catarrh Archives - The Cargo Cult Café

Butterfly Weed: Poison, Medicinal & Other Uses

December 17, 2015 by Mike Leave a Comment

Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa, also known as Pleurisy Root for its use as a pulmonary aid. The plant is potentially toxic in large doses but it has a slew of medicinal uses. The plant acts as a laxative, expectorant, tonic, to induce urination, cause sweating and relieve gas. It was used for flatulence, headaches, stomach trouble, catarrh, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia and for a bunch of other ailments. The fibers were used to make belts.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Butterfly Weed 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. 288-291

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. 154

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. 200

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 109

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. 92-93

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

Bloodroot: Poison, Medicinal & Other Uses

November 18, 2015 by Mike Leave a Comment

Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis, a plant that bleeds when you cut it’s root. It is a toxic plant that when ingested can cause tunnel vision, nausea and death. I forgot to mention above that the Abnaki Indians used this plant as an abortifacient. But when used sparingly it does have many medicinal benefits such as: relieving stomach cramps, reducing fever, helps sore throats, colds and rheumatism. Externally it has been used for cuts, infections, eczema, warts, ringworm, burns and more.

Bloodroot 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. 1708-1714

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 26

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 127-129

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 515-517

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 364-365

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

Yellow Wood Sorrel: Edible, Medicinal, Cautions & Other Uses

September 8, 2015 by Mike 1 Comment

Yellow Wood Sorrel, Oxalis stricta, is one of my favorite wild edible snacks. The plant is both edible and medicinal. The Kiowa Indians called it “salt weed” and used it for long walks, much in the same way we drink/eat electrolytes when we are out on a hike.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Yellow Wood Sorrel 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. 1423-1424

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 190

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 374

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 246-247

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, 104-105

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.