POTAWATOMI MEDICINAL PLANTS

ACERACEAE (MAPLE FAMILY) 

Red Maple (Acer rubrum L.) "cicigîme'-wîc" [red maple]. The inner bark of the red maple is boiled and used as an eyewash. Pammel mentions the same thing in his treatise on poisonous plants,33 so that it appears that this use by the Indians is fairly widespread. Among the whites,34 a solution of the inner bark is astringent and ophthalmic.  

 

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharumMarsh.)35 "kisinamî'c" [cold tree or timber].  The inner bark of the sugar maple is used as an expectorant. This bark yields an infusion which is accounted tonic, anthelmintic, and ophthalmic, by the white man.36 

 

Mountain Maple (Acer spicatum Lam.), "caca'gobimîc" [soft wood]. The inner bark is employed with other medicinal materials to make a combination syrup for coughs. The National Dispensatory says37 the bark very closely resembles Viburnum Opulus and is entirely substituted for it. The bark extract has been used by the white man as an antispasmodic in asthma, hysteria, puerperal convulsions and dysmenorrhoea. Among the whites,38the bark extract is considered ophthalmic and diuretic.  

 

ALISMACEAE (WATER-PLANTAIN FAMILY) 

Broad-leaved Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia Willd.)39 "wabasi'-binik" [white potato]. The starchy corms that are produced on short lateral rootlets of this plant are pounded into a pulp. The pulp is used for poulticing wounds and sores. Among the whites,40the root is considered refrigerant, astringent and detergent, cooling the body and exerting a cleansing action upon wounds, boils and ulcers. Lyons41 says that the California Indians also used these corms under the name "wappate" or "wapatoo".  

 

ANACARDIACEAE (SUMAC FAMILY) 

Poison Ivy (Rhus Toxicodendron L.) "makaki'bag" [toad weed]. The Forest Potawatomi consider this plant to be poisonous, as do the whites. Even the eclectic practitioners who formerly used it have abandoned it because they did not get good results from it. However the Prairie Potawatomi, according to John Macintosh42 know it under the name "tatapa'kwe" [climbs trees] and-say that only the most skillful medicine men know how to use it. They pound the root to make a poultice and place it upon a swelling to cause it to open.

 

Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina L.)43 "bakwanimî'c" [puckering? bush]. Most of our Wisconsin Indian tribes make use of the staghorn sumac for medicine and use various parts of the shrub. The root, bark and leaves all are medicines. The root bark is used as a hemostatic. The leaves are steeped to make a tea, used in gargling for sore throat, tonsilitis and erysipelas. The berries are used to make a medicinal tea. They are also often mixed with other plant medicines to expel worms. It is quite likely that the abundant hairs upon the fruit, irritate the stomach lining and cause worms to be expelled. Among the whites,44 the bark and leaves are considered tonic, astringent, and antiseptic, while the fruit is diuretic, refrigerant and acidulous. 

 

APOCYNACEAE (DOGBANE FAMILY) 

Spreading Dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium L.)45 "dodoca'-bowûng" [woman's breast weed]. This is the usual term used by the Forest Potawatomi, but it is also called "magosä'sîngä'sikîk" [awl-shaped], according to Mrs. Spoon. This same plant was known among the Prairie Potawatomi as "makosä'kasêkûk" which is almost the same term that Mrs. Spoon employs. The majority of the Forest Potawatomi used the root of Spreading Dogbane as a diuretic and urinary medicine, although Mrs. Spoon and the Prairie Potawatomi informant called it a heart and kidney medicine and used the green fruits, which they boiled to extract the active principle. Nickell46 says that this plant has similar properties to the official Apocynum cannabinum L., which is used as a diuretic and in cardiac and renal dropsy. The root extract has been used among white men as an emetic, cathartic, sudorific and expectorant.  

 

AQUIFOLIACEAE (HOLLY FAMILY) 

Mountain Holly (Nemopanthus mucronata [L.] Trel.),

"sakwa'kmînagawîc" or "bosakwa'komînaga'wîc" [plum? bush]. We find two species of the Holly Family native to Wisconsin, the Winterberry (Ilex verticillata [L.] Gray), which is a true species of Holly and the Mountain Holly, which is the species that the Forest Potawatomi use. Small branches of the Mountain Holly are cooked. The resulting liquid is again boiled until it resembles a syrup and this syrup is used as a tonic. Mrs. Spoon named this species as one of the fifty that she used to combine and boil down as a syrup which became a sort of "shot-gun prescription" for many different kinds of diseases. She did not enumerate all of the fifty kinds that went into the medicine but they must have been varied enough to cure almost any ill to which the human flesh is heir. Among the whites,47the uses of Mountain Holly are divided into two classes; the bark of the shrub is tonic, bitter, alterative, febrifuge and astringent. The fruit is used as a cathartic and a vermifuge.  

 

ARACEAE (ARUM FAMILY) 

Sweet Flag (Acorus Calamus L.) "wike" [flag]. This plant was known to the Prairie Potawatomi as "sinipisi'-wun". Sweet Flag is not common at all in Forest County and it required several trips to discover a supply of it. It is a valued medicine and used for various ailments. The dried root is powdered and snuffed up the nose to cure catarrh. It is also one of the ingredients of a remedy to stop a hemorrhage. The formula for this remedy is—chips of the heartwood from a four-inch Ironwood (Ostrya virginiana [Mill.] K. Koch); the heartwood chips of a four-inch Arbor Vitae (Thuja occidentalis L.); root of the Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus L.) ; and a handful of the root bark of the common Shining Willow (Salix lucida Muhl.). These materials are placed in a vessel covered with two quarts of water, which is boiled down to a pint. One tablespoonful of this mixture is taken every hour until the hemorrhage stops. This is one of the very bitterest medicines that the Forest Potawatomi have and is described as being as bitter as gall. Many of the Indians in speaking of this remedy are inclined to be cautious in the amount used and say that only a very small piece of the root is necessary. Among the whites it has always been considered that any amount of the dried root might be used to relieve dyspepsia. It was formerly used by the whites48 as a mild stimulant and tonic, used in the treatment of flatulent colic and atonic dyspepsia and said to be beneficial in typhoid fever as a stimulant. Nickell49 cites its properties as  aromatic, carminative, tonic and vulnerary. The Herbalist50 claims that it improves the gastric juice and removes gases and sourness. The fact is cited that it has been used in chlorosis, dropsy, scurvy, gout, lameness and fevers.  

 

Water Arum (Calla palustris L.) "wabasi'pîni'bag" [white potato leaf or swan potato root]. The Forest Potawatomi find that the root of the Water Arum when pounded and applied as a poultice to swellings, is very efficacious in reducing them. Nickell51 says that it has been used by the whites as a stimulant, caustic and for its mucilaginous qualities.  

 

ARALIACEAE (GINSENG FAMILY) 

Bristly Sarsaparilla (Aralia hispida Vent.) "babîkwe'wûnûskûns" [little flute stem]. This medicine seems to be known only to Mrs. Spoon and she said that the root is used as an alterative and tonic, that it is nowhere common in Forest County and most of the other Indians consulted had never noticed the difference between this species and Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis L.). Among the white men52 the leaves have been used as a sudorific while the root possesses properties that are emetic, hydrogogue and alterative.  

 

The National Dispensatory53 speaks of the value of Bristly Sarsaparilla for the aromatic properties resident in its root. Lyons54 records that the bark of this species has been used as a diuretic and alterative. 

 

Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis L.) "okadag" [leg]. This is a valued root among the Forest Potawatomi and they pound it into a mass to be used as a poultice to reduce swelling and cure infections. It is also said to have the same properties and use as Spikenard (Aralia racemosa L.),55 namely, stimulant, diaphoretic and alterative. Pammel56 records that it has been used for its aromatic and stimulating properties.  

 

Indian Spikenard (Aralia racemosa L.)57 "okadag" [leg]. The Forest Potawatomi pound the root into a pulp to be used as a hot poultice on inflammations. It is interesting to note the use of this root among the different tribes. The Menomini use it in cases of blood poisoning while the Meskwaki use the root as a seasoner for other medicines. 

 

Ginseng (Panax quinquefolium L.) "gisêns". This pronunciation is undoubtedly the attempt of the Forest Potawatomi to give the plant the English common name since other tribes have a regular Indian word for Ginseng. The Prairie Potawatomi call Ginseng "wenane" [calf of the leg]. However, the Forest Potawatomi make extensive use of the Ginseng root for medicine, whereas some of the other tribes do not use it at all, but only gather it to sell. Ginseng has very little medicinal virtue, according to the white man and the fact that it is so high priced is due to the Chinese demand for this root. They are particularly interested in Ginseng root that has the appearance of the human torso and use it as a fetish.  It is interesting to note that the Chinese also use Ginseng as a medicine, supposing it to have a certain virtue that renders their other medicines powerful. We have even discovered its use as a season in some of their pills given to a Chinese patient in the Milwaukee Hospital who was recovering from a premature stillbirth. Chinese people have also told us that the Ginseng is regarded as a cure-all and a necessity in many medicines of their making. The Forest Potawatomi pound the root to make a poultice to cure earache and soak the pounded root to obtain a wash for curing sore eyes. They also used it in many of their powdered medicines as a season to mask the had flavor of some other ingredients. 

 

ARISTOLOCHIACEAE (BIRTHWORT FAMILY)

Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense L.)58 "ba'boan" [its name], "nîme'bîn" is another Forest Potawatomi term for it. The Prairie Potawatomi calls it "kupua" [ginger]. The Forest Potawatomi use Wild Ginger as a mild stomachic principally to flavor meat or fish and render them more edible. In the National Dispensatory59 it is also called the Canada Snakeroot and is a feeble remedy accounted tonic, aromatic and slightly diuretic. It has been used by eclectic practitioners in convalescence from acute febrile infections. Nickell60 states that it has aromatic, stimulant, diaphoretic, carminative and expectorant qualities, while the Herbalist61 states that it has been used in the treatment of colds, colic, amenorrhoea and pains in the stomach.  

 

ASCLEPIADACEAE (MILKWEED FAMILY) 

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.)62 "anˆrni'wîc" [man weed]. The root of the Common Milkweed is used by the Forest Potawatomi as a medicine, but we were unable to find out for what ailments. Among the whites we have several references to its use. Nickell63 records it as having tonic, diuretic, alterative, purgative and emetic qualities. The National Dispensatory64 says that it has been used as a vulnerary, while the milky juice has been used to cure warts. Lyons65 records that the roots have a diuretic, diaphoretic and sedative quality. 

 

BALSAMINACEAE (TOUCH-ME-NOT FAMILY) 

Spotted Touch-me-not (Impatiens biflora, Walt.)66 "twatubîgo'-nîak  [touch-me-not]. The Prairie Potawatomi call this "wasawa'shiak" [yellow  slippery]. This is accounted a valuable medicine among the Forest Potawatomi who use the fresh juice of the plant to wash nettle stings or poison ivy infections. The writer knows that it instantly alleviates the sting of the Stinging Nettle and has it from the Indians that it will cure and alleviate the itching of Poison Ivy. An infusion of the whole plant is drunk to cure colds in the chest or cramps in the stomach. The Potawatomi also boil the infusion of the plant down to a thicker mass which they use as a liniment for treating sprains, bruises and soreness. Nickell67 records the properties of the plant as diuretic, emetic and alterative.

 

BERBERIDACEAE (BARBERRY FAMILY)

Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides [L.] Michx.)68 "otci'-komînaga'wîc" [fisher plant]. Another Forest Potawatomi term for this is "ano'mînûm" [?berry]. This is known to the Forest Potawatomi as the Squaw Root and it seems to be of rather universal use among all of our Indian tribes to furnish a tea which suppresses profuse menstruation and aids in childbirth. Among the eclectic practitioners of the whites, it has been used in cases of hysteria and uterine diseases. The eclectics claim that it prevents abortions by causing uterine contraction when uterine inertia is present.69 The Herbalist70 ascribed to it the properties of an emmenagogue, parturient, anti-spasmodic, diuretic, diaphoretic, and anthelminthic. They say that it is used in chronic uterine diseases.

 

BETULACEAE (BIRCH FAMILY) 

Speckled Alder (Alnus incana [L.] Moench) "atob" [bitter]. The Potawatomi scrape the inner bark of the Speckled Alder and use the juice obtained to rub on the body to cure the itch. A bark tea is made for flushing the vagina and to make a rectal application with their home-made form of syringe as described previously, to shrivel the anal muscles and thus cure cases of piles. Potions of the bark tea are also drunk to cure the flux. The powdered inner bark of the Speckled Alder is used to sprinkle upon galled spots of their ponies to cure them.  Nickell71 says that the bark has alterative, emetic and astringent properties. The Herbalist72 says that the bark has been used in the treatment of scrofula and has been considered as alterative and emetic.  

 

Paper Birch (Betula alba L. var. papyrifera [Marsh.] Spach) "wîgwa'samîc" [wigwam tree]. The wintergreen or Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) is not found in Wisconsin, but the twigs of the Paper Birch  are sweet and aromatic, somewhat the same as the Sweet Birch. The Forest Potawatomi gather the twigs and put them to soak to extract the fragrant oil which is used to season other medicines, or to mask disagreeable flavors. The National Dispensatory73 says that the leaves are diuretic. Nickell74 says that the twigs have astringent and bitter principles while the oil is fragrant. 

 

Yellow Birch (Betula lutea Michx. f.) "wînîsi'k" or "wînîsa'tîk" [wood smells]. The twigs of the Yellow Birch are also aromatic as are the twigs of the white and the Sweet Birch and these twigs are also gathered by the Forest Potawatomi to extract the fragrant oil which is used as a seasoner for other less pleasant medicines. We have found no record of its use by white men. 

 

Beaked Hazelnut (Corylus rostrata Ait.) "cîkane'samîc" according to Indian George and ‘Snabe Jim. "cîkana'- sîmînaga'wîc" according to Mrs. Spoon. This is the only species of Hazelnut found in Forest County and the Potawatomi use the inner bark in medicinal combinations very much the same as they use the inner bark of the willow. It is used as an astringent. The National Dispensatory75 records the fact that eclectic practitioners use the spicula or sharp points of the involucre as an anthelmintic, to expel worms from the intestines.  

 

This practice would be considered rather dangerous by the physician of today because it might set up too much irritation in the intestines. 

 

Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana [Mill.] K. Koch) "mîanoo's" [hornbeam]. The Potawatomi consider this as one of their so-called cramp barks and infusions of it are used to cure the flux. Nickell76 says that the bark is a simple bitter, tonic, antiperiodic, and alterative. The Dispensatory77 says that the heartwood and the bark possess a bitter substance that has been used at times as a substitute for quassia and has been used as an astringent. The Herbalist78 says that eclectic practitioners have used it as an antiperiodic, tonic, and alterative. It is supposed to be of value in the treatment of intermittent fevers, neuralgia, nervous debility, scrofula, and dyspepsia. It has also been used in the treatment of fever and ague. 

 

BORAGINACEAE (BORAGE FAMILY) 

Common Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum officinale L.), " boe" [stickers]. This is one of the plants that the Forest Potawatomi assert came into their country from the south and so they do not know it as a medicinal plant and it is not used. However, Nickell79 reports that it has the following medicinal properties: it is astringent, aromatic, anodyne, mucilaginous, and narcotic. 

 

CAMPANULACEAE (BELLFLOWER FAMILY) 

Marsh Bellflower (Campanula aparinoides Pursh.) "basi'bagûk" 

[small vine]. This species is not used by the Forest Potawatomi although the white man has made use of it as an emetic, a pectoral, and for ornamental purposes, according to Nickell.80 

 

CAPRIFOLIACEAE (HONEYSUCKLE FAMILY) 

Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla Lonicera Mill.) "osawoskwoni'is" [yellow liquid]. The Bush Honeysuckle is used by many of our Indian tribes of the north and is especially valuable, according to them, in urinary troubles. The Prairie Potawatomi make a tea from the root of the Bush Honeysuckle to be used as a diuretic and for the treatment of cases of gonorrhoea. Mrs. Spoon makes a medicine for vertigo in which this, the Bush Honeysuckle, is used. Her recipe for the medicine is Red Baneberry root (Actaea rubra), the twigs of (Diervilla Lonicera), the leaves and root of Liverleaf Hepatica (Hepatica triloba), and the roots of Sweet Cicely (Osmorhiza longistylis). The writer saw her mix this material in her wooden mixing bowl about four inches in diameter with a wooden spoon and afterward he tasted the infusion which had a sweetish taste. Nickell81 states that the root, leaves and twigs have been found to be medicinal and used by eclectic practitioners as a diuretic, astringent and alterative. The National Dispensatory82 says that the whole plant is considered diuretic and has been applied to relieve itching. 

 

Twinflower (Linnaea borealis L. var. americana [Forbes] Rehder) "bîne'obûkûns" [partridge weed]. Mrs. Spoon used the entire plant of this as a squaw medicine, although just what type of female trouble it was supposed to cure was not plainly explained. Among the white men, the plant has been used as a bitter, a sub-astringent and an antirheumatic, according to Nickell.83  

 

American Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis Marsh.)  "îaî'ankûtci'mînaga'wîc" [berries of two sexes,— bush]. The Forest Potawatomi combine the bark of this species with Juniper foliage and berries and with the twigs of the Bush Honeysuckle ( Diervilla Lonicera) to make a "tea" which is used as a diuretic. The National Dispensatory84 states that only the fruits are medicinal and that they are nonofficial as drugs. They have been reported as being emetic and cathartic. 

 

Red-berried Elder (Sambucus racemosa L.) "babackisi'ganatîk" [popgun wood]. Mrs. Spoon calls this "tcabosî'kûn" [physic]. The Prairie Potawatomi call it "papasikana'tîk" [popgun wood]. The inner bark of the Red-berried Elder is accounted the most powerful physic which the Forest Potawatomi have and it is used in the same manner as the Menomini Indians use it. There is no questioning its drastic action, but the method of its use shows considerable superstition connected with it.  Four joints of the stem are chosen, of half an inch diameter or greater.  The proper length is measured from the point of the ulna to the point of the humerus. If these joints are peeled downward and the bark steeped in warm water, the resulting cup of fluid becomes a very quick-acting purgative. However, should the same sticks have been peeled upward and the resulting "tea" drunk, then it would have been a strong emetic. The white man is apt to discover that this powerful remedy works both ways at once. The National Dispensatory85 says that the bark is a poison and has been know to cause death. Nickell86 says that medicines have been made from the inner bark of the Red-berried Elder that cause watery evacuations and are believed capable of expelling serum. It has been used to increase evacuation from the bowels and also has been used to produce vomiting. 

 

CARYOPHYLLACEAE (PINK FAMILY) 

White Campion (Lychnis alba Mill.). The White Campion is commonly found in Forest County, but the Potawatomi have no name for it nor do they have a use for it as far as the writer discovered. We find no record of its use in eclectic practice by the white man.

 

CHENOPODIACEAE (GOOSEFOOT FAMILY) 

Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album L.)  "koko'cîbag" [pig leaf]. The Forest Potawatomi consider this a medicinal food which is used to cure or prevent scurvy. It has been used in exactly the same way by the white man according to Nickell.87 

 

Strawberry Elite (Chenopodium capitatum [L.] Asch.) "'mêna'-kwoskûk" [stinking or scent weed]. The ripened heads of seed of the Strawberry Elite are deep pink in color and furnish the Indian maiden an ever-ready rouge. It is used to paint the cheeks when they are getting ready for a dream dance. This same juice is rubbed on the breast to cure congestion of the lungs while the whole plant is made into a medicinal "tea" to ease any congestion in the lungs. We find no record of its use by the whites.  

 

Maple-leaved Goosefoot(Chenopodium hybridum L.). The Potawatomi have no name for this species nor any use as far as we have discovered and we find no record of its use by the whites. 

 

COMPOSITAE (COMPOSITE FAMILY)

The Composite Family has the largest number of species of any plant family, and is well represented in Forest County. There are about four times as many medicines found among this family as in any other family represented in the Potawatomi territory.

 

Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium L.) "nokwe'sikûn" [perfume reviver]. The Prairie Potawatomi call it "kîshkatoa'soanûk" [flying squirrel tail]. The Forest Potawatomi place the flowers upon a plate of live coals to create a smudge which is used for two purposes. First, it is to keep any evil spirits away from the patient and second it is to give the proper sort of a scent to revive the patient who may be in a state of coma. The medicine man will sing while he fumigates the patient in a way to suggest that the patient will recover, making use of the power of suggestion as the whites were wont to do during the days of Dr. Coue. Yarrow has always been a home remedy among the whites, and especially among the German inhabitants, who call it "Schaf-esgarbetee", to break up a fever. Nickell88 records that the plant has astringent, alterative, diuretic, tonic, and vulnerary qualities. The Herbalist89 assigns to it the same qualities as Nickell and says that it has been used in decoctions to heal bleeding lungs or other hemorrhages, incontinence of urine, piles and dysentery. It has been used to promote regularity of menses, and made into an ointment to cure wounds, ulcers and fistulas. A decoction of the flowers has been used to stop the falling of hair. The leaves have been chewed to alleviate toothache. 

 

Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.). According to the Forest Potawatomi this plant came into their country in historic times and they never knew what it was nor had any name nor use for it as far as we could discover.  Among the whites, it has been used by eclectic practitioners in a decoction to cleanse wounds and as a poultice to allay inflammation, according to Nickell.90

 

Great Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida L.). The Great Ragweed is an adventiveplant according to the Forest Potawatomi and they have no use nor name for it as far as we could discover. Among the Meskwaki, it was chewed to drive away fear at night.91 Eclectic practitioners use the plant to extract a tea which was stimulant, astringent, and ophthalmic, according to Nickell.92  

 

Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea [L.] B. & H.) "wewa'bîckûnakûk" [white top], "bäkwänä'sîkûn" [fumigator]. The Forest Potawatomi dry the flowers of this species and smoke it in a pipe or smudge it on coals to drive or keep evil spirits out of the  room, which might prevent a patient from recovering. They also call attention to the fact that it smells like acorns, but there is no suggestion of this in the Potawatomi name, which it bears, as there has been in the language of other tribes. The Herbalists93 states that the plant is valuable for its astringent qualities. It has been used for fevers, quinsy, pulmonary and bronchial complaints. The patient has been recommended to chew the leaves in blossom to cure ulcers of the mouth and throat. An infusion of the flowers has been given through the rectum for the curing of bowel trouble. The poultice of the leaves has been used to heal bruises, indolent tumors, and local affections. 

 

Dog Fennel (Anthemis Cotula L.) "waboskû'nakûk" [white top]. While the Potawatomi assign an Indian name to this plant, they claim that it is introduced and that they do not know any use for it as far as we have been able to discover. The National Dispensatory94 says that the plant has been called "chamomile" and has been used by eclectic practitioners for its stimulant and antispasmodic properties. It has been employed to check the summer diarrhea of children. In hot fomentation in water and vinegar, it has been used with success upon sluggish ulcers, earache and rheumatism.