Herba Cana - Northeastern Illinois University

© 2004 by CRC Press
534 Florida Ethnobotany
We humans are incredibly arrogant and egocentric,
and we tend to think that only big animals
are important. Still, we can make fun of ourselves, and
ants. There is a song High Hopes (1959) where,
although everyone said it could not, an ant carries
off a rubber-tree plant. So, never underestimate the
importance of your neighbors.
Polygonatum
(From Greek polys, many, gonu, knees, alluding to the
many joints of the rhizome)
Polygonatum biflorum. From Britton and Brown 1896.
frassinella (little ash, Italian 1551)
Ladder to Heaven (John Parkinson wrote in 1640,
‘‘Wee in English [call it] Salomon’s Seale most
usually, but in some countries the peope call it
Ladder to Heaven, according to the Latine scala
coeli, which was anciently known to the
Apotheccaries shoppes, from the forme of the
stalke of leaves, one being set above another’’)
poligonia (derived from the Greek polygonaton,
Spanish 1557)
Salomans seale (Gerarde [1597] 1975); Solomon’s
seal (translated from Latin Sigillum solomonis;
used in English by 1526 in the Grete Herball);
Salomons segel (Dutch 1549); Salomonssiegel
(modern German); sceau de Salomon (French
1549); sigillo di Salome (modern Italian)
scala caeli (ladder to heaven, Turner said this was
English in 1548 even though it is Latin)
Weiswurtz (white herb, German 1542)
Polygonatum biflorum (two-flowered)
seal-wort [sealwort]
[great, King] Solomon’s seal; sceau de Salomon
(Solomon’s seal, Quebec)
utistugi’ (Cherokee)
According to the OED (1971), people in the
Middle Ages (A.D. 500 /ca. 1500) began calling European
plants sigillium Solomonis (Solomon’s seal).
That name was said to be based on an even older
history, going back to the time of the biblical King
Solomon. Greek physician Dioscorides (fl. A.D. 40 /80)
called the plants polygonaton and wrote, ‘‘Spreading
on the root helps cure wounds. Indeed, it also removes
and aids facial blotches.’’ Roman doctor Galen (A.D.
129 /?200) recorded, ‘‘The root of polygonatum is
spread on wounds. It is with it that they clear
birthmarks [moles] from the face.’’ In medieval times
the plants were used to ‘‘seal’’ or ‘‘mend’’ wounds,
sores, and especially bruises. Fuchs wrote in 1542,
‘‘Women today still wash and color their faces with
Solomon’s-seal.’’ (Meyer et al. 1999).
Fuchs noted in 1542 that the pharmaceutical name
for the plants in Germany was Sigillium solomonis
(Meyer et al. 1999). Passage of time led to confusion
and there arose three versions of why the plants were
named after Solomon. One of the stories said that
transverse sections of the rootstocks resembled a seal
used by the biblical king. Another held that it was not
the section but the leaf scars that looked like his seal.
The third view held that it was because the root was
good ‘‘to seal and close up green wounds’’ (OED
1971).
The Cherokee, Menomini, Meskwaki, Ojibwa, and
Rappahannock used the American plants as medicine
(King 1984, Moerman 1998). The Cherokee treated
dysentery, breast diseases, carbuncles and other skin
problems, leukorrhea, stomach problems, and lung
diseases with the herbs (Hamel and Chiltoskey 1975).
They also considered the root a mild tonic. The
Menomini used the roots as an analgesic. The
Menomini and Meskwaki put the root in an incense
to revive unconscious people. The Ojibwa used the
root as a physic and cough remedy. The Rappahannock
treated cuts, bruises, and sores with the roots in a
salve.
The Cherokee used the dried roots to make flour
for bread (Hamel and Chiltoskey 1975). Young stems
were also eaten like asparagus. Yanovsky (1936) and
Fernald et al. (1958) say that several northern
tribes used them in the same ways. The Ojibwa burned
the roots as incense before going to bed (Moerman
1998).