WISE
  • Home
  • About WISE
    • Mission and Goals
    • President's Message
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Partners
    • Location
    • Policies
    • Donors and Grantors
    • Annual Reports and Newsletters
    • Nic'anilen Na'
  • What We Do
    • Education Programs >
      • Aquatic Ecology Camp
      • Alaska Forum on the Environment
      • Changing Seasons
      • Copper River Stewardship Program
      • Outdoor and Wilderness Leadership Skills
      • Earth Discovery Day
      • In-Class Science
      • Science Lecture Series
      • Summer Hikes
      • Wild Plants Workshop
    • Research & Citizen Science >
      • Salmon Blitz
      • Willow Creek Research Consortium
      • Christmas Bird Count
    • Other Programs >
      • Copper Country Discovery Tour
      • Family Ice Fishing Day
      • Project Healing Waters
      • We are ALL Teachers
      • Winter Fun Day
  • Get Involved
    • Employment
    • Volunteer
  • Support WISE
    • Donate
    • WISE Store
    • Take Our Nature Tour
  • Contact Us
  • WISE Blog

WISEfriends Blog

Wild Plants of the Copper Basin:               Buckbean (Menyánthes trifoliàta)

6/24/2014

0 Comments

 
By Janelle Eklund
I rushed around the house getting ready to spend three days at Silver Lake. It’s exhausting getting ready to play – hah!
 
The sunny blue sky day followed me to the lake. After a relaxing dinner we took a ride down the McCarthy road with cameras ready for any inspiring scene. As we drove by a marshy area I spotted tall plants with white flowers emerging from the water, their long stems blowing in the breeze. I’d probably seen it before but didn’t recognize it as Menyanthes trifoliate or Buckbean. Rooty type stems at the base came up from shallow water depths. From the surface of the water the stems grew tall ending with three clustered deep green leaves pointing toward the sky. A separate stem grew just as tall ending in furry white clusters of flowers. Pink buds at the top sat like the tip of a paintbrush ready to spread its color. The tips of each five petaled snow white flowers kept a hint of the pink from the paintbrush. Each petal was graced with white furry protrusions. Five stately stamens dotted in brown grew from the tiny yellow center of the flower.
 
There are other common names for this plant but I prefer the scientific name. Buckbean just doesn’t sound elegant enough for this beauty. The flowers transform into bean looking shapes, thus the common name. Menyanthes is Greek meaning “month flower” of which there is debate on whether this means the length of time it is flowering or a tea from it giving relief from menstrual pain.
 
When the plant is in flower the leaves provide for some good medicinal uses but it’s important to dry the leaves thoroughly before using - if used fresh they can make you vomit. A tea made of the dry leaves – one tablespoon of leaves to a cup of boiling water and steeped – and drunk over the course of a day provides relief from a variety of maladies. This brew is high in vitamin C, iron and iodine so is good for scurvy and tiredness. It will stimulate your appetite, get your digestive juices flowing, relieve water retention, and can act as a laxative. Use in moderation as large doses can induce that vomiting and give diarrhea. Infusing the dried leaves into salves helps with skin sores and sore muscles.
 
This plant is somewhat scarce so if using, only pick from big patches and then be frugal in what you do pick.
 
 Sit with the plants before harvesting, ingest their essences and ask for permission to pick.
 
From my light to yours-
 
References: Discovering Wild Plants by Janice Schofield. See her book for more details.
​
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Who We Are

    WISEfriends are several writers connected with Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment, a nonprofit organization located in Alaska's Copper River Valley.  Most of these articles originally appeared in our local newspaper, the Copper River Record.

    Archives

    August 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2009
    September 2007
    August 2007
    May 2007
    May 2006
    May 2005
    March 2005
    June 2003
    September 2000
    July 2000
    July 1998
    June 1998

    Categories

    All
    Alaska Forum On The Environment
    Aquatic Ecology Camp
    Art
    Audubon's Christmas Bird Count
    Bear
    Birds
    Blueberries
    Camping
    Cats
    Changing Seasons
    Chosen Frozen
    Christmas Bird Count
    Clean-up Day
    Copper River Basin Symposium
    Copper River Stewardship Program
    Denali
    Donation
    Earth Discovery Day
    Fish
    Geology Camp
    Giving Tuesday
    Glacier
    HAARP
    Hikes
    Home
    Ice Fishing
    In Class Science
    In-Class Science
    Insects
    Interns
    Kotsina River Cleanup
    Lamprey Lecture
    Lecture Series
    Local Food
    Meadow Jumping Mouse
    Moose
    Natures Beauty
    Neighborhood Nuisance
    Nic'anilen'Na
    Oil Spill
    Owl
    OWLS
    Partnerships
    Plants
    Pop-Up Natural Playground
    Project Healing Waters
    Quinzee
    Redback Voles
    Re-Usable Shopping Bag
    Salmon Blitz
    Skiing
    Snow
    Snowshoe Hares
    Subsistence
    Tolsona Mud Volcanoes
    Tonsina River Trail
    Volcano
    Weather
    Wildfires
    Wild Plants Of The Copper Basin
    Wings Over The Wrangells
    Winter Fun Day
    WISE News
    WISE Thoughts
    Women Of Distinction
    Wrangell St. Elias National Park

    RSS Feed

Picture
About WISE
What We Do
Get Involved
Support WISE 

Contact Us
Policies​
Wrangell Institute for Science & Environment 
www.wise-edu.org
[email protected]
(907) 822-3575
​WISE is a
501(c)3
nonprofit
​organization
 
​

Contact Us

Donate
  • Home
  • About WISE
    • Mission and Goals
    • President's Message
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Partners
    • Location
    • Policies
    • Donors and Grantors
    • Annual Reports and Newsletters
    • Nic'anilen Na'
  • What We Do
    • Education Programs >
      • Aquatic Ecology Camp
      • Alaska Forum on the Environment
      • Changing Seasons
      • Copper River Stewardship Program
      • Outdoor and Wilderness Leadership Skills
      • Earth Discovery Day
      • In-Class Science
      • Science Lecture Series
      • Summer Hikes
      • Wild Plants Workshop
    • Research & Citizen Science >
      • Salmon Blitz
      • Willow Creek Research Consortium
      • Christmas Bird Count
    • Other Programs >
      • Copper Country Discovery Tour
      • Family Ice Fishing Day
      • Project Healing Waters
      • We are ALL Teachers
      • Winter Fun Day
  • Get Involved
    • Employment
    • Volunteer
  • Support WISE
    • Donate
    • WISE Store
    • Take Our Nature Tour
  • Contact Us
  • WISE Blog