Medicinal Wildflowers Archives - The Cargo Cult Café

Black Medick: Cautions, Edible & Medicinal

June 30, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

Black Medick, or known by its Latin name as Medicago lupulina, is a member of the Pea Family. Its lifespan is either an annual or a short lived perennial and the plant sprawls out along the ground from a 1-1 ½’ in length. This native plant of Eurasia can be now be found throughout much of North America in roadsides, waste places, meadows, and cultivated beds.

Black Medick Identification

The flowers can be observed from March to December and are yellow, irregular, and grow in small flower heads that will turn into fruit clusters of small, one-seeded, black, spirally coiled pods. The plant has alternate leaves that are divided into 3 leaflets, which are entire or finely toothed, the leaflets are tipped with a short bristle, and they have long leafstalks. The stem is sprawling and downy, and the root is deeply rooted.

Caution

The seeds of Medicago lupulina is said to contain trypsin inhibitors. These can interfere with certain enzymes that help in the digestion of proteins, but could possibly be destroyed if the seed is sprouted first. It should also be noted that other Medicagos, such as Alfalfa, contain the amino acid L-Canavanine which can cause abnormal blood cell counts, the enlargement of the spleen, and possibly a recurrence of lupus in those who suffer from the disease. Alfalfa also has some estrogenic components, so it is not recommended for pregnant women or children. The estrogenic components will also increases the clotting ability of your blood, which will decrease the effectiveness of drugs such as Warfarin/Coumadin.

Edible

Edible Parts: Seeds & Leaves: Summer to Fall

Nutrition: Three ounces of the leaves contains about 23.3 grams of protein, 3.3 of fiber and 10.3 of ash. In milligrams they have 1330 mg of calcium, 300 mg of Phosphorus, 450 mg of magnesium and 2280 mg of potassium.

The seeds were lightly roasted and eaten out of hand or ground into flour. The Leaves are a bit chewy and were cooked as a potherb.

Medicinal

Medicinal Actions: Antibacterial and a mild laxative

Aqueous extracts of the plant have antibacterial properties against micro-organisms and the plant is mildly laxative.

Other Uses: Fodder plant for grazing animals

Black Medick Sources:

Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986

Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

Green Deane, Black Medick. Eat the Weeds and other things, too. Web.

Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant’s Notes on Edible Plants. Dover Publications. Albany. J.B. Lyon Company, State Printers. 1919 pg. 357

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 58-59

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. 80-81

Plants For A Future, Medicago Lupulina. Web.

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

Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Dept of Agriculture. pg. 37

Coltsfoot: Edible, Medicinal & Cautions

May 10, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

For thousands of years coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara, has been used as a medicine by western and eastern herbalists. In France it was even used as the symbol for Apothecaries.

Color: Yellow

Flower: February-June

Flower Type: 7 Regular Parts, 1″ wide, multiple rays, dandelion-like flower heads, the flowers appear before the leaves.

Stalk: Scaly, reddish in color.

Plant Type: No apparent leaves during flowering.

Leaf Type: Basal rosette, base of the leaves are heart-shaped, later toothed or shallowly lobed, 3-7″ wide, white underneath the leaf.

Coltsfoot is potentially toxic in large doses and it contains trace amounts of liver-affecting alkaloids.

Leaves Spring-Summer

Boil the fresh leaves to obtain an extract. Add two cups of sugar to every one cup of extract and boil it down until it becomes a rich syrup. To make a hard candy continue boiling until it turn into a hard ball when dropped into cold water. Both the syrup and the hard candy can be used as cough medicine. The dried leaves can be steeped to make a fragrant tea, or the leaves can be burned and the residue used as a salt-like seasoning.

Iroquois

Cough Medicine:

Tussilago farfara (Coltsfoot)

Botrychium virginianum (Rattlesnake Fern)

Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot)

Aralia nudicaulis (Wild Sarsaparilla)

Put one root of each (a small root of Sanguinaria canadensis) in a $0.50 liquor flask with the liquor. Let it stand for three days. Take a teaspoon four times a day before meals and at bedtime.

Medicinal Parts: The leaves and flowers

Actions: Emollient, demulcent, and tonic.

Uses: Coltsfoot was used to relieve irritation of the mucous tissues for coughing, asthma, whooping-cough, laryngitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, and other pulmonary affections. A decoction was made by boiling 1 ounce of leaves in 2 quarts of water until it boiled down to 1 pint and taken as a cupful at a time or from 1 to 4 fluid ounces. A tincture was made from the leaves, flowers and strong alcohol and it was given in doses of 1 to 10 drops. A syrup was made from the flower stalks by boiling them in water with added honey or sugar. The powdered leaves causes nasal discharge, helpful for headaches and nasal obstructions. Externally, the leaves were used in a poultice for scrofulous tumors. A cloth soaked with coltsfoot water was applied to private parts and hemorrhoids to relieve burning sensations. The flowers, buds, but mainly the leaves were smoked with other herbs to treat coughs and chest problems.

Coltsfoot Sources:

Culpeper, M.D., Nicholas. Culpeper Color Herbal. Ed. David Potterton. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 1983. Print. pg. 49

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. 2010-2011

Fernald, Merritt Lyndon & Alfred Charles Kinsey. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1996. Print. pg. 363

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. 146-147

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 238-239

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 573

Niering, William A., and Olmstead, Nancy C., National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers Eastern Region. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001. Print. pg. 421-422 pl. 293

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 358-359

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. 84-85

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

Common Ragweed: Caution, Medicinal & Other Uses

September 27, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Common Ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, is a plant scorned by allergy suffers everywhere. But did you know it was historically used by both western culture and American Indians as a healing plant? The Cherokee used it for insect stings, pneumonia, fever, hives, and infected toes. The Dakota used Ragweed to stop vomiting and for diarrhea. And, the Iroquois used it for cramps, stroke and diarrhea. Western herbalists used it as a stimulant, astringent, hemostatic, and antiseptic. There are historic accounts of the Lakota using Common Ragweed as toilet paper, a sentiment that many would agree with, but I would advise you to think twice before doing this if you are prone to allergic reactions.

Besides causing you to itch and giving you a bad case of the sneezes Ragweed can effect your food. If cows consume it, their milk will retain a bitter taste and if it is harvested with wheat it will cause the flour to become bitter and unsuitable for bread making.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Common Ragweed 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. 168

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. 246-247

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 52

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 227-228

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 66

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 438-439

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

Passionflower: Edible, Medicinal & Cautions

August 31, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Passionflower, Passiflora incarnata, also known as Maypop is a fruiting vine with a lemon flavor that has amazing and beautiful flowers. The fruit turns yellow when ripe and can be made into a juice or jelly. The Cherokee used Maypops as a dermatological aid for wounds and inflammation, used the root juice for earaches and to wean babies off of breastmilk and the plant was used as a liver aid.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Passionflower Sources:

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. 1439-1441

Fernald, Merritt Lyndon & Alfred Charles Kinsey. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1996. Print. pg. 275-276

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 47

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 379

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 396-397

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. 94-95

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

Cardinal Flower: Poison, Medicinal & Other Uses

August 24, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis, is a striking but irregular flower of mid to late summer. Medicinally, the Iroquois considered this plant one of the highest of medicinal plants and they used it to strengthen all other medicine. A common theme amongst the Iroquois, Meskwaki and Pawnee was the use of Cardinal Flower as a love medicine. It was either used as a wash, charm, or placed in another food to end quarrels, cause someone to fall in love, or to prevent divorce. The plant was also used as a ceremonial tobacco but it was not smoked. It was used to ward off storms and strewn onto graves.

Cardinal Flower 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. 1199-1205

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 28

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 218

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 311-312

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 52-53

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

Common Mullein: Cautions, Edible, Medicinal & Other Uses

August 17, 2016 by Mike 6 Comments

Common Mullein, Verbascum thapsus, is a medicinal plant asthma suffers may want to know. Though it sounds strange the leaves were dried, ground, and smoked to relieve asthma attacks. Beyond that this plant has been used for a variety of ailments from colds and coughs to rashes and wounds. The plant has such a long history that the Romans used to dip the flower spikes in grease and use them as torches. The leaves are still used to this day as wicks.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Common Mullein Sources:

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

Culpeper, M.D., Nicholas. Culpeper Color Herbal. Ed. David Potterton. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 1983. Print. pg. 130

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. 2054-2055

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 45

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 215-216

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 590-591

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 188-189

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. 72-73

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

Narrow-Leaved Cattail: Edible, Medicinal, Cautions & Other Uses

August 3, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Narrow-Leaved Cattail (Typha anguvstifolia) is a plant everyone can identify. Cattails have very distinct flowers that look like fluffy hotdogs. Narrow-leaved cattail is similar to most cattail but there is a distinct gap between the upper and lower flowers. As for the plants edibility you can harvest the young shoots, stalk, flowers, pollen, and even roots. The shoots contain vitamins K and B6 and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Medicinally it was used for dysentery, diarrhea, gonorrhea and infantile complaints.

If you’re into bushcraft then you might be interested to know that the plant was used to weave baskets, roofing, mats, rugs, and bedding. The silky down from the flower heads have been used as stuffing in pillows and to make a birds nest for fire starting. The heads were also dipped in oil or grease and used as a torch. Some have even used the stalk as an arrow shaft.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Narrow-Leaved Cattail 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. 2011-2012

Fernald, Merritt Lyndon & Alfred Charles Kinsey. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1996. Print. pg. 82-85

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 573

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 410-411

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. 158-159

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

Tall Thimbleweed: Poison & Medicinal

July 21, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Thimbleweed, Anemone virginiana, is a plant that was known to tug at a person’s heart, but be warned, because the plant is poisonous. In large doses this plant will cause nausea, vomiting, looseness of the bowels, and the presence of blood in the urine. The Iroquois had a few interesting emotional uses for Tall Thimbleweed such as it was used as a love medicine, a cure for love medicine, to tell if your wife is cheating on you, and for revenge.

Tall Thimbleweed 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. 198-200

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 58

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 118-119

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 73

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 288-289

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

Yarrow: Edible, Medicinal, Cautions & Other Uses

July 12, 2016 by Mike 1 Comment

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, a true wild panacea. If you’re into herbalism or survivalism you need to make sure you know this plant. Yarrow can be found in nearly every temperate climate in the northern hemisphere. Everyone who has come across this plant has found its healing properties indispensable. It has been used for cuts, bruises, broken bones, wounds, sores, eczema, stomachaches, colds, fevers, childbirth and more. There is also a special use for this plant that many hikers and campers will love, it acts like a natural mosquito repellent. The leaves and stems can be used in a smudge to keep those little bloodsuckers away.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Yarrow 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. 19-20

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 62

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 227

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 42-44

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 220-221

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. 38-39

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

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

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.