Herba Cana - Northeastern Illinois University

More documents

Recommendations

Info

© 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 <strong>Herba</strong>ll); 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).
© 2004 by CRC Press The Ethnobotany 535 Polygonum (Greek poly, many, gonum, knees or bends, in reference to the many swollen nodes on the stems) arssmerte (for P. hydropiper, by Turner in 1548) corriola bastarda (false morning glory, Portuguese) glùineach (having large knees, Gaelic) Knöterich (knotted, German) knotgrass (from the knotted or jointed stem of Polygonum aviculare, in English by 1500) lus an fhògair (banishment herb, Gaelic for P. hydropiper) renouée (French) Polygonum densiflorum (compactly flowered) denseflower knotweed (USA) guinea hen bush (Bahamas) herbe pou poule (little chicken herb, Guadeloupe, Martinique) John doctor (Bahamas) lechuga (lettuce, Guatemala) piment vache (cow pepper, Guadeloupe, Martinique) snout smartweed (Texas) yerba de hicotea (turtle herb, the jicotea is a freshwater turtle, Taino, Puerto Rico) Polygonum hydropiperoides (resembling P. hydropiper) American water pepper [water-pepper] (USA) chillillo (little chile, Valley of Mexico) flor de chajutal (hot flower, Guatemala) swamp smartweed (Florida) tasteless knotweed (a misnomer; the plants are spicy when chewed, USA) Polygonum punctatum (dotted, meaning the tepals) canilla de pava (strong turkey, Guatemala) chile de perro (dog’s chile, Costa Rica); [chilillo] de perro (little [dog’s] chile, Guatemala); chilillo rojo (red chile, Veracruz); piment vache (cow pepper, Guadeloupe, Martinique) curage (cleansing, French, Houma, Louisiana) ojig’imin (fisher-berry, Ojibwa) roríspwa (korí, chile or Capsicum annuum, Tarahumara, Chihuahua) [American, dotted, water] smartweed (Florida, Texas, Bahamas, Puerto Rico) Polygonum. Polygonum densiflorum (left). Polygonum hydropiperoides (right). Both from Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Page 1 and 2:
© 2004 by CRC Press Packera/Seneci
Page 3 and 4:
© 2004 by CRC Press The Ethnobotan
Page 5 and 6:
© 2004 by CRC Press The Ethnobotan
Page 7 and 8: © 2004 by CRC Press The Ethnobotan
Page 57: © 2004 by CRC Press The Ethnobotan
show all

Herba Cana - Northeastern Illinois University

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?