Red Baneberry (Actaea rubra [Ait.] Willd.), “wîckobidjiˈbîk” [sweet root], shown in [plate 76], fig. 1. The Pillager Ojibwe make a tea from the root, to be drunk by women after childbirth. It is to clear up the system. A man also eats the root for stomach troubles. White men use the root as a substitute for Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), which it resembles in appearances and properties. It has been used in treating ovarian neuralgia, uterine tenderness, subinvolution, and amenorrhea. It has also been used as a substitute for digitalis in fatty or irritable heart, but only after other remedies have failed. Headache due to eyestrain has also been cured by this root.
Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis L.), “mîdewidjiˈ bîk” [medicine lodge root], shown in [plate 74], fig. 2. The Pillager Ojibwe eat the root of this plant to clear the throat so they can sing well in the medicine lodge ceremony,—a sort of throat lozenge. Most of the anemones have been substituted for Pulsatilla and used for the same host of diseases by eclectic practitioners. Included in these ailments are: cataract, paralysis, rheumatism, melancholia, syphilis, dysmenorrhea, and many other morbid conditions.
Thimble-weed (Anemone cylindrica Gray.), “gande gwaˈ soninkeˈ cînagwûk” [looks like tumble-weed]. The Flambeau Ojibwe use the root for making a tea to relieve lung congestion and tuberculosis. Among the white men it has the same uses as Canada Anemone.
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis L.), shown in [plate 74], fig. 1. The Pillager Ojibwe have no name for this plant, but the root is considered a good medicine for stomach trouble. Eclectic practitioners consider it a diuretic, diaphoretic, and antiscorbutic, using it in jaundice, in smallpox to promote eruption, and in scurvy.
Goldthread (Coptis trifolia [L.] Salisb.), “wesa waˈ nikweˈak” [yellow?] and “wesa wadjiˈbîkweˈak” [yellow root], shown in [plate 75], fig. 1. The Flambeau Ojibwe use the decoction of the root to soothe and heal the baby’s gums while it is teething. It is also used as a mouth wash for adults when their mouths are sore. This use has been adopted by white men, who also use it in dyspepsia and chronic inflammation of the stomach.
Bristly Crowfoot (Ranunculus pennsylvanicus L. f.), “manweˈ gons”. The seeds are a hunting medicine with the Flambeau Ojibwe. Several of the Ranunculaceae have been used as counter-irritants by the white men.
Cursed Crowfoot (Ranunculus sceleratus L.). The Pillager Ojibwe do not know this plant, and have no name for it. Eclectic practitioners have used it as a counter-irritant.
Purple Meadow Rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum Fisch. & Lall.), shown in [plate 73], fig. 1. The Pillager Ojibwe have no Indian name for this, but use the root to make a tea to reduce fever. The properties of this root are considered almost identical with Berberis, which is used by white men as a tonic, stimulant and antiperiodic.
ROSACEAE (ROSE FAMILY)
Agrimony (Agrimonia gryposepala Wallr.), “sagaˈ tîgans” [seeds stick], shown in [plate 77], fig. 1. The Flambeau Ojibwe use the root with other ingredients as a medicine for urinary troubles. It is not much valued now by white men, although it has been used for its bitter astringent properties.