Traditional Uses for some of the Plants and Trees in my Back Yard

Traditional Uses for some of the Plants and Trees in my Back Yard

Horse Tail • Harvested in springtime • Stems contain sweet liquid • Cure for diarrhea • Believed to be good for the blood • Can be toxic if consumed in large quantities

Salmonberry Similar to Raspberry in growth Young shoots harvested in spring, peeled and eaten Berries eaten fresh when ripe Woody branches used for smoking salmon Vines boiled into a tea for stomach troubles Bark can be chewed for toothaches Bark boiled into a tea to ease labour pains Many women make jams and jellies from Salmonberries

Pineapple Weed • Related to German and Roman chamomile • Boiled into a tea to act as a mild sedative • Eaten to treat digestive and kidney problems • Can be given to calm a baby • Can be used to treat eye infections

Sword Fern • Rhizomes can be boiled and eaten • Fronds are used to line baking pits, and spread under drying berries • Young fronds can be chewed to ease a sore throat • Leaves can be chewed to ease the pain of child birth • Often used as bedding

Western Hemlock • Also called Alaskan Pine • Grows to over 200 feet tall • Different parts of the inner and outer bark is used to make dyes (red, black, and yellow/orange) • Used to collect herring spawn • Bark is boiled and used to waterproof woven baskets • Pitch is used to prevent chapped lips • Bark boiled into a tea to act as a laxative, an appetite stimulant, a treatment for TB, and to ease a sore throat

Western Red Cedar • Grows to over 200 feet tall • Can live up to 800 years • Because of its straight grain, cedar is often used for carvings, houses, and dugout canoes • Also used to make twine, rope, mats, clothing, and dishes • Beaten bark can be used as a sponge • Shredded inner bark is soft and absorbent, and can be used for diapers

Yellow Cedar • Grows to over 200 feet tall • Used in much the same way as the Western Red Cedar • The Yellow Cedar tree does not grow as large in diameter as the Western Red Cedar • Fibers are much softer and used for weaving into blankets and clothing

Edible Seaweed • Important gift and trade item • Eaten fresh or dried • Very high protein content • More vitamin C than an orange • Especially important in times of food shortage • Can be harvested year round, but is best in the springtime • Still harvested and eaten today • Some First Nations communities continue to harvest seaweed and sell to markets overseas Seaweed traditionally made up 10% of the diet of the Northwest Coast First Nations

Question: • What plant traditionally formed 10% of the diet of Northwest Coast First Nations Peoples, and was especially important during times of food shortage? • sword fern • seaweed • salmonberry • horsetail

Traditional Uses for some of the Plants and Trees in my Back Yard