tonic Archives - The Cargo Cult Café

Large-Flowered Bellwort: Edible & Medicinal

May 13, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Large-Flowered Bellwort, Uvular grandiflora, is a common plant found in rich woods, especially in limestone regions. The flowers are orangish-yellow that will later turn into a triangular seedpods. The leaves are either oval or oblong in shape with a whitish downy beneath and the stem pierces the leaves. The young shoots are edible without their leafy heads that turn bitter when cooked. American Indians such as the Menominee, Ojibwa and Potawatomi used this plant for its medicinal values to reduce swelling and as an analgesic. Western herbal medicine used a poultice of this plant for wounds, ulcers and venomous snakebites.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Large-Flowered Bellwort 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. 2040

Fernald, Merritt Lyndon & Alfred Charles Kinsey. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1996. Print. pg. 126

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. 116-117

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 582

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 340-341

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. 76-77

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

Tall Coneflower: Edible & Medicinal

May 6, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Tall Coneflower, Rudbeckia laciniata, is a sunflower plant of moist thickets that you can’t miss and it offers both edible and medicinal benefits. The flowers are yellow and has a disk that is a greenish-yellow knob. American Indians ate the shoots, leaves, and stem. Medicinally, the plant is diuretic, tonic and balsamic and the blossoms were used as a burn dressing.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Tall Coneflower 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. 671-677

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 30

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 495

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 376-377

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

Field Thistle: Edible & Medicinal

April 8, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Field Thistle, Cirsium discolor, is one of those common plants that almost everyone knows. The stem, root and leaves can be eaten cooked or raw, but make sure you take the time to remove the spines. The Cree, Iroquois and Meskwaki Indians all used this plant for medicinal purposes. Western herbal medicine used the root as a tonic and astringent.

Field Thistle 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. 560-561

Fernald, Merritt Lyndon & Alfred Charles Kinsey. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1996. Print. pg. 367-368

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 188, 231

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 163

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 430-431

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.

White Vervain: Medicinal & Cautions

April 6, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

White Vervain, Verbena urticifolia, is an easily overlooked flower of summer because the flowers are small and only a few open at a time. The flowers grow in spikes, the leaves are opposite, coarsely toothed, and egg-shaped. The stem is known to be usually hairy. It was not used as a food source but it does have some medicinal value. The Meskwaki made an infusion of the roots and took it for profuse menstruation and ate its roots to restore health. Western herbal medicine used it to relieve gastric irritations, fever, anorexia, gravel, worms and it was mixed with white oak and used for poisoning caused by poison ivy.

White Vervain 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. 2055-2056

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 592

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 282-283

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

Round-Leaved Ragwort: Poison & Medicinal

April 4, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Round-Leaved Ragwort, Pachera obovatus, formally known as Senecio obovatus is a common flower of spring and early summer. Many ragworts contain a highly toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids, these alkaloids are hepatoxic meaning it damages the liver. This specific species of ragwort has not been identified for any medicinal purpose by the American Indians.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry.

Round-Leaved Ragwort 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.1748-1749

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. 142

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 526-527

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 378-379

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

Wood Sage: Medicinal

March 7, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Wood Sage, Teucrium canadense, a member of the mint family that has interesting irregular flowers that will be in bloom from June to September. The plant has opposite leaves and the leaves are toothed, lance or egg-shaped. This plant has not been used as a wild edible but it was used for a few medicinal purposes. Western herbal medicine had used this plant to cause urination, induce sweeting, and start menstruation. It was used for amenorrhea, leucorrhea, chronic bronchitis, gout, dropsy TB and whooping cough.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry.

Wood Sage 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. 1924-1925

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 874-85

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

Aniseroot: Edible, Medicinal & Cautions

February 19, 2016 by Mike 2 Comments

Aniseroot, Osmorhiza longistylis, a licorice flavored plant that can be used to add flavor to soups, stews, desserts and tea. It was used medicinally by several American Indians for absence of menstruation, as a dietary aid, throat aid, eye medicine and dermatological aid. Western herbal medicine used it for flatulence, coughs and a gentile stimulating tonic for upset stomaches.

keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry.

Aniseroot 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. 1421-1422

Fernald, Merritt Lyndon & Alfred Charles Kinsey. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1996. Print. pg. 286-287

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany, Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 371

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 224-225

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. 42-43

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

Selfheal: Edible & Medicinal

February 17, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Selfheal, Prunella vulgaris, or Heal-all is both an edible and medicinal wildflower. It can be eaten raw, added to salads or cooked as a potherb but when cooked it will lose some of its nutritional value. Medicinally, the plant was used by several different American Indians for fevers, colds, coughs, diarrhea and for skin affections. Western herbal medicine had used it for hemorrhages, diarrhea and for sore throats.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry.

Selfheal 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. 1739-1741

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses- A 400 Year History. North Carolina: Herald Publishing. 1975. Print. pg. 54

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 209-210

Moerman Daniel E., Native American Ethnobotany. Portland: Timber Press. 1998. Print. pg. 439

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 78-79

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

Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. Web

Smooth Solomon’s Seal: Edible, Medicinal, Cautions & Other Uses

December 24, 2015 by Mike 3 Comments

Smooth Solomon’s Seal, Polygonatum biflorum, is an edible and medicinal wildflower but please only harvest this plant where it’s abundant. The shoots can be harvested in early spring and eaten raw or cooked liked asparagus. The root can be harvested all year but don’t misidentify it for False Hellebore, Mayapple or False Solomon’s Seal. It can be boiled and served like potatoes. Medicinally, the root was used as a tonic, mild astringent, stimulant and sedative. The root was burned in a room as incense before bed to insure sound sleep.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry!

Smooth Solomon’s Seal 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. 598

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. 422

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 342-343

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. 76-77

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

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

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.