scurvy 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.

Garlic Mustard: Edible, Medicinal, Cautions & Other Uses

December 8, 2015 by Mike Leave a Comment

Garlic Mustard, Alliaria petiolata, an invasive species to North America with a hint of garlic. You can find this plant growing in early spring on the side of roads and in open fields. Even though this plant contains trace amounts of cyanide it is a fairly nutritious wild edible, and the cyanide isn’t strong enough to cause harm to humans or animals. The plant contains vitamins A, C, E and some B vitamins. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids and several minerals. The flowers, seeds, leaves, stalk and roots are all edible. Medicinally it’s anti-asthmatic, antiscorbutic, antiseptic, diaphoretic and vermifuge. The plant was also used to make a yellow dye and may be used as an insecticide.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry.

Garlic Mustard 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.

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 138-139

Plants for a Future. M.Bieb Cavara & Grande. Website.

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

Lamb’s Quarter: Edible, Medicinal & Other Uses

September 22, 2015 by Mike Leave a Comment

Lamb’s Quarter, Chenopodium album, is one of the most nutritious wild edible you can forage. This European native has been used by many American Indians for it’s spinach-like qualities, and it is also called Wild Spinach but it is much more nutritious. Medicinally, it has been used to expel worms, as a blood medicine, dietary aid, pain remedy, for gas relief and to cure and prevent scurvy.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Lamb’s Quarter 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. 494-495

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 42

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 142

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 154-155

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 422-423

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. 152-153

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.