Medicine

Dogwood

As medicine
The leaves of the dogwood plant, also known as red osier dogwood, are crushed and used to treat burns, bee stings and insect bites. The white and waxy berries of the plant are not used at all.
Source: Andre, Alestine, Nan t'aih nakwits'inahtsìh (The Land Gives Us Strength) (2006)   
English

Northern ground cone

As medicine 
The white core at the base of the plant is ground into a powder or chewed as a medicine. Alfred Semple’s great-grandmother used to mix the powder with grease and apply it to skin rashes. New plants have a white part in the middle of the root, referred to as “potatoes.” This part can also be boiled and eaten to increase appetite or relieve stomach aches.
 
As pipe
English

White Moss (Reindeer lichen)

This lichen grows in large mats in spruce forests, where it is often eaten by caribou. According to Alfred Semple, Lazarus Sittichinli said it takes a long time to grow. He also told Alfred that if you eat animals that eat willow, like moose, you will get hungry more quickly than eating animals that eat lichen, like caribou. William Teya said, as children, they were taught to respect the lichen. Children were not supposed to play on it and if you took some, you were to pay for it.

English

Puffballs

As medicine

The brown powder inside the puffballs fungi is used to treat weeping sores when there are no bandages to cover the area. The powder is also used on burns when the blister has broken and the burn area is weepy. The powder is dusted over the affected area. It will dry the area so infection does not set in.

Source: Andre, Alestine, Nan t'aih nakwits'inahtsìh (The Land Gives Us Strength) (2006)   

English

Birch and Willow fungus

Birch fungus is a general term for a type of bracket fungus that grows on birch trees, willow and red willow (alder) shrubs.
 
As medicine 
Birch fungus was cut up, boiled and used for stomach ailments. Ashes were rubbed gently on skin sores and pimples. 
 
As tobacco
The fungus was also cut up and crushed into small pieces, and then mixed with cigarettes or chewing tobacco to make it last longer. 
 
English

Wormwood

As medicine
The wormwood plant is used to treat a congested chest and to clear a stuffy head or stuffy nose. The plant is very aromatic. For steaming purposes, the whole above ground wormwood plant is crushed and put into a pot of water to boil. Once the water starts to steam the pot is taken off the stove and set aside to cool. Ruth said,
English

Wintergreen

As medicine

Ruth Welsh’s mother taught her to use wintergreen or large-flowered wintergreen for pain. The leaves of this plant can be used all winter. Ruth said,

...you know where [the wintergreen] patches are and you dig the snow away, brush the last of the snow away from the plants, and you can still pick the leaves.

English

Silverweed

As medicine
The silverweed plant is used to heal cuts or sores. It is a coagulant like the yarrow plant. Ruth said,
It thickens the blood and it's a coagulant...therefore when you're bleeding pretty good, you drink the tea from this, or if you suspect internal bleeding and you don't have the yarrow...
The whole plant including the roots are washed thoroughly and made into a tea.
English

Rhubarb, wild

As food

The picking time for this plant lasts only about two weeks. The rhubarb plant is ready to eat in mid-June when it is about 20 to 25 centimeters tall (eight to 10 inches). When the plant is young it can be eaten raw, after first removing the leaves and seedy tops from the plant, and peeling off the outer skin. It is very crunchy and juicy. Once the plant has gone to seed or has many white flowers, the plant is too dry to eat.

English

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