How to Identify Young Waštémna

When they are first learning about medicinal plants, a lot of people only recognize them when they look exactly the way they look when they are most commonly harvested. While it usually makes sense to wait until the proper time to harvest a plant, sometimes emergency situations (such as an illness, and lack of access

Waȟčázi Iyéčheča — Salsify in June

Waȟčázi iyéčheča, aka Salsify, aka Tragopogon dubius, seen on Pine Ridge Reservation (near Kyle, SD) in June. The Lakota name of this plant, waȟčázi iyéčheča, basically means that it looks like a dandelion. Later in the summer, when you see what looks like a giant dandelion with a fuzzy ball of seeds waiting for the

Waȟpé Tȟáŋka/Burdock: Weeds in Winnipeg

Last July, I saw this impressive Waȟpé Tȟáŋka (Burdock/Arctium minus) plant growing out of a truck that had obviously been parked a long time in a back lane in Winnipeg. Burdock is native to Eurasia. Montana State University Extension Office says it was introduced in the 1600s, and is now in almost every US state

Harvesting Waȟpé Waštémna Sustainably

The time when most people harvest Waȟpé Waštémna (Monarda fistulosa, aka Beebalm, aka Wild Bergamot, aka Horse Mint, aka Elk Medicine) is in July, when the flowers are in full bloom. If you harvest carefully, the plant will have the ability, and enough time, to grow a second flowerhead and produce seeds before the cold

Commercial Pteíčhiyuȟa Cough Syrup…from Italy?!

I recently visited a Whole Foods location that was shutting down. I normally try to avoid Whole Foods because of their anti-union stance and other ethically questionable practices, but they had a 50% off sale on all their remaining products, so I went to check out their herbal supplements section. This cough syrup from Italy

Rose leaves emerging in the Spring

Here are the first spring shoots and leaves of some wild rose plants (uŋžíŋžiŋtka / Rosa spp.), emerging from the ground. I’ve never cultivated roses in a garden, but I know that people who do grow them tend to prune them back pretty heavily each year. One thing I’ve noticed with wild rose species is