venereal Aid 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.

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.

Wild Parsnip: Edible, Medicinal & Cautions

March 18, 2016 by Mike 4 Comments

Wild Parsnip, Pastinaca sativa, is an edible plant that can give you a rash worse than Poison Ivy and the redness can last for months. So if you’re around this plant and you have been sweeting avoid or approach with caution. The Potawatomi and Ojibwa both considered the root poisonous. The root can be harvested from fall to early spring eaten raw or cooked until tender, but keep in mind the rash you can get trying to harvest the root.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry.

Wild Parsnip 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.

Fernald, Merritt Lyndon & Alfred Charles Kinsey. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1996. Print. pg. 297

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

Herrick, James William. Iroquois Medical Botany. Ph.D. Thesis, New York: State University of New York, Albany 1977. Print. pg. 195, 196

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. 226-227

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. 66-67

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.

Large-Leaved Aster: Edible & Medicinal

January 9, 2015 by Mike Leave a Comment

Large-Leaved Aster, Aster macrophyllus, is an edible and medicinal flower of late summer. The leaves can be cooked as a vegetable and the root added to soups or stews. Medicinally it can be used as a blood medicine, analgesic for headaches, a laxative and venereal disease remedy.

Large-Leaved Aster Sources:

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. 111-112

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. Print. pg. 454-455

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. 144-145

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