3 Regular Parts Archives - The Cargo Cult Café

Ohio Spiderwort: Edible & Medicinal

June 30, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Ohio Spiderwort, Tradescantia ohiensis, also known as Bluejacket is a plant named after my home state. This grass-like plant can be found in woods and meadows. It has blue or purple flowers that can be observed between June and July. The petals are broad and has sepals that have hairy tips if the hair exists at all. The flowers grow in umbel-like clusters with two long, leaf-like bracts below the clusters. The leaves alternate along the stem, are entire, and whiten when it blooms.

Spiderworts are edible, the young leaves and stem can be eaten raw, added to salads or boiled for 10 minutes and served with other dishes. The flowers can be turned into a candy. The Cherokee parboiled the young growth until tender, fried it and mixed it with other greens. They also used it for a variety of medicinal uses such as a laxative, cancer treatment and for insect bites.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Ohio Spiderwort Sources:

Audubon Guides Box Set – Birds, Tree, Wildflowers & Mammals. Computer Software.Green Mountain Digital. Version: 2.3. Web. Jul 10, 2014.

Fernald, Merritt Lyndon & Alfred Charles Kinsey. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1996. Print. pg. 124

Foster, Steven and James A. Duke. The Peterson Field Guide Series; A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America. 2nd. ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000. Print. pg. 190

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 56

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 565

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 120-121

Peterson, Lee Allen. The Peterson Field Guide Series; A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants; Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977. Print. pg. 130-131

United States Department of Agriculture. Natural Resources Conservation Services. Web.

Yellow Iris: Poison, Medicinal & Other Uses

June 2, 2016 by Mike 4 Comments

Yellow Iris, Iris pseudacorus, also known as Yellow Flag is a beautiful flower of May and June, but don’t let its beauty trick you. All Irises are poisonous. The fresh root contains furfural and Iridin which are toxic poisons for both humans and livestock. These toxic substances can cause headaches, nausea, irritate and inflame the eyes and throat. Make sure you don’t confuse an Iris with Sweetflag or Cattail which are both edible and grow in the same habitat. Iris pseudacorus is not a native plant to North America so this particular Iris was not used by American Indians for any specific medicinal purpose but Irises were used as a species for a few remedies. Before you completely ignore this plant it does have some useful attributes. The plant can be turned into a dye and the leaves can be made into a strong cordage for fishing nets and deer snares. The leaves were also woven into baskets, mats, rugs and bedding.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Yellow Iris Sources:

Audubon Guides Box Set – Birds, Tree, Wildflowers & Mammals. Computer Software. Green Mountain Digital. Version: 2.3. Web. Jul 10, 2014.

Felter, Harvey Wickes, M.D., and John Uri Lloyd, Phr. M., Ph. D. King’s American Dispensatory, Vol. 1. Cincinnati: The Ohio Valley Company, 1905. pg. 1077-1082

Fernald, Merritt Lyndon & Alfred Charles Kinsey. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1996. Print. pg. 44

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 278

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 120-121

Peterson, Lee Allen. The Peterson Field Guide Series; A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants; Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977. Print. pg. 130-131

United States Department of Agriculture. Natural Resources Conservation Services. Web

Large-flowered Trillium: Edible, Medicinal, Cautions & Other Uses

May 22, 2015 by Mike Leave a Comment

Large-flowered Trillium , Trillium grandiflorum, can be a rare site in the spring forest and is known for its edible and medicinal properties. The leaves taste like raw sunflower seeds. It has been used medicinally for rheumatism, earache, birth control, as a pain killer, for headaches and as a fishing item.

Large Flowered Trillium Sources:

Audubon Guides Box Set – Birds, Tree, Wildflowers & Mammals. Computer Software.Green Mountain Digital. Version: 2.3. Web. Jul 10, 2014.

Felter, Harvey Wickes, M.D., and John Uri Lloyd, Phr. M., Ph. D. King’s American Dispensatory, Vol. 2. Cincinnati: The Ohio Valley Company, 1905. pg. 1996-1998

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 245-246

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 568

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 124-125

Peterson, Lee Allen. The Peterson Field Guide Series; A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants; Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977. Print. pg. 24-25, 96-97

United States Department of Agriculture. Natural Resources Conservation Services. Web.

Toadshade: Edible, Medicinal & Cautions

May 19, 2015 by Mike Leave a Comment

Toadshade, Trillium sessile, is a beautiful spring flower that is both edible and medicinal. The leaves taste like raw sunflower seeds. It has been used medicinally by the Wailaki and Yuki Indians as a dermatological aid, as a panacea (cure-all) and to prevent sleep.

Toadshade Sources:

Audubon Guides Box Set – Birds, Tree, Wildflowers & Mammals. Computer Software.Green Mountain Digital. Version: 2.3. Web. Jul 10, 2014.

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 568

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 124-125

Peterson, Lee Allen. The Peterson Field Guide Series; A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants; Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977. Print. pg. 96-97, 146-147

United States Department of Agriculture. Natural Resources Conservation Services. Web.

Wild Ginger: Edible, Medicinal, Cautions & Other Uses

February 13, 2015 by Mike 4 Comments

Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense, is a common spice of the woods that can be made into candy. It was used medicinally as a cough medicine, febrifuge, anti-convulsive, abortifacient, pain-reliever, antiemetic, ear ache medicine and a perfume.

Wild Ginger Sources:

Audubon Guides Box Set – Birds, Tree, Wildflowers & Mammals. Computer Software.Green Mountain Digital. Version: 2.3. Web. Jul 10, 2014.

Brill, Steve. Wild Edibles Plus. Computer Software. WinterRoot LLC. Version 1.5. 2012. Web. Feb. 15, 2014.

Felter, Harvey Wickes, M.D., and John Uri Lloyd, Phr. M., Ph. D. King’s American Dispensatory, Vol. 1. Cincinnati: The Ohio Valley Company, 1905. pg. 287

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 36

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 93, 49, 52, 55-56, 67, 115-116

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 105-106

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 116-117

Peterson, Lee Allen. The Peterson Field Guide Series; A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants; Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977. Print. pg. 96-97, 160-161

United States Department of Agriculture. Natural Resources Conservation Services. Web.