Alaska's Wild Plants, Revised Edition. Janice J. Schofield
to savor their refreshing, light, blueberry tang. Toss a few blossoms on a salad or dip as a garnish. Limit your flower intake to ensure abundant fruits. Snack on the berries in the field while gathering. Bake in pies. Mix into a morning smoothie. Add to pancakes, muffins. biscuits, nut breads, salads. Make jam or juice. How about a blueberry vinaigrette, marinade, or liquor?
HEALTH USE: A study published in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health noted antioxidant values of Vacciniums and other berries. Values were compared using an ORAC scale (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity). The higher the ORAC value, the more antioxidants to protect the body against cellular damage that can lead to cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. Interestingly, while cultivated blueberries rank 30 on the ORAC scale and Lower 48 wild blueberries rank 61, Alaskan wild blueberries test a stunning 85. Blueberries have hypoglycemic and antidiabetic activity and are a valuable aid to those experiencing excess weight. Statistically, 32% of Americans classify as obese, and indigenous populations are particularly at risk. Trials published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry document blueberry’s abundant anthrocyanins, which “actively regulate genetic markers associated with obesity. Rats on high fat diets failed to get obese in the presence of the compounds so richly available in blueberries.” Blueberries also contain proanthocyanins, compounds having antiadhesion and antiproliferation properties, effective in easing urinary tract infections. For urinary tract infections while in the bush, young leaves (with a tart aftertaste) are often blended with blueberries and drunk 2 to 3 cups a day for up to a week.
OTHER: Blueberries are a valued subsistence food for Native communities and bush residents, both culturally and nutritionally. Blending blueberries with sugar and seal oil is a traditional Iñupiaq dessert. And blueberry pickled fish is another favorite. “Any meat or fat stored in blueberries” writes Anore Jones, “will get pickled, flavored, and brilliantly colored in a few days to a week.”
LOOKALIKES: Some foragers have been fooled by finding bell-like blooms on shrubby false azalea (Menzisia ferrugina), only to return at berry time to find no berries! Aptly called “fool’s blueberry,” this plant is a good teacher in observation as its family pattern is quite different from the Vacciniums.
COLTSFOOT
Petasites species Aster family (Asteraceae), Groundsel tribe (Senecioneae)
Coltsfoot is wide ranging and widely loved in Native villages throughout Alaska. Habitats vary from moist places in woods to Arctic tundra to rocky mountain passes. Its nickname “son before father” refers to coltsfoot’s unusual habit of flowering before the leaves develop. The fragrant cluster of blossoms sits atop a rather thick and hairy stem. Leaves vary from triangular to lobed and bear a thick felt-like covering on their undersides. All species are equally useable.
DERIVATION OF NAME: Petasites translates as “broad-brimmed hat” and refers, rather imaginatively, to the shape of the leaves.
OTHER NAMES: sweet coltsfoot, qaltaruat and pellukutar (Yup’ik), kipmimanggaun (Iñupiaq, Kotzebue), k’ijeghi ch’da (Dena’ina/Tanaina, “owl’s blanket”), penicillin plant (Iliamna area), son before father.
RANGE: Throughout Alaska. Petasites frigidus and P. hyperboreus can be found from the far north to the end of the Alaska Peninsula and to the Canadian Border. P. palmatus and P. sagittatus are mainly found in the eastern half of the state.
HARVESTING DIRECTIONS: Pick coltsfoot flowers in very early spring, before they start to turn brown. Leaves are safest for harvesting later in summer (when pyrrolizidine alkaloids are lowest; see Caution below). Rootstalks are dug spring or fall.
FOOD USE: Coltsfoot flowers are one of the earliest spring wild foods. During a June plant class in Kotzebue years ago, coltsfoot flowers emerging from the exceptionally late snowmelt starred in our soups, stir-fries, spring rolls, and tempura. Young leaves, in small quantities, were also added. In Flora of Alaska, Eric Hultén notes that roots were roasted and eaten by the Siberian Eskimos.
HEALTH USE: Coltsfoot has a plethora of names culturally, but a commonality of use. It is a “specific” herb for acute respiratory congestion and cramps. Petasites species contain the antispasmodic petasin. Leaf syrup provided dramatic relief when I experienced an acute bronchitis at my wilderness cabin. Indigenous people chew the root (and swallow the juice) for easing sore throat. Root decoctions and tinctures are used to ease asthma attacks. In addition, herbalists favor coltsfoot teas for stress-aggravated stomach cramps. Alaskan west coast Yup’ik also use leaf tea for stomach pain and diarrhea. Use of coltsfoot for relief of menstrual cramps is reported by Kodiak Alutiiq as well.
OTHER: A standardized root extract Petadolex demonstrates effectiveness in migraine prevention. The International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics published a clinical trial in which, “the frequency of migraine attacks decreased by a maximum of 60% compared to the baseline.” (Note: this pharmaceutic formulation removes the P.A. alkaloids discussed in the following caution, thus deemed safe for long-term use.)
CAUTION: Coltsfoot has been safely used for centuries by diverse people taking it short term for easing acute respiratory distress and cramps. Coltsfoot contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids (P.A.), which, in excess, can damage the liver. Herbalist Kathi Keville reports that in Germany, the recommended maximum dose of coltsfoot is 1 teaspoon dry herb daily for a maximum of 1 month. If pregnant, check with your physician before ingesting.
DANDELION
Taraxacum species Aster family (Asteraceae), Chicory subfamily (Cichorioideae)
Alaska has 11 dandelion species that free range from backyards to tundra to alpine. Species include the “common dandelion” of Eurasian origin Taxaracum officinale (used globally as food and medicine), the rare Alaska-only nodding dandelion (T. carneocoloratum) of scree slopes, and Alaska dandelion (T. alaskanum) of alpine and tundra, etc. All dandelions are forager friendly, though nodding dandelion should be spared because of its rarity. Dandelions bear yellow composite blossoms with only 1 blossom per stem (be certain to differentiate from false dandelions, which have stems that branch). Break a dandelion stem and it yields a milky sap. The smooth leaves have jagged edges, hence their French name dent-de-lion, or lion-tooth; tooth depth varies with species. Though taproots are normally a few inches deep, a Palmer student grew roots 2 feet long in her raised bed. Taraxacum roots have been recorded to penetrate the earth to a depth of 20 feet.
DERIVATION OF NAME: Taraxacum means “remedy for disorder.”
OTHER NAMES: blowball, dent-de-lion, pissenlit.
RANGE: Diverse habitats throughout Alaska.
HARVESTING DIRECTIONS: Leaves are most mild flavored early spring before flowering, and in autumn when new growth occurs. Plants in the shade tend to be milder tasting. Pick buds as available, and flowers in full bloom. However, if you intend to dry the flowers, harvest when just beginning to open; they will continue to “mature” while drying. If you dry fully open flowers, they will turn to seed. Dig roots early spring and late fall; brush firmly to remove dirt, and rinse well.
FOOD USE: Add mild dandelion leaves to salads, spring rolls, stir-fries, soups, and scrambled eggs. Rub with olive oil and sprinkles of salt and seasonings and dry as a snack chip. Blend dandelion with lamb’s quarter, chickweed, sorrel, and tomato juice as a refreshing elixir. Marinate summer leaves as salad or try the Tlingit way of cooking leaves in a change of salted water to remove any bitterness. Pickle buds like capers. Dandelion flower petals (pinch off and discard the green sepals) are a delightful salad garnish: mix with salmon, onion, rice, and