Wednesday, November 29, 2006

More ethnobotany

Native Harvests: Botanicals and Recipes of the American Indian (1977) by Barrie Kavasch

Another interesting ethnobotany book, this one is illustrated with beautiful line drawings.

The Three Sisters: corn, squash, and beans.

Chinese Lanterns (Physalis pubescens) unless the berries are ripe they have an unpleasant flavor

Blue Cohosh (Caullophyltim thalictroides) roasted seeds make an excellent coffee substitute

Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) scarlet berries are very bland and long lasting

Coltsfoot (Tussilaga farfara) a plant much prized to such a degree that it became the object of intertribal warfare among West Coast tribes

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) excellent internally and externally [Yes, but watch out for the spicules and alkaloids]

Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) used internally to treat worms; caution: tansy taken internally can be fatal

Special Note: Unfortunately, the library copy of this fine book has been marred by the written comments of some crude boor, a bigoted ignoramus. Maybe the comments were written before the book was donated to the library, and the person was too lazy to erase the remarks, but I doubt it. More likely that this self-appointed expert felt compelled to share their own special brand of genius with us by defacing the library copy.

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