Echinacea, Boneset & Yarrow
A basket full of mixed medicines including yarrow, St. John’s wort, & mullein flower. (Courtesy: Ash Montour)
Story told by Elaine Delaronde
Echinacea, boneset and yarrow are powerful medicinal perennial plants, indigenous to our land.
Echinacea has pink flowers and looks beautiful in your garden. You can make tea with the flowers and leaves for your immune system. However, it is the roots that are most powerful as an immune booster. Echinacea roots act as a spark plug to stimulate your immune system to fight off infections and should be only taken when needed. You can take echinacea for no longer than two weeks, it’s just used to help your immune system gain strength. It’s used for colds, flu, viral and bacterial infections and as a blood purifier. It’s best to harvest the roots after the first frost. Harvest only the fresh flowers and leaves for tea.
Multi-colored echinacea in full bloom, ready to be picked and used in medicine. (Courtesy: Stephen Silverbear McComber)
Boneset is a unique medicine plant that is easy to identify. The long leaves alternate through the stem. The stem looks like it is punctured through the leaves, rather than its leaves growing off the stem. Boneset’s white flowers and leaves are great tea medicines to treat high, achy fevers. It’s suitable for when the immune system is being attacked, where the body feels like you’re freezing and burning up with sore bones and muscles. The best time to harvest boneset is when the flowers are fresh in bloom. More at the end of summer, into fall. Making a poultice with the leaves can help heal broken bones and sprains.
Yarrow plants are easy to identify. They have soft feathery-looking thin leaves with clustered white flowers. You can make tea with the flowers to help ease the discomfort of painful periods and breast tenderness during a woman’s cycle. It will help to regulate the flow and strengthen the uterus. You can also make a mild tea for babies and children to help to break a fever; it moves the fever out of the body. The flowers help get stuck periods flowing and move fever from the body. The leaves can be crushed into a poultice to help stop the bleeding from cuts and wounds and speed up the process of tissue repair. It’s also used for burns, bites, stings, skin conditions. It’s nature’s band aid.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Katsistohkóntha', Tekastien'tahnhontéhrha' Tánon' Aró:sen Aotáhson
Boneset beginning to blossom. (Courtesy: Stephen Silverbear McComber)
Elaine Delaronde IAKOKÁ:RATON
Kanonhkwa'tshera'shátste' iónhnhes nikahontò:ten's ne Katsistohkóntha', Tekastien'tahnhontéhrha' tánon' Aró:sen Aotáhson néne kèn:tho tsi tewanákere' kontinakere'ón:we.
Wahsén:rate' niiotsi'tsò:ten ne Katsistohkóntha' tánon' kwah ióhskats nahsatkáhtho' ne sahéhtakon. Wá:tons onerahtákeri ahsónnia'te' tetsá:ron ne aotsì:tsa' tánon aónerahte' ne aiesaia'tahní:rate'. Ne ki' tánon', ohtè:ra' nen' nè:'e ne naonhà:'a tka'shátste' ne aiakoia'tahní:rate'. Tekatsíro'ks tewatahsontéhrha' testiateweiennatié:ren ne Katsistohkóntha' ohtè:ra' ne ki' ne aiaónhnhete' tsi nisaia'tahní:ron ne é:ren akahá:wihte' nothé:nen tiona'khwèn:'en tánon' nè:'e aó:wen áhsatste' tsik nó:nen tensatonhóntsohse'. Tóhsa ísi' nón:we ne teiahia'kserá:ke í:satst ne Katsistohkóntha', nek ioteríhonte' ne aioié:nawa'se' tsi nisaia'tahní:ron taontaka'shátsten'ne'. Ióntstha' nó:nen enion'tarihsenhserá:nohste', othé:nen enkahnhrá:rarine' tánon' ne aiakonekwenhsahserón:ni'. Ne naonhà:'a tioiánere' tsi nikahá:wi áhsko' nohtè:ra' ohnà:ken ne tiotierenhtáhkwen iohsa'kenhserá:ien'. Nek otsì:tsase's tánon' oneráhtase's íhsko ne ahsatenerahtakeri'tsherónnia'te'.
Jars labeled and filled with different medicines in Elaine’s home. (Courtesy: Melissa Stacey)
Kwah thikanonhkwa'tsherá:te' ne Tekastien'tahnhontéhrha' néne watié:sen aieién:tere'ne'. Kanerahté:sons ionerahtón:ton ákte' niiotenerahtaiera'tánion tsi nikastawí:nes. Kwah tho nikastawinò:ten tsi ní:ioht tóka' iottehtharónkwen nonerahte'shòn:'a, ne niá:we' ne ostawinà:ke aionerahtontónhake'. Kanonhkwa'tsherí:io onerahtákeri ne Tekastien'tahnhontéhrha' aotsi'tsa'shòn:'a katsi'tsarà:ken's ne aonsaiako'tonhkó:kewe' io'tónhkwate'. Kwah nè:'e ioweiénston nó:nen ok na'kaia'tò:ten' teiotì:niote' tsi niiakoia'tahní:ron, nó:nen í:wehre' akanenniò:kwanohste' noieròn:ta' tánon' io'tonhkwahrhóshere' iohkará:rens nóstien tánon' onasè:ta'. Thò:ne ne naonhà:'a tioiánere' naié:ko' Tekastien'tahnhontéhrha' ne tsi na'teiotsi'tsanekaronstsíhon. Sénha nó:nen iotkenhnho'ktà:'on, tsi kanenna'kè:sere'. Enwá:ton' enskakwatá:ko' teiotstien'tià:kon tánon' tsik nón:we iottáhkwen nó:nen iakéhrhos eniakónnia'te' nónerahte'.
Watié:sen nen' nè:'e ne aieién:tere'ne' ne Aró:sen Aotáhson. Kwah tsi ní:ne iosto'sera'nhétska' iotenerahtatí:wen ní:ioht íkene' katsi'tsarà:ken's ioron'ónhkóhare'. Enwá:ton' enhsatenerahtakeri'tsherónnia'te' ne aotsi'tsa'shòn:'a ne taontakaríhsi' tsi iah teion'wé:sen tsi iononhwákte' ne iakotenhni'tará:nis tánon' tsi iohkará:rens ienon'tà:ke nó:nen iakotenhni'tará:ni ne iakón:kwe. Enskaianí:iohste' tsi niiotenekwenhsahtentionhátie' tánon' enskahní:rate' tsi iewiraráhkhwa'. Enwá:ton' teiononhkwa'tsherahrhò:ton enhshehnekónnien' ne owirà:'a tánon' ratiksa'okòn:'a ne taká:ia'ke' tsi roti'tonhkwáhrhos; enskatáhko' noieròn:takon tsi roti'tonhkwáhrhos. Enwá:ton' otsi'tsa'shòn:'a enskahnawahserón:ni' nó:nen teiotathsiharáhton iakotenhni'tará:ni tánon' ò:ni' enskatáhko' noieròn:takon tsi iako'tonhkwáhrhos. Enwá:ton' tenkanenhstià:kon nonerahte'shòn:'a naón:ton' akanekwénhsia'ke' tsi nón:we teiakotenákhon tánon' iakotken'toránion tánon' ne takahsteríha'te' tsi niiosnó:re' wanihnón:nis. Nè:'e ò:ni' aó:wen ná:iontste' tsi nón:we niiakotia'tátshon, tehshakoteneróhare', tánon' nó:nen ó:ia' niiakohno'tèn:'en. Sha'oié:ra' aó:wen iontken'toráhkhwa' nen' nè:'e.
Translated by Karonhí:io Delaronde