Pistachio – Pistacia vera

Pistachio nuts – with and without the shell

There once was a girl named Pistachio Penny.

Who lived in a kingdom of Pistachio Plenty.

Her father was the king and her mother was the queen.

And their beautiful castle was pistachio green…

 

By Samia Ali Arroyo 

Do you remember the first time you were introduced to Pistachios? I do, I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. My mother served us a special treat. We all looked forward to ice cream! BUT, when she brought out this green frozen stuff that had lumps in it…I was turned off. I know now it was a psychological response, but then and there I decided I hated Pistachios, the color, the taste, everything about them! A few years later my little brother brought home a bag of red shelled nuts, I didn’t like them either. When my hands were wet the dye stained my skin, and the taste was not to my liking. It was later I learned that they were one and the same with the lumpy stuff in what Mom called Pistachio ice cream!

 

This small native tree of Afghanistan, Iran, and the Islamic Republic of Turkmenistan grows in hilly and mountainous regions and is a member of the Sumac family. It is cousins with cashews, mangos, mombins (Spondias spp.) poison ivy, poison oak, and sumacs. This nut has been a popular delicacy since ancient history, some say since history began to be recorded! It has been cultivated for centuries, but in North America it was finally brought to California in the late 1890’s by a Syrian immigrant. Commercial plantings did not start there until 1970.

 

The seed (nut) is used as a sedative and tonic, with the use in Syria being for a sedative and as a digestive. In China the plan has been used to treat abdominal ailments, abscesses, amenorrhea, bruises, chest ailments, circulation, dysentery, gynecopathy, pruritus, rheumatism, sclerosis of the liver, sores and trauma.

 

A 100 gram portion of the edible nut has 594 calories, and the flavor is said to be pleasantly mild. The nut is rich in oil and is widely used in confections such as ice cream, cakes, and pies. Some reports say that it can even make a marmalade…? The Creation of the ice cream is credited to James W. Parkinson of Philadelphia somewhere around 1940.

 

This has been a very popular nut through history, and according to old tradition Emperor Vitellius of Rome brought them to Rome in A.D. 50, and finished off every meal by stuffing his mouth full of the nuts! The Queen of Shebah (possibly today’s Yemen) was so fond of them she declared all the pistachios grown in Assyria to be hers alone!!

Staghorn Sumac – Rhus typhina

Staghorn Sumac berries

…Now by the brook the maple leans

With all his glory spread,

And all the sumachs on the hills

Have turned their green to red…

by William Wilfred Campbell

This native to eastern North America grows where the soils are rich near streams, along roadways, railway embankments and at the edges of woods. From June through until September the fruit can be found ripe and ready for harvest. The seeds need to be fully ripe, deep red and sticky, or the flavor is not at its best.

When I was a young teen at Rock Creek Girl Scout camp in the mountains of western Maryland, we had a naturalist come to speak to us one summer. He told us about endangered species and also about those plants considered weeds that could become invasive, like the Staghorn Sumac. His logic was if we all harvested the berries every year, leaving enough for the birds in the winter, then they couldn’t become invasive. On top of that everyone would be drinking one of the most enjoyable natural, health drinks available.

He had us wash the berries, and then crush them in a pitcher. To that he added fresh spring water, a bit of sweetener (he used honey) and stirred well. About 4 hours later when we were hot and sweaty after tromping through he woods with him, he had us fill a glass with ice and he strained the water from the sumac berries over the cubes of ice giving us our first taste of wonder!

Although infrequently used in herbal medicine today Sumac was used by the Native American of this continent for centuries. Almost every part of the bush was useful in medicine.

            Leaves: are astringent

            Bark: are antiseptic, astringent, galactogogue, tonic

            Roots: are astringent, blood purifier, diuretic, emetic

            Berries: are astringent, blood purifier

            Sap: is astringent

The only caution in using this plant is that some sensitive people will develop a rash from contact with this plant. Even with the rash, it is NOT to be confused with its poisonous cousin Poison Sumac!

Staghorn has a large amount of tannin in its leaves and bark, which allows it to be used as a mordant in dyeing. The leaves also produce a brown dye. A yellow dye is obtained from the roots; and an orange dye is extracted from the inner bark when mixed with Bloodroot. A black ink can be had from the boiling of the leaves and the fruit together.

A practice that was popular many years ago, and is still is some small use today, is to take and dry the leaves and berries. These dried components are then added to other herbs and used as a smoking mixture by some Native American Tribes

Common Mango – Mangifera indica

Luscious, succulent mango fruit!

How do we guard you from the brute?

King of fruits, without dispute

To you we all humbly salute!

 

Ripe, and unripe in forms many,

Enjoyed universally by all and any!

Ah., delicious and sweet as sugar cane,

Protecting you can be wildly insane!

 

By Rajeshwari Iyer

This tree that is native to the Indian sub-continent was brought to California in 1880. Mangoes were cultivated in India for centuries and were taken to East Asia around the 4^th century BC.  By the 10^th century AD they had arrived in East Africa, then on to Brazil, the West Indies and later Mexico.

Mangos are used in folk medicine to treat diarrhea, chronic dysentery, catarrh of the bladder. And chronic urethritis due to the tannin present in the dried flowers. The bark is also astringent, being used to treat rheumatism, and diphtheria in India. The gum exudate from the trunk of the tree is used on cracks and sores on the feet and scabies. From the kernel a vermifuge powder is made, that can be used to also treat diarrhea, hemorrhages, and bleeding hemorrhoids.

The sweet flesh of the Mangoes is consumed raw, out of hand. If eaten unripe then the skin may be eaten also, but a ripe fruit has thicker, bitter tasting skin that is usually not consumed. Mangoes are used in drinks, ice creams, wines, teas, cereals, muesli bars, and in biscuits.

This tree of tradition and ritual has played a significant role in Hindu and Muslim spirituality. It is a symbol of love, and the leaves are used to adorn the lintels of temples for special occasions. They figure in many stories and rituals, often being depicted in the hand of the Lord Ganesh as a symbol of attainment. Ganesh receives a divine mango of knowledge from Narada after winning a contest. The flowers are oft used in the worship of the goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music, arts, science and technology.

Mangoes on display

Common Mango – Mangifera indica

Mangoes

Mango

It’s a fruit from warm climate
odd shaped I’ll  agree.
Smooth texture outside
and inside you’ll see….

 

I love the mango
so unique you will see.
It grows everywhere here
for all intent it is free.

By Doug Heyman, Key West, Florida
February 2005

 

This plant has been cultivated as early as the 5^th-4^th centuries BC, but only reached Brazil, the West Indies and Mexico after the 10^th century AD. The tree reached Hawaii before 1825, but in most of the Pacific it was only introduced in the last 100 years!

 

The Mango tree is central in Hindu and Buddhist cultures, being sacred in India. It is a symbol of love, and the leaves can often be found decorating the lintels of temples on special occasions. A perfectly ripe mango is oft found in Ganesha’s hand as a symbol of attainment. The flowers are used in the worship of the goddess Sarawati. The Mango has a prominent place in folklore and legend.

 

Many parts of the tree are utilized by man in everyday living: the fruit is food, the flowers and bark are astringent, Diabetes has been treated with leaf infusion, and the wood is used in building. The kernels are used as cattle and poultry feed with proper treatment. They also attract birds, bats, and bees.

 

It is the national fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines. It is also used to obtain a yellow dye by feeding the leaves to cattle and harvesting their urine!

Ivy, Poison – Toxicodendron radicans

Eastern Poison Ivy - hairy roots

Sacred to: Not noted

Myth 1: Drinking the milk of cows or goats fed on poison ivy plants can grant immunity to the rash.

Myth 2: The idea that American Indians chewed a leaf of poison-ivy to confer immunity is a

 myth which has never been documented.

 

Other Notes: (the original myth below can be found at http://www.herbcraft.org/poisonivy.html)

 

Medicine for the People

 

Long, long ago, when the two-leggeds first rose up from the Earth, they were stricken with awe by the beauty of the Creation that gave birth to them.  Everywhere they went, they looked at, smelled, touched, and listened to all that surrounded them; the trees, plants, insects, birds and animals with which they shared their home on this Earth.  To travel only a short distance often took much time, for there was so much beauty to be experienced between here and there.  It was in this time that the two-leggeds mapped the travel of the stars in the heavens, listened to the spirits of animals and learned the medicines of the plants that grew upon the Earth.

And for ages, harmony existed betwixt humankind and Nature.

But as time passed, the two-leggeds became ever more involved with their own deeds and thoughts, and less did they delve into field and forest to learn from their Elders, the plants and animals that dwelt there.  Now, when they would walk from this place to that, they would without notice tread upon the delicate flowers and small creatures that once they marveled at.  They would hunt and kill without offering thanks or expressing their gratitude, and they seemed to see the Earth only as theirs to be used for shortsighted ends.

So it was that the plants that grew upon the Earth called council with the Creator, deep in the Center of the Earth where all roots meet.   And they asked the Creator what should be done about the youngest of the Earth’s children, who now walked without respect upon the Earth’s belly, who took of them without asking and without listening, and who now seemed to think nothing of their place upon the Earth.  The Creator said to the plants that in the morning they would know of the decision to be made.

That next morning, as the sun rose it shone upon a new plant that grew among the others.  Distinct it was with three jagged leaves, white flowers and berries, and like Ivy it climbed up trees, stood on its own and covered the forest floor.  Surely believed the plants, the two-leggeds would see this new plant and wish to learn of its medicine.

But, alas, the Creator’s children saw it not, even as it spread before them throughout the forest.  They walked upon it, tore it away from the logs they wished to burn, and pulled it from their gardens without seeing it as new.

… and then, they began to itch, and a reddening rash, like the flush of anger, spread over their bodies.  Only then did the two leggeds see this new plant; only then did they learn of its medicine.  But time and again, they would fall into their own minds and again forget, until again they were afflicted with this new “medicine”.

Some, though, did become aware, regained their respect and wonder.  They learned that this plant, this poison Ivy, had come to them to call them back to attention, back into their bodies, back to the present moment to see what lay before them, and to watch closely where and how they walked upon the Earth.

So it was that Poison Ivy came into the world.

Thanks Jim McDonald for the telling of this story!

Poison Ivy – Toxicodendron radicans

Eastern Poison Ivy

Native Americans warned the early European settlers about this vine as early as 1609, when Capt. John Smith first used the term “poison ivy” and logged it in his records.

Urushiol is the name of the oil that is in every part of the plant, not just the leaves, and it can remain viable for as long as five years after the plant has died. Even cutting down the vine in winter, long after the leaves have died and fallen, and the plant has gone dormant, it can still cause dermatitis in susceptible people. The fur of dogs and peoples clothing can stay infected unless treated to eliminate the urushiol contamination!

To avoid poison ivy contamination be aware of where it grows….this types grows in eastern North America, including the Canadian maritime provinces, Quebec and Ontario, and all the US states east of the Rockies. It is normally found in wooded areas, along wooded edges, and exposed rocky areas. It likes open fields and disturbed areas. It can often be found climbing trees in very shaded areas.

There are several Mnemonic rhymes to help you remember what poison ivy looks like to help you avoid it:

• Leaves of three, let it be! (referring to the number of leaves)
• One, two, three? Don’t touch me! (again referring to the leaves)
• Longer middle stem, stay away from them! (refers to how the leaves look)
• Hairy vine, no friend of mine (referring to the hairy appearance of older vines climbing trees.
• Raggy rope, don’t be a dope (again referring to the hairy appearance of the vines)
• Berries white, run in fright
• Berries white, danger in sight (both this and the last are referring to the fall ripe berries)

 

Following are some suggestions for treatment. Remember not every treatment will work for everyone. A truly severe rash must be treated by licensed medical professionals. Some safe treatments for the rash:

• Oatmeal – boiled in water and the milky water applied to the rash
• Baking Soda – make a paste and apply to the blisters or use in a baking soda bath for soothing relief of the itch
• Vinegar – Just sprinkle directly on the rash for relief of itch
• Dishwashing liquid – washing the affected area will cut the Urushiol oil on the skin, eliminating spread of the rash
• Banana peel – rub the inside of the peel on the rash for relief
• Aloe Vera Gel – applying to the rash and blisters will lead to relief and aid in skin healing