Updates
Can You Guess This Shrubby Superhero? Name That Herb Episode 4!
It’s been a crazy summer so far. We’ve really been moving and shaking over here at Homegrown Herbalist with lots of travel and fantastic homesteading conferences! I’ve had the opportunity to meet many of you lovely folks, and I’m hearing that we need to have another round of Name That Herb! So, the dust has settled, and here we are. I’m ready for another round! How about you?
Clue 1: Traditional Medicine
Today’s mystery herb was an important medicine for several Native American tribes, including the Chippewa, Iroquois, Cree, and Algonquin. The specific tribes varied slightly in their uses of the plant, but one commonality that they all had was that they used this plant to support urinary tract health.
This plant is happy and abundant in Siberia and Scandinavia, so it’s always played a really important role in traditional healing practices in those regions, where it was also used to promote health in the urinary tract. I personally think when you have that many diverse cultures across that many countries, and they’re all using a specific plant for the exact same thing, hey, it must work!
This plant does not grow in China or India, so it’s not part of traditional Chinese medicine or Ayurvedic medicine.
Clue 2: Habitat
Today’s herb is a winter-hardy evergreen shrub, and it is native to northern parts of North America, Canada, Europe, and Asia. It’s happy as a clam to grow anywhere where it has a lovely, cold winter and sandy, rocky soil.
Clue 3: Medicinal Properties
Today’s mystery plant is fantastic for clearing infections and inflammations in the urinary and reproductive tracts. Shrubberies often like to help out in the reproductive tract, I’ve noticed. They are the nicest. Its astringent properties help firm and tone the bladder. But that’s not all—this plant can also aid in clearing kidney and bladder stones and is incredibly useful for addressing an enlarged prostate. So I’ve heard. I haven’t had many problems with my prostate. Lucky I guess.
Clue 4: Trivia
Native Americans and early pioneers used to smoke the dried leaves of this herb, either on their own or combined with tobacco or other herbs. Any guesses yet? If you are familiar with one of its common names, I just gave it away. :). It is also a popular ornamental shrubbery.
Here’s your last clue, and I think this one might be the one that tips off a lot of herb nerds out there. This plant has berries, and those berries are a favorite snack for bears. The Latin name of this plant means ‘bear’s grape’.
Alrighty folks! That’s all you get! Time to hop over to YouTube for the big reveal! I’m really dying to know how this one turns out for everyone. Some of the clues were pretty broad, but there were a couple hidden in there that are as narrow as you can get!
Let me know in the comments which clue gave it away!
Thanks for playing along today, and if you really want to know more about this particular plant, join The Homegrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine! We have a full-length monograph about this herb (48 pages…yes, we did get a little carried away…it happens). You can really dig into the medicinal uses, taxonomy, common names, distribution, cultivation, harvesting, ethnobotany, constituents… I could ramble on and on and on here, but we already did…for 48 pages. 🙂 It was great fun. Hope to see you there!
Hey, also, please let me know how the show is going so far. Are the clues too easy? Too hard? What would you like to see in the future? We need to film more episodes pretty soon!
I’m thinking of having a guest on the show. You guys pick. Doctor Jones? Doctor Adamson? Doctor Rose (I’m married to that one). Luci? Davis (cowboy hat guy)?
Thanks for playing, see you next time!
-Jenni-Leigh Rose (Instructor, HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine)
Take Your Herbal Education to the Next Level!
Consider joining the HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine. Our instructors dive deeply into plants, their medicinal constituents, and how they interact with the body. Take control of your health and become an herbalist now!
Are You Ready to Render Emergency Aid?
It is a terrible experience to see a friend or family member injured and in pain, and not know how to help. I have seen the heartache and panic this can cause. However, I have also seen the opposite: arriving in an ambulance to find someone who has the knowledge to care for the injury. When someone can take charge, stabilize, and provide aid to the injured person, it prevents panic and brings relief. It saves lives!
Bear berry
That was excellent and very educational!
Juniper?
Cranberry?
Uva Ursi
Kinnikinic is the native name or Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Juniper
You gave it away with It being a best snack! I think. 😉 Bearberry.
Uva U!
Uva ursi/bear berry
Typo! Not best but meant Bear. 🙄
Gravel Root
Uva ursi
I would have said Juniper till the last clue -bear. Even though I live in the north (Canadian island off east coast) I don’t know this herb -that is to say I don’t recognize it. That was fun though. I like all the info on its use given at the end. Thanks
Uva Ursi
Kinnikinnic/uva ursi/bear berry
Hi Jenny, thanks for the fun puzzler! I would say that this one is Arctostaphylos uva ursi, or Bearberry or Kinnikinnick , a beauty of a plant.
Uva Ursi!
Oregon Grape
Elderberry
Cranberry? Though kinikkinik sounds right as well. Actually I’ll have to go with kinikkinik. I know my friend gives me some to smoke with my tobacco.
Uva Ursi
Juniper
Is it kinnikinnick? That’s a plant that definitely loves the cold, mountainous regions. Grows like crazy on my son’s property at 3800 feet in Eastern Washington. It’s sandy and stony soil with layers of clay and VERY cold in the winter.
Uva Ursi
bearberry also called wild cranberry
juniper berry
Bearberry!
I’m going with Uva Ursi [bearberry] I know you can smoke the leaves of it as well, So I hope I’m right.
Uva Ursi. Better go tincture me some leaves. Pretty plant too. Thanx for the fun.
Cranberry?
Huckleberry or Elderberry