/

Native American Story About Frogs - https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum/videos/245374036631763/

Native American Story – How the Rabbit Got His Ears - https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=204133197525826&external_log_id=aed5153351e60a51774e54128afc4979&q=Inside%20with%20IAIS