Redstar Morning Glory – Ipomoea coccinea

Redstar

This shining star should be the center attraction in any hummingbird garden. When the light hits the flowers just right the yellow star at its center lights up in a gorgeous display! It is one of the very few examples of a red morning glory, but be careful…it can run away with your garden if you are not careful. In the right situation this plant can become aggressive in its reach for the sun! It is a native of the eastern North America; running from Texas and Florida north to Michigan and Massachusetts. In Arizona and Arkansas it has been declared a noxious weed!

 

As with most members of this family, you need to be careful of ingesting the seeds. The seeds are believed to be highly toxic. Upon ingestion you will find they have hallucinatory properties which may cause distortion of sight and hearing! 

 

This small morning glory was first described in 1753 by Linnaeus who took a word meaning scarlet or red (coccinea) for its species name. The Genus name is taken from two words in the Greek language: ips – meaning worm, and homoios – which means resembling or looks like. These two Greek words combined refers to the worm like twining of the plants of this genus!

 

In the language of flowers the morning glory symbolizes affection, and truly the myth of Chien Niu and Chih Neu reflects that. In Chinese lore they were young people entrusted by God to care for water buffalo (Chien Niu) and seamstress duties (Chih Neu). When they fell in love they forgot their duties in the heavenly kingdom. As a result they were punished by being separated. The star shaped flower of the morning glory represents the one day a year that they may share their affection with one another!

High John the Conqueror – Ipomoea jalapa or I. purge

High John the Conqueror

This vine is also known as Jalap root, a native of South America and Mexico, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, and parts of Mississippi.

It has long been used in magic, placed in mojo bags, and carried to attract money, love, success, and to stop depression. Anointing oil can be made using the root, just score the root in several places, cover with oil, and allow to it to infuse the oil. After several weeks strain the oil, place in a clean bottle with a small, fresh piece of root. Take drops of this oil to then anoint candles, sachets, tools, etc.

 

This root is considered poisonous, so caution should be used in consumption. Do not use the above oil for cooking or in any other way that might be absorbed through the skin or mucous membranes. Toxicity is noted due to Lysergic acid amide (LSA), a natural analogue of LSD, being present in the seeds. The symptoms of poisoning in mammals are: watery diarrhea and profuse fluid and electrolyte imbalances. It can also cause gastrointestinal symptoms if applied to an open wound.

 

Even though this plant can be toxic it has had use as a medicine. The root is harvested and dried for later use. It can be used as a strong cathartic (cleansing or purging) and purgative (cleansing or purgative) properties. It has been used to expel intestinal worms once something has been done to stun or kill them. If taken in even a slightly too high a dose it can cause severe gripping and pain of the intestines though. In the past it was given to children, combined with calomel or wormwood to work as a vermifuge. It was listed in the US Pharmacopoeia from 1820 through to 1864.

 

The Pawnee Indians of the southwest used the root, burned to produce smoke, to treat for nervousness and bad dreams. The powdered root was used on the skin for rheumatic thype pains; and the Lakota used scrapes of the root for stomach issues. The root was used as an emergency food by the Pawnee, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Arapaho Indians

Sweet Potatoes – Ipomoea batatas

The first recorded use of the name ‘Sweet potato’ is found in the Oxford English Dictionary of 1775. They are native to the tropics of South America, and were domesticated there at least 5000 years ago!

A leaf decoction was used in folk medicine for tumors of the mouth and throat. The roots can be eaten when processed by boiling, frying, or baking. In some tropical areas they are a staple food crop. Cherokee and Seminole used the tubers for food.

With a higher nutritional value than the white potato, the sweet potato has been found to be good for diabetes (in leaf tea form) and good for depression as well. It is high in Vitamins A, B, and C; also in iron, calcium, and phosphorus. It is in addition high in dietary fiber and complex carbohydrates!

In Hawaiian mythology Kamapua’a is the god of the Sweet Potato, he has a  pig-like snout, with which he roots up the tubers!

A twist on a Thanksgiving favorite from Paula Deen…

Sweet Potato Balls

 by Paula Deen

Ingredients

4 large sweet potatoes

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups shredded coconut, sweetened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 large marshmallow per potato ball

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the potatoes until tender, then peel and mash them. Stir in the brown sugar, orange juice, zest, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, toss the coconut with the sugar and cinnamon. Press mashed potatoes around each marshmallow, creating a 2 to 3-inch diameter ball. Roll the balls in the coconut mixture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Watch carefully for the last few minutes of cooking; the expanding marshmallows can cause the potato balls to burst open

Yield 4 – 6 servings

Cook Time: 20 min

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/sweet-potato-balls-recipe/index.html

  

 

 

 



 

Sweet Potato leaves

Whitestar Morning Glory – Ipomoea lacunose

Whitestar Morning Glory

Flowers of this plant are considerably smaller than other varieties of Morning Glories. They are usually white, but can be palest pink or purple in color. The five petals are fused into a funnel shaped flower.

This small flowered form is also known as Whitestar potato and some Native American peoples consumed it as food.

No references to medicinal use found…YET!

High John the Conqueror – Ipomoea jalapa

High John the Conqueror Morning Glory

This Plant was named for an African American hero named John the Conqueror. He was an African Prince sold into slavery in America. Even through slavery his spirit was never broken, and he is often perceived like the trickster since the man often fooled his ‘masters.’ Br’re Rabbit of the Uncle Remus stories is modeled after the man High John.

High John is used in magic to insure luck in gambling and love. It has been named in several blues numbers where in these contexts “conqueror” is pronounced ”conker” or sometimes “conqueroo”.

This plants root is a strong laxative if taken internally, use only in small doses. If too large a dose is used griping and sometimes nausea can result. Caution should be used in its consumption as it contains LSA, a ‘cousin’ to LSD.

Tall Morning Glory – Ipomoea purpurea

Tall Morning Glory

If you drive down any country road you may very well see these deeply purple flowers climbing the crops or surviving along the edge of fields after harvest. They climb the cornstalks and reach for the sun! Farmers really do not like them because their presence indicates that yields will be reduced in those fields where they show up. They can be weedy or invasive and are listed as noxious weeds in Arizona and Arkansas.

Ipomoea purpurea was brought to the American colonies about 1700, and was spread by garden peddlers throughout the countryside

The seed is anthelmintic, diuretic, and laxative. The seeds contain LSA, which has effects similar to LSD. In the past it has been used for the treatment of several mental disorders (no mention of specific conditions noted)

Field Bindweed – Convolvulus arvensis

Field Bindweed

Considered one of the most noxious weeds of crop lands through the temperate regions of the world; being especially problematic in cereals, beans, and potatoes. The species name ‘arvensis’ means ‘from cultivated fields’ telling of its invasive nature!

It was first documented in the United States in 1739 in Virginia; it arrived from Europe as a contaminant of farm and garden seeds.

A tea made from the flowers is a laxative, and used in the treatment of wounds and high fever. A cold tea made from the leaves is also laxative, and can be used to bath spider bites, or internally to reduce excessive bleeding during mensus.