mmkatchatag's Journal

The organism I observed today is devil's club or s’axt’ in Lingit. Its scientific name is Oplopanax horridus. I went out to Lena Beach here in Juneau and this is one of the first organisms I saw surrounding the pavilion. I also noticed that all the leaves were facing towards the break in the forest above.

Its stem and leaf veins are covered in prickly spines all along them. Devil’s club also has small white leaves in the spring that then turn into bright red berries towards the end of the summer. It can be found in wet and shady forests along the coasts of southern Alaska to central Oregon. It can also be found along the Yukon in Canada, Montana, and Idaho.

Although its prickly spines can cause a lot of skin irritation if in contact with it, it has a lot of human uses. It has antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. All parts of the plant are used like the bark, wood, roots, berries, etc. Some of the common medicinal uses of devil’s club is arthritis, the flu, sores, postpartum childbirth, diabetes, lice, dandruff, etc. Since it is found in so many areas, the Indigenous peoples of those lands have found so many different uses for it because of its different properties.

Not only does this plant have tons of medicinal properties, but it is also known to be used for spiritual reasons in a lot of Indigenous cultures. It is widely known to be used to purify, cleanse, protect against harmful spirits, and bring good luck. Some people put the stem above the door frames in their houses while others chew fresh bark, or take baths with the bark.

Cites used:
http://cms.herbalgram.org/herbalgram/issue62/article2697.html
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=OPHO

Today was a really nice day out and I wanted to get outside so I decided to harvest this beautiful plant. I have only ever known it by its Inupiaq name which is ayuu but it also has a Lingit name which is s’ikshaldeen. I have also heard it be called Hudson Bay tea or Labrador tea. I found it on the path behind housing here in Juneau.

This plant has dark green colored leathery, narrow leaves that tuck under at the edges. It also has dense orangish- brown hairs on the underside of the leaves. During the late spring and early summer, it has clusters of white flowers at the very top of the plant. It also has a very distinct, pleasant scent to it. Ayuu can be found in tundras, muskegs, bogs, peatlands and is an indicator of wet and very acidic soil. It is distributed all across the northern parts of North America and in Greenland.

Ayuu is most popularly known to be used for tea but it also has been used for medicinal purposes. It is packed with Vitamin C so it has been used for anti-inflammatory purposes. As a tea, it can be used to help with healing the inner lining of your gut and it also relaxes your muscles. If used as a tea, it should be taken in small amounts as taking it in large amounts can be harmful. It has also been used to treat colds, pneumonia, diarrhea, arthritis, migraines, and the list goes on and on.

Sites used:
https://plantwatch.naturealberta.ca/choose-your-plants/labrador-tea/index.html
https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/cs_legr.pdf
https://floem.ca/en/blogs/blogue/quels-sont-les-bienfaits-du-the-du-labrador#:~:text=Through%20Time%3A%20The%20Benefits%20of%20Labrador%20Tea&text=Indeed%2C%20he%20was%20attributed%20many,Owen%20%26%20Johns%2C%201999).
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-539/bog-labrador-tea