Ethnobotany of the Ojibwe Indians 6
APOCYNACEAE (DOGBANE FAMILY)
=Spreading Dogbane= (_Apocynum androsaemifolium_ L.) “wesaˈ wûckwûn”
[nearly blue flowers] or “magosîñeˈ cnakwûk” [needle-like].[94]
Bearskin, Flambeau medicine man, said that the stalk and root of this
plant are steeped to make a tea for women to drink. It keeps the
kidneys free during pregnancy. Other Flambeau Ojibwe agreed with the
use but cited the second name as more correct for it. Under the Ojibwe
name of “mîdewîdjiˈbîk” [medicine lodge root], the Pillager Ojibwe
declared it to be one of the sacred roots that is eaten during the
medicine lodge ceremony. They use it also for throat trouble. When one
has a coated tongue and is afflicted with headache, the root is also
used. In the case of headache, the root is placed upon live coals and
the incense is inhaled.
AQUIFOLIACEAE (HOLLY FAMILY)
=Winterberry= (_Ilex verticillata_ [L.] Gray), “aweˈnîsibûg”
[wintergreen leaf], and “anîmûˈcîmînûn” [dog berry]. The bark of this
native holly is medicine among the Flambeau Ojibwe, but the use could
not be discovered, other than that it might be used for diarrhea.
Winterberry has been employed by eclectic practitioners as a tonic
and astringent. It has been substituted for quinine in the treatment
of periodical fevers, and also used in the treatment of diarrhea. The
eclectic practitioner has also used it in treating malignant ulcers and
chronic skin eruptions.
=Mountain Holly= (_Nemopanthus mucronata_ [L.] Trel.), “mîckimînûˈ
nîmîc” [red berry tree], shown in plate 65, fig. 2. This bush is very
common around the reservation of the Flambeau Ojibwe and the berries
are used as medicine, but the writer was unable to discover for what
disease or how used. There is no record of its use among the whites.
ARACEAE (ARUM FAMILY)
=Sweet Flag= (_Acorus calamus_ L.) “naˈ bûgûck” [something flat]. The
root of Sweet Flag is a quick acting physic, supposed to act in half
a day. Bearskin cautioned the writer that no more than one and a half
inches was to be used, as more would make one ill, and even this much
is quite harsh. The Pillager Ojibwe recognize the Sweet Flag under the
name “weˈke”, which is the same word used by another tribe for the
Yellow Water-lily, and by another for the Blue Flag. John Peper said
that the root was used for curing a cold in the throat or for curing a
cramp in the stomach. In earlier days, among the whites, slices were
candied to create a more popular form of medication. It was formerly
used among the white men as a tonic for dyspepsia and for correcting
flatulent colic. It was also supposed to be beneficial as a mild
stimulant in typhoid cases.
=Indian Turnip= (_Arisaema triphyllum_ [L.] Schott.), “cacaˈ
gomîn.”[95] The root of Indian Turnip was said by John Peper, Bear
Island Ojibwe, to be used in treating sore eyes, but he did not know
how to use it. One wonders if the calcium oxalate crystals so firefull
to the mouth lining were equally so to the delicate membranes of the
eye.
Small doses of the partially dried root have been used by the white man
in the treatment of chronic bronchitis, asthma, flatulent colic and
rheumatism, certainly widely different maladies. The juice of the fresh
corm in lard has been used by the white man as a local application to
cure ringworm.
ARALIACEAE (GINSENG FAMILY)
=Wild Sarsaparilla= (_Aralia nudicaulis_ L.) “bebamabiˈ k” [root runs
far through the ground]. The Flambeau Ojibwe recognize the root of this
plant as a strong medicine, but do not steep it to make tea. The fresh
root is pounded and applied as a poultice to bring a boil to a head or
to cure a carbuncle. Among the Pillager Ojibwe, the writer found two
names applied to this, one of which he thinks to be a case of mistaken
identification by the informant. “O kadak” [wild carrot] is more likely
to refer to _Aralia racemosa_ though no specimens were found there.
They used it under this name as a special squaw remedy for blood
purification during pregnancy. The root was pounded in a mortar, then
boiled in hot water. Under their name “waboˈ s ûskwe” [rabbit] the root
was prepared the same way and the tea was used to cure a cough.
Among the white men, this root has the same properties and uses as the
Indian Spikenard (_Aralia racemosa_); namely, stimulant, diaphoretic,
and alterative.
=Ginseng= (_Panax quinquefolium_ L.) “_jîssêˈns._” Evidently the word
they used was an attempt to pronounce the white man’s term for it. The
writer was unable to discover any medical use made of it by the Ojibwe,
though they gathered it assiduously for sale to the traders. Their
method of gathering was a thoughtful one. Although they undoubtedly
recognized it in any stage of growth, they only gathered the root
when the red berries were mature, but before they were ready to drop.
Into the hole from whence the root came, they would thrust the whole
fruiting top, and carefully firm the soil upon it. Knowing the location
well, they would revisit the place in three to five years and find more
roots than they harvested in the first instance.
According to our pharmacopoeia, the medicinal value of ginseng is
almost nothing, but there is a great market for it in China, where it
is worshipped as a sort of fetish, and is acclaimed as a panacea for
sexual impotency, nervousness, vomiting and dyspepsia. The more nearly
the root approximates the human torso, the more valuable it is to the
Chinese. Thus one root in a six hundred-pound bale may be worth many
times the entire remainder of the bale, and when ten dollars a pound is
the price, one can realize the extreme value of such a piece.
ARISTOLOCHIACEAE (BIRTHWORT FAMILY)
=Wild Ginger= (_Asarum canadense_ L. var. _acuminatum_ Ashe.) “nameˈ
pîn” [sturgeon potato].[96] The Pillager Ojibwe called this a potato
for sick people. They are supposed to chew the root, and then they can
eat anything they desire.
The white man calls this Canada Snakeroot in his dispensatories,
considering it a feeble remedy with tonic, aromatic and diuretic
properties. Cases of convalescent acute febrile infections are
sometimes given the extract of wild ginger root.
ASCLEPIADACEAE (MILKWEED FAMILY)
=Common Milkweed= (_Asclepias syriaca_ L.) “caboˈ sîkûn” [milk]
or “înîniˈwûnj” [Indian plant], according to Flambeau Ojibwe.[97]
Although the Pillager Ojibwe used this chiefly for food, the root
was also used as a female remedy, but for what phase of illness, we
were not able to discover. Eclectic practitioners have used the roots
as counter-irritants or internally as stomachics, carminatives, or
anti-spasmodics of the stimulating class.
BALSAMINACEAE (TOUCH-ME-NOT FAMILY)
=Spotted Touch-me-not= (_Impatiens biflora_ Walt.) “wesaˈ wûs
gaˈskonêk” [yellow light]. Bearskin, Flambeau medicine man said that
the fresh juice of this plant rubbed on the head would cure a headache.
The leaves are steeped for a medicinal tea, but the ailment was
undiscovered.
The herbage of this plant, under the name Wild Celadine, has been
largely employed by homoeopathic physicians and eclectics. The chemical
constituents are not known though the leaves apparently contain tannin.
The medicinal value is questionable, though fresh applications of the
juice appear to relieve skin irritations of various kinds, especially
that of Poison Ivy.
BERBERIDACEAE (BARBERRY FAMILY)
=Blue Cohosh= (_Caulophyllum thalictroides_ [L.] Michx). “ociˈ
gîmîc”.[98] The Pillager Ojibwe use the root for female troubles
especially for cramps in the stomach during painful menstruation. The
fine roots are also boiled to make a tea for emetic purposes. White
people seldom use it. Eclectics have used it in the treatment of
hysteria and uterine diseases. They have claimed that it will prevent
abortion, by causing uterine contraction when uterine inertia is
present.
BETULACEAE (BIRCH FAMILY)
=Speckled Alder= (_Alnus incana_ [L.] Moench.) “wadoˈ bîn” [root to
sew a canoe]. The Flambeau Ojibwe use the root for its hemostatic
qualities. When one passes blood in his stools, the root tea will act
as an astringent and coagulant.
The white man has also used alder bark for its mild astringent
properties. The eclectic practitioner in the United States and Canada
employed it in a powdered condition for dusting upon chafed body
surfaces.
=Paper Birch= (_Betula alba_ [L.] var. _papyrifera_ [Marsh.] Spach.)
“wîgwas”. From “wîgwas” comes the word “wigwam” or house, because birch
bark was used in covering the house, furnishing a waterproof roof.
The root of the Paper Birch was used in medicines as a seasoner. Its
sweetish, aromatic, wintergreen flavor disguised less pleasant doses.
The root bark and maple sugar cooked together made a soothing syrup to
alleviate cramps in the stomach. The white man has employed only the leaves medicinally as a diuretic.
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