a brief survey of remarkably nutritious weeds.

Weeds I Often Find Growing Right Where the Houses are Taking Over.

(English – Cree – Latin)

Dandelions – Osawa-pukwanes – Taraxacum officinales

Roots were gathered and dried in the autumn, and fresh boiled leaves were used to purify the blood and lower blood sugar. The liquid was also used to treat anaemia, jaundice, anxiety & eczema. All parts are edible and rich in Vitamins A,C,E, B-complex, iron, calcium and potassium. It’s useful in treating liver, digestive and urinary ailments, stimulating the immune system, aiding in weight loss and generally being used in salads, soups, breads, and cold drinks. I have been told my maternal grandfather made excellent dandelion wine.

Nettles – Masanak – Urtica gracilis

The young plants were added to soups or eaten like spinach, and the leaves were used to treat kidney stones, diarrhea, irregular menstruation and intestinal parasites.
Coagulants present in infusions may have helped treat internal hemorrhages and nosebleeds.
New research is showing that nettles are useful in treating prostrate cancer, hepatitis, and gall-bladder ailments; they can improve short-term memory in people with Alzheimers as well as fight gingivitis. Actually stinging the skin with the prickles, thereby using it as a counter-irritant to stimulate the body to produce more anti-inflammatory agents, has been useful in helping people with multiple sclerosis, rheumatism, localized paralysis and arthritis.

Yarrow – Wapanew-uskwa – Archille millefolium

Salves were made with powdered yarrow and fat to put on wounds, as yarrow contains coagulants and has anti-bacterial properties. It was also used to make a sort of hair rinse. It has also been used as a sedative, anaesthetic, anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory drug, and may be useful in treating diabetes-related conditions. It should never be used in high doses. Many of my nosebleeds as a child were treating by my father shoving some of this up my nose.

Pennycress – [can’t find Cree name!] introduced from Europe – Thlaspi arvense

This plant is high in Vitamin C and sulphur, and has a strong, mustardy taste, and can be slightly irritating even used sparingly. (Can poison in high concentrations) Historically, it was used in the Mithridate antidote to poison, and employed throughout Eurasia to treat rheumatism, lumbago, and eye inflammation.

Shepherd’s purse – [can’t find Cree name!] introduced from Europe – Capsella bursa-pastoris

All parts of the plant are edible (pods, seeds, sprouts, and taste like a combination of turnip and cabbage. My dad says they’re spinach-y... It has been used by many North American peoples as a seasoning in soups and stews, as well as ground into flour for bread and porridge. It is rich in Vitamin C and has been used as a remedy for speeding healing, stopping internal bleeding, easing earaches and stomach cramps. It was used in childbirth to cause uterine contractions (it contains a chemical similar to oxytocin. New research shows that the plants may help prevent cancer.

* All information from Dr. Anne Anderson’s interviews with Cree elder Luke Chalifoux, other random bits from my dad, and Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies by Linda Kershaw (Lone Pine Press, 2000)