Names

Shoshone: sy.p

English: Cattail

Scientific: Typha latifolia

Zone

Montane

Harvest Time

• 1. Spring: stems, roots
• 2. July: flower spikes
• 3. August: pollen
• 4. September: seed fluff

Primary Uses

• Pollen as protein in bread

Secondary Uses

• Leaves woven for mats
• Seed fluff for insulation
  • padding, diapers, pillows

Cautions

• Modern use: boil all underwater stems and roots to kill parasites that may be in the water

Active Principle(s)

• None Listed

Video Description of Plant

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Notes

General Notes

• Pollen is 98% digestible protein
• Used as a thickener in soups and stews
• The whole plant is food
• Flower spikes eaten
  • Rootstocks –> flour
  • Stems cooked
• Pollen as protein in bread
• Leaves woven for mats, seed fluff for insulation (i.e., padding, diapers, pillows)

Stem Uses

• Anti-inflammatory – lower stems cut and applied to wounds for cooling
• Boiled rootstocks chewed or taken as tea – stems chewed for cough
• green flower spikes chewed for diarrhea
• Infection-dried, powdered rootstocks put on open wounds
• Intestinal Health – green flower spikes eaten for digestive distress
• Pain – sticky juice from stems applied to toothache
• Dried rootstocks put on rashes
• Green flower spikes eaten for upset stomach
• Rootstocks chewed to increase urine flow

Process Prep

• Raw or boiled in stews
• Medicine: plant soaked 24 hours

Names

Shoshone:

English: Water Sedge

Scientific: Carex aqatilis

Zone

Montane

Harvest Time

• Early Summer
• Gathered any time as survival food

Primary Uses

• The underwater stems are nutritious
  • Rhizomes

Secondary Uses

• Baskets from leaves

Cautions

• Boil stems first, danger of Giardia

Active Principle(s)

• None listed

Video Description of Plant

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Notes

Food Uses

• Stems are nutritious
  • Anti-inflammation – lower stems cut and applied to wounds for cooling
  • Stems and roots are survival food

Other Uses

Baskets from leaves

Process Prep

• Pull up underwater stems and rhizomes. Cut into pieces, boil. May cook with cattail stems and roots.

Names

Shoshone:

English: Willow “Yellow Willow”

Scientific: Salix sp.

Zone

Montane

Harvest Time

• Spring Time for medicine
  • “when willows are waking up for baskets when willows go to sleep – in spring collect young stem-strips of bark, dry for future analgesic use”
• Fall for baskets
  • Analgesic use

Primary Uses

• #1 common cold and sore throat
• Topical bandage

Secondary Uses

• Cordage (Strong fibers)

Cautions

• Modern use: do not use with blood thinners such as coumarin

Active Principle(s)

• Salicin

Video Description of Plant

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Notes

Medicinal Uses

• Willow bandage
  • Add arnica/goldenrool pollen
• Inner bark
  • Anti-inflammation, arthritis, fever reducer, headache, hemorrhoids, pain (used like aspirin), pneumonia, toothache, sore throat

Other Uses

• Making baskets
• The original source of salicylic acid (aspirin)

Process Preparation

• Willow Bandage: Add arnica/golden root pollen

Names

Shoshone: doe.zah

English: Osha Root “Shoshone Bear Root”

Scientific: Lingusticum sp.

Zone

Montane

Harvest Time

• 1st Week in September

Primary Uses

• treat lung infection or breathing problems
• In sweat lodge powdered on hot rocks to engender empathy

Secondary Uses

• Tops:
  • Leaves
  • Flowers
  • Seeds

Cautions

• Sustained internal use may alter or damage gut flora

Active Principle(s)

• None Listed

Video Description of Plant

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Notes

Food Uses

• Dry roots, wear root and nibble on during infectious seasons

Root Uses

• Abrasion – raw root or infusion rubbed on skin to prevent infection
• Antibacterial – root tea or inhaled smidge for internal or topical infection
• Antiviral, Anxiety, chest cold, congestion, cough, depression, ears, infection, intestinal health, lungs, Lyme disease

General notes

• The “panacea” for an illness

Process Prep

• Dry roots, wear root, and nibble on during infectious seasons.

Names

Shoshone:

English: Desert Parsley

Scientific: Lomatium dissectum

Zone

Montane

Harvest Time

• Not listed

Primary Uses

• Protect from getting sick
• Antiviral, antimicrobial

Secondary Uses

• Leaves into stews, hence “parsley”
  • seeds as a spice

Cautions

• Leaves edible like parsley

Active Principle(s)

• None Listed

Video Description of Plant

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Notes

Food Uses

• Root is dried
  • Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, congestion, depression, fever, healing, infection, lung infection, sore throat, wounds
  • Chew on root for toothache
• Leaves can be dried
• Can be bought in stores
• Smudge yields oxytocin, an empathetic hormone

Names

Shoshone:

English: Cow Parsnip

Scientific: Heracleum lanatum

Zone

Montane

Harvest Time

• During seed production
• July – August – September

Primary Uses

• Nerve Stimulant-
  • seeds as tea to reverse paralysis
  • stimulate nerve growth
  • roots also for nerve healing, if seeds not available

Secondary Uses

• Stems make “rubbing stick”

Cautions

• Older leaves, eaten can cause photosensitivity
  • Do not confuse with water hemlock, poisonous

Active Principle(s)

• Testimony about the treatment of a paralyzed person

Video Description of Plant

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Notes

Medicinal Uses

• Nerve Stimulant

Food Uses

• Ground up seeds make a tea
  • depending on injury
  • Anti-inflammatory, nerve stimulant, neuropathy, nerve pain, stomach, applied to wounds

Names

Shoshone: doy.yah.ay.gah.pah

English: Strawberry

Scientific: Frageria vesca

Zone

Montane

Harvest Time

• July
• as an understory plant in Montane Forests

Primary Uses

• Leaves promote contentment

Secondary Uses

• Leaves and berries have strong chemical for treating skin cancer growth

Cautions

• Requires vigilance if competing with wild creatures, which usually eat them right away

Active Principle(s)

• Elagic Acid-Anti-cancer

Video Description of Plant

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Notes

• Leaf tea is used by most tribes to ease childbirth and menstrual pain.
• Leaf tea
  • Anti-anxiety, Depression, Vitamin C

Names

Shoshone: any.gah.poe.goe.mp

English: Raspberry

Scientific: Rubus idaeus

Zone

Montane

Harvest Time

• July
• In forests, bordering Montane Meadows, where forest opening to South, allows sunshine in

Primary Uses

• Saved for women in winter to ease Childbirth Pain

Secondary Uses

• None Listed

Cautions

• Leaves must be dried

Active Principle(s)

• Heraclenin – a furanocoumarin compound that stimulates nerve growth

Video Description of Plant

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Notes

Food Notes

Leaves must first be dried for a tea to drink close to child birthing time

• Leaf tea
  • Anti-viral, cough, diarrhea, fever, menstruation pain reducer, urinary tract infection, vitamin C

Names

Shoshone:
bah·hoe·vee (Sacred Sage)

English: White Sage

Scientific: Artemisia ludoviciana

Zone

Lower Foothills

Harvest Time

• Near sage brush
• Scattered

Primary Uses

• Medicinal
  • Anti-bacterial
  • Anti-parasitic
• Other
  • Ceremony

Secondary Uses

• Medicinal
  • Intestinal health

Cautions

• None listed

Active Principle(s)

• Turpines

Video Description of Plant

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Notes

Kills parasites. Leaves can be used to treat intestinal distress.

Ceremonially used for smudging. For smudging, harvest before flowering.