aperient Archives - The Cargo Cult Café

Great Burdock: Edible, Medicinal, Cautions & Other Uses

April 13, 2016 by Mike 2 Comments

Great Burdock, Arctium lappa, is a common weed to waste places and roadsides known for it prickly burs. But what this wildflower lacks in beauty, it makes up for in practical use. The leaves, stalks and root are all edible. Medicinally, it has been used for a large variety of needs.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry.

Great Burdock Sources:

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. 2. Cincinnati: The Ohio Valley Company, 1905. pg. 1118-1120

Fernald, Merritt Lyndon & Alfred Charles Kinsey. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1996. Print. pg. 364-367

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. 186-187

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 27

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 229

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 84

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 412-413

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. 126-127

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

Spotted Jewelweed: Edible, Medicinal, Cautions & Other Uses

February 29, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Spotted Jewelweed, Impatiens capensis, a plant you need to know if you have ever suffered from a poison ivy rash. Crush the leaves and apply them to the exposed area before the rash appears and it might just help. I would still recommend that you scrub yourself down once you return home. Urushiol, the plant oil in poison ivy that causes the rash, acts much like motor oil when it’s on your skin.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry.

Spotted Jewelweed 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. 2. Cincinnati: The Ohio Valley Company, 1905. pg. 1047

Fernald, Merritt Lyndon & Alfred Charles Kinsey. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1996. Print. pg. 57

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 41

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 191

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 274

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 54-55

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. 92-93

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

Common Dandelion: Edible, Medicinal, Cautions & Other Uses

November 4, 2015 by Mike Leave a Comment

Common Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, is a highly nutritious plant imported from Europe and used by all for it’s medicinal values. As for it’s edibility you can eat the sound flower buds and flowers but remove the green sepals first. Medicinally, it was used as a stomachic, tonic, diuretic, laxative and aperient. So basically it affects the stomach, gives you energy and relieves constipation.

Dandelion Wine

Here is a recipe from All Recipes

Ingredients:

1 quart yellow dandelion blossoms, well rinsed

1 gallon boiling water

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

8 cups white sugar

1 orange, sliced

1 lemon slice

Directions:

Place the dandelion blossoms into the boiling water, and allow to stand for 4 minutes. Remove and discard blossoms, and let the water cool to 90 degrees F (32 degrees C).
Stir in the yeast, sugar, orange slices and lemon slice; pour into a plastic fermentor and attach a fermentation lock. Let the wine ferment in a cool area until the bubbles stop, 10 to 14 days. Siphon the wine off of the lees and strain through a cheesecloth before bottling in quart-sized, sterilized canning jars with lids and rings. Age the wine at least a week for the best flavor.

Prep time: 1 hr. Cook: 10 minutes Ready in: 21 days

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Common Dandelion 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. 2. Cincinnati: The Ohio Valley Company, 1905. pg. 1914-1915

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 237-238

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 550

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 362-363

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.

Pale Jewelweed: Edible, Medicinal & Cautions

July 13, 2015 by Mike Leave a Comment

Pale Jewelweed, Impatiens pallida, this is the plant to know if you find yourself in the middle of a patch of Poison Ivy. You can also snack on the seeds.

Pale Jewelweed 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. 2. Cincinnati: The Ohio Valley Company, 1905. pg. 1047

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 41

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 61, 191

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 274

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 54-55

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. 78-79

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

Sweet Goldenrod: Edible, Medicinal, Cautions & Other Uses

January 29, 2015 by Mike Leave a Comment

Sweet Goldenrod, Solidago odora, makes a nice anise-flavored tea or you can use it as seasoning. Medicinally, it has been used as an abortifacient, antidiarrheal, cold remedy, cough medicine, to reduce fever, induce sweating and to calm the nerves among other things including making a dye.

Sweet Goldenrod 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. 1801-1802

Gehring, Abigail R.. Back to Basics; A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills. 3rd ed. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. 2008. Print. pg. 270-272

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

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 537

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 448-449

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. 90-91

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