New England Aster – Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

New England Aster single flower

The New England Aster was a very important plant to the Native Americans. It-Brings-the-Fall is a Native American (which language was not referenced!) expression for aster. The root tea was used for treatment of fever and diarrhea. The entire plant was used as a fumigant in the long house, lodge, or other form of dwelling. And the early settlers learned to use it likewise! The flowers and leaves were burned in the sweat lodge to revive the unconscious, to treat mental illness, nosebleeds, headaches, congestion, and for smudging.

The New England Aster was also used in dyeing! There are many colors available from just this one plant. The stems, leaves and flowers of asters will produce a yellow-green with alum an mordant, brassy gold with a chrome mordant, greenish-gold with a copper mordant, bright yellow-gold with a tin mordant, dark grey-green with an iron mordant and a yellow-green with no mordant.