Written 4/11/2013
I have recently been speaking to a client who is a naturopath, and he was telling me about some of the plants that are likely growing in my yard, that are traditional medicines. It turns out that some plants I thought were weeds, are plants that are not only edible, but have been used as medicines for centuries.
Within three feet of my house there are four plants that have bloomed every year since I moved into my Alaskan home. I am going to share two of them with you.
The first green to peek out of the ground in my garden is always chives. Scientific name; allium schoenoprasum. I am familiar with them, and am always glad to see that they have weathered another winter.
Chives are native here in Alaska, and are a miniature version of the green onions you buy in the grocery store. They grows in healthy tufts, with long spears that are tender and tasty. The flowers are beautiful lavender “pom-poms” of small trumpet shaped flowers. They have an amazing flavor, and one stalk can provide ample flowers to decorate your salad and give it incredible flavor.
Alutiic, Athabascan, and Inupiat cultures each had different names for chives, but used them similarly. Traditionally, the whole onion is eaten raw for treatment of colds, flu, and stomach upset. Onion oil, or mash from the bulb, is used as a disinfectant. In my undergraduate studies, we tested its antiseptic qualities by swiping onion and garlic on “infected” petri dishes. Nothing would grow anywhere either was swiped, so I have no problems recommending it as a handy topical disinfectant.
If you don’t have any in your garden and would like some, it transplants well. You can buy them at local greenhouses, or the seeds in local grocery stores.
Another traditional medicinal plant that grows in my garden is plantain, or plantago lanceolata. It is a very hearty weed that I have failed to eradicate from my flower garden for years. It grows like a dandelion, in a tuft. Its leaves are broad, with ribs running parallel along the length. It doesn’t appear to have a flower, but a comely fruiting body, or seed head, which can run the length of the stalk.
Plantain is native to Europe, and has been used as a medicine and food for thousands of years. It has become ubiquitous in the Americas. Native cultures have taken up its use, and have aptly coined it “white man’s foot print”. It is safe to eat in a salad, or steamed, but is bitter, so in modern times is not eaten much.
Externally its’ most frequent use seems to be as a topical salve. Survivalists use it in the field for bites, rashes, burns and abrasions. They make what is called a ”spit poultice.” The person who needs it, puts it in their mouth, and chews up the leaf. The chewing and saliva break down the cell walls. Then the poultice is placed over the wound or rash to relieve pain and irritation.
Naturopaths and ethno-botanists tend to harvest it to have on hand. One method of storage is to juice the leaves and roots in a blender, then mix the fluid half and half with honey. The salve is used to numb, reduce inflammation, and pull out toxins. I came across many stories about its use to treat snake bites. If I were in the woods, snake-bit, and saw some plantain handy; I would definitely make a spit poultice, and make my way as quickly as possible to a hospital.
Even the plantain seed husk is useful. It’s used to thicken soups and sauces, and used as a medicine. It is a cousin of the psyllium plant, whose seed husk is used commercially as the primary ingredient in Metamucil. It is also believed to be effective at controlling cholesterol and is currently being researched to test that claim.
These two plants are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to local plants that are traditional foods and medicine; it’s not even a fraction of them growing in my yard. Grab a field guide, and see what you find in your yard.
__________________________________________________________________
Please educate yourself with pictures, diagrams, videos, and other resources available here for your continuing your exploration and understanding of Alaska’s Flora.
Traditional Flora of the Alaska Natives, by Ann Garibaldi, is a book that has been compiled as a complete reference source for traditional uses, but not for preparation. You can get it at the local library, or download and print it for free off the computer.
UAA, Alaska Native Heritage Program http://aknhp.uaa.alaska.edu/botany/medicinal-flora-of-the-alaska-natives/
Store outside your Door http://www.anthctoday.org/storeoutside/
This is both a Face Book page and a video series that can be found on you tube.
No comments:
Post a Comment