Mandy Mason
Northwestern Shoshone Medicinal Herbs
The Shoshone use many plants for medicinal purposes, I chose a few that I know grow in the general area of the fort and appeared to be the most interesting to me.Yarrow Achillea millefolium
Yarrow can be seen from May to October, it is native to Europe but widely spread through out North America. It is insect and drought resistant. The whole plant is used for medicinal purposes.
Yellow Dock Leonurus cordiaca
Common names: curled dock, narrow dock, sour dock, rumex and golden patience. Yellow dock is native to Europe but was quickly introduced to America by Europeans. Yellow dock can be seen in June and July, the roots are the only part used for medicinal purposes.
Nettle Urtica dioca
Common names: great nettle, great stinging nettle. There are thirty varieties of nettle world wide, nine are found in America. Nettle can be seen from June to September, the roots and leaves are used medicinally.
Gum Plant Grindelia squerrosa
Plantain Plantago major
Common names: ripple grass, wagbread, and white mans foot. Plantain is abundant in North America even though it is native to Europe. The whole plant is used medicinally.
Lemon Weed Lithospermum ruderdale
Common names: cats tooth, puccoon. Lemon weed is native to North America and grows well in exposed rocky soil on the south sides of hills. The roots are the only part used medicinally.
Mormon Tea Ephedra virdis
Common names: mountain joint fir, and Brigham tea. This plant is native to the American west; it usually grows on dry rocky slopes and canyon walls. The plant tops are the only part used medicinally.
Great Basin Sage Brush Artemisia tridentata
This variety of sagebrush is native to the Great Basin area; only the leaves and seeds are used for medicinal purposes.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Moerman, Daniel E. Native American Ethnobotany. Portland Oregon: Timber Press, 1998.
Hutchens, Alma R. Indian Herbology of North America. Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala Press, 1973.
Additional Resources:
The Natural Resource Conservation Service has a plant database, including the Flora of North America project: http://plants.usda.gov/
The Native Plant Conservation Society: http://www.nps.gov/plants/
The Rocky Mountain Herbarium is at the University of Wyoming: http://www.rmh.uwyo.edu/
University of Colorado Herbarium: http://cumuseum.colorado.edu/Research/Botany/
The Utah Native Plant Society was founded in 1978: http://www.unps.org/
The University of Michigan, Dearborn, maintains a Native American Ethnobotany Database: http://herb.umd.umich.edu/
The American Botanical Council: http://www.herbalgram.org/
Native American Herbs and Plants of the Southwest: http://www.angelfire.com/art/nativeherb/