=Canada Moonseed= (_Menispermum canadense_ L.), “bîmaˈ kwît waˈ
bîgons” [twisted pod or stick]. White Cloud, Pillager Ojibwe of Bear
Island, did not know the use of this root, but assured the writer that
other Ojibwe knew it and used it. Moonseed root is used by eclectic
practitioners as a tonic and alterative, and has been employed as a
substitute for Sarsaparilla.
MYRICACEAE (BAYBERRY FAMILY)
=Sweet Fern= (_Myrica asplenifolia_ L.), “gibaimeˈ nûnaˈgwûs”
[coverer]. Sweet fern is called “a coverer,” because it is used to line
the blueberry pails and cover the berries to keep them from spoiling.
The word is almost the same as that used by the Menomini and means the
same. The Flambeau Ojibwe consider the leaves too strong for a beverage
tea, but make a medicinal tea to cure the flux and cramps in the
stomach. The white man uses Sweet Fern as a stimulant and astringent;
sometimes using it to relieve colic and check diarrhea. It has also
been used in a fomentation to relieve rheumatic pains.
NYCTAGINACEAE (FOUR-O’CLOCK FAMILY)
=Heart-leaved Umbrella-wort= (_Oxybaphus nyctagineus_ [Michx.] Sweet)
“gokoˈ coadjiˈ bîk” (pig root). The Pillager Ojibwe say that the pig is
fond of the roots of this plant because they are large and succulent,
hence call it “pig root”. The root is used by them to reduce sprains
and swellings. There is no record of its use among the whites.
NYMPHAEACEAE (WATER LILY FAMILY)
=Sweet White Water Lily= (_Castalia odorata_ [Ait.] Woodville &
Wood.), “odîteˈabûg waˈ bîgwûn” [flat heart leaf, white flower]. The
Flambeau Ojibwe use the root as a cough medicine for those who have
tuberculosis. The roots have been used by white men in the treatment of
diarrhea, dysentery and leucorrhea.
=Yellow Water Lily= (_Nymphaea advena_ Ait.), “ogaˈ da mûn” [standing
on legs]. The Flambeau Ojibwe word is a bit different in spelling but
means the same as the Menomini word for this plant. The Ojibwe call the
leaves, “odîteˈabûg” [flat heart leaf]. The root is the only medicinal
part and is grated to make a poultice for sores. Other ingredients such
as Skunk Cabbage root are added to this poultice. The Ojibwe gather
goodly quantities of the large underwater stems; which we are prone to
call roots, dry them and reduce them to powder. The powder alone is
supposed to heal cuts and swellings. The roots have been used by white
men in the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery and leucorrhea.
OLEACEAE (OLIVE FAMILY)
=Red Ash= (_Fraxinus pennsylvanica_ Marsh), “aˈ gîmaˈk” [snow-shoe
wood]. The Pillager Ojibwe use the inner bark in combination with
other things for a tonic. The inner bark is official with white men as
a bitter tonic and astringent. It is also said to be valuable as an
antiperiodic.
ONAGRACEAE (EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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