Plant Study
On 10/26 Marja gave a lesson on basic botany which was an overview for me, but I enjoyed hearing it. She is very knowledgable about plants and is fantastic about teaching about them.
I have completed a first draft of my plant monograph. I have chosen to study Uva Ursi because of its availability and its healing properties.
Uva Ursi
Family Name: Heather
Family Name: Ericaceae
Latin Name: Arctostaphylos uva ursi
Common Names: Bearberry, Kinnikinnick, Pinemat Manzanita, Carillo, Mealberry, Mountain Box, Mountain Cranberry, Sandberry, Sagackomi, Bear’s Berry, Arberry, Raisin D’ours (French) (ref. #3)
Native American Names: Kinnikinnick, kakahsiin (Blackfoot) (ref. #4)
Related Species: A. nevadensis, A. alpina, A. rubra
Body System Affiliations:
1. Urinary Tract
2.Digestive
3. First Aid
Botanical Description: (Moore, 2001; 242) (Pojar and Mackinnon, 1994; 67)
Habit: low to the ground shrub
Size: stems up to 20 cm
Arrangement: alternate leaves, flowers in a terminal cluster
Leaves: leathery, oblong, entire, to 3 cm long, tapering to leaf stalk; green on
upper surface, pale veined on underside
Flowers: urn-shaped, pinkish, ¼ in. long; small cluster at end of branches
Fruit: orange, reddish, red-brown berries, 7-10 mm wide; edible; large, very hard
seeds
Stem: reddish-barked short runners
Underground Parts: long, fibrous roots
Ecology: (Moore, 2001; 243)
Habitat: dry slopes, mountains, coastal, logged and burned forests; acidic soil,
sun
Range: Sierra Nevada, the Panamints to Nevada; coastal Oregon and Washington
Native Where: Pacific Northwest coast
Places/Dates Observed/Description: 10/26 -Longhouse at Evergreen State
College; 10/26-Demonstration Garden at Skok; 11/2-Tacoma S. 38 th st.;11/29-Longhouse at Evergreen State College
Propagation: (Healing with Herbs ;494) (ref. #3)
Technique: From seed: plant hardiness Zone 2; peaty, moist soil; full sun-partial
shade; requires scarification and soaking; Transplant: stem cuttings taken from
terminal section
Timing: early to late spring
Harvest: (Moore, 2001; 243-244)
Plant Part: one entire stem with leaves (one long runner)
Season of Harvest: spring to late fall
Method of Harvest: cut long runner at base; loosely dry in bags or bundles out of
sunlight in a well-ventilated area
Ecological Considerations of Harvest: don’t grab too much from one area!
Plant Part: seeds or berries
Season of Harvest: late summer to late fall
Indigenous and Non-Western Use/Significance/Relationships: (ref. #8)
Food: have eaten berries (late summer to early winter); have fried berries in salmon oil or bear fat; have boiled in soups or with deer meat, moose, or salmon
Other:
Indigenous Group: secwempemc
Part Used: leaves
Preparation: dried leaves combined with tobacco and smoked
Indigenous Group: Ojibwa (ref. #5)
Part Used: leaves
Preparation: smoked dried leaves
Indigenous Group: Blackfoot (ref. #6)
Part Used: leaves
Preparation: dried, used in tobacco mixture along with Red Osier
Dogwood
Part Used: dried berries
Preparation: put inside rattles and made necklaces out of by elders
Part Used: leaves
Preparation: salve made out of tea mixed with grease and boiled hoof
Indications: itching, peeling scalp; washing baby’s heads for “cradle
scalp”; rashes; skin sores
Part Used: leaves
Preparation: tea
Indications: canker sores or sore gums
Part Used: fresh berries
Preparation: have eaten raw, boiled with sugar (tastes better), mashed
with fat and fried; can be dried for winter
Other Use: medicine men would use this herb to predict the weather: if a
plant had plentiful berries, it meant a harsh winter was on its way
Indigenous Group: cowasuck Band of Pennacook-Abenaki People
(ref. #7)
Part Used: leaves
Preparation: smoked with tobacco, red willow bark, and spicebush
during ceremonies
Part Used: leaves
Medicinal Action: astringent for cuts and scrapes
Part Used: leaves
Medicinal Actions: reduces accumulation of uric acid, relieves pain of bladder stones, cystitis
Part Used: leaves
Preparation: tea/tincture
Indications: bedwetting
Part Used: leaves
Indication: effective against E. coli
Western (European-American) Uses/Relationships: (Healing with Herbs; 293)
(ref. #3) (Pojar and Mackinnon, 1994; 67)
Food: berriesare edible but mealy
Medicine:
Part Used: leaves
Medicinal Actions: diuretic, urinary antiseptic, astringent, antibacterial;
used in treating nephritis, cystitis, urethritis, kidney and bladder stones
Indications: UTI, any of the above disorders, sprain or swelling
Body System Associations: urinary tract, digestive, first aid
Constituents: arbutin, tannin, glucoside
Harvest: cut one whole stem with leaves
Storage: store dried leaves in a cool, dark place; air-tight container
Preparation (internal): Dry Herb Tincture, 1:5, soaked in 98% alcohol
or brandy for 1 week, 1tsp. soaked lvs to 1 c. boiling water
Preparation (external): make poultice out of crushed leaves and boiling
water
Pharmacy: Standard Infusion: 30-60 drops in 8 oz. warm
water, up to 4 times/day
Cautions: not recommended for internal use for maore than 4 days at
a time, DO NOT use during pregnancy
Personal Experience:
Medicine:
Part Used: leaves
Medicinal Actions: helps restore too alkaline body
Indications: binging on food or alcohol
Body System Associations: urinary tract, digestive, first aid
Constituents: arbutin, tannin, glucoside
Harvest:
Site Location: Evergreen Longhouse
Site Description: surrounded by other indigenous plants, frequented by people, taken good care of, cultivated
Technique: cut small stems
Processing: oven-dried; 180 degrees for ½ hour
Storage: immediately placed in alcohol
Experience
Application/Preparation/Pharmacy:
Applications: tincture
Preparation: oven-dried leaves; soaked in alcohol one week
Reason/Purpose: to restore my body from being too alkaline
Other Notes of Interest: eaten by bears and grouse (ref. #6)
Cautions: not recommended for internal use for more than 4 days at a time; DO NOT use during pregnancy
References Cited:
1. Author Unknown. Healing with Herbs.
2. Mackinnon, Andy, and Jim Pojar. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast.
Vancouver, British Columbia: Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing,
1994.
3. Marybeads, Evonne, Lamm, Yafa, and Davis, Tamara. New Mexico State
University. Summer 2001. Online at http://medplant.nmsu.edu/ursi.htn .
Visited on 11/29/05.
4. Moore, Michael. Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West. Santa Fe, New Mexico:
Red Crane Publishing, 2001.
5. Author Unknown. Online at http://www.nativeamericans.com/Chippewa.htm .
Visited 11/29/05.
6. Author Unknown. Galileo Educational Network. 2005. Online at
http://partner.galileo.org/kainaidata/realplant-a.asp?PlantID=32 . Visited
11/29/05.
7. Author Unknown. Online at http://www.cowasuck.org/lifestyle/pipes.htm .
Visited on 11/29/05.
8. Author Unknown. Online at
http://www.secwepemc.org/SECethnogardens2/dry_land_garden.htm . Visited
on 11/29/05.
Tara Burnett-Arts, Environment, and Child: Walking the wheel of the Seasons-Fall Quarter-2005
