=Wild Parsnip= (_Pastinaca sativa_ L.), “pigweˈwûnûsk” [flute stem].
The Pillager Ojibwe are quite cautious in using this poisonous root.
They claim that a little bit is very powerful, while much is poisonous.
They use a very minute quantity mixed with four other kinds of roots
to make a medicinal tea for female troubles. There is no record of its
medicinal use by the whites.
=Black Snakeroot= (_Sanicula marilandica_ L.), “masan” [from the
woods]. The Flambeau Ojibwe use the root pounded as a poultice to cure
rattlesnake bite or any snake bite. Bearskin, chief Flambeau medicine
man said that if this root be chewed, it would cause eruptions on
the epithelial lining of the mouth. They consider it a very potent
remedy. The Pillager Ojibwe call it “gîneˈbîg odjiˈ bîk” [snake root]
and make a root tea that is used to cure fevers of various kinds.
Eclectic practitioners have accredited it with active aromatic, bitter
principles. They have used it in intermittent fevers, sore throat,
erysipelas and cutaneous affections. It has been also used for St.
Vitus dance and other nervous affections.
URTICACEAE (NETTLE FAMILY)
=Hop= (_Humulus lupulus_ L.), “jiwîˈcgoniˈbûg”. The Pillager Ojibwe use
the common hop to make a tea which acts like saleratus on the system,
increasing the excresence of urine and reducing its acidity. It is
official in the U. S. pharmacopoeia as a tonic, diuretic, sedative and
somewhat anaphrodisiac.
=Wood Nettle= (_Laportea canadensis_ [L.] Gaud.), “masaˈnatîk” [forest
wood]. The Pillager Ojibwe use the root to make a medicinal tea for
its diuretic properties. It is said to cure various urinary ailments.
Eclectic practitioners have considered it tonic, astringent and
diuretic. They use both roots and leaves. The seeds and flowers are
given in wine for the ague.
=Slippery Elm= (_Ulmus fulva_ Michx.), “anib”. The Pillager Ojibwe use
the slippery inner bark for sore throat, especially when the throat is
apt to be dry. Slippery Elm is official in the U. S. pharmacopoeia as a
demulcent, emollient and nutritive. It is considered useful internally
for dysentery, diarrhea and bronchitis. Pounded bark for poultices has
been used for boils and inflammations, and in compounding suppositories.
=Lyall’s Nettle= (_Urtica lyallii_ Wats.), “masan” [woods]. The
Flambeau Ojibwe use only the leaves as medicine. These are soaked in
warm water and used as a poultice for heat rashes. It is something like
fighting fire with fire. Among the whites, nettles are known for their
powerful and peculiar diuretic properties.
VIOLACEAE (VIOLET FAMILY)
=Canada Violet= (_Viola canadensis_ L.) Although a common violet in
the territory of the Pillager Ojibwe, they claimed to have no name or
use for it. It was formerly used by eclectic practitioners as a blood
purifier and as a remedy in chronic affections of the lungs, and in
skin diseases, but is no longer used.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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