Bear Medicine and the Magic of the Skunk Cabbage

Join us on our hunt to find the wild and magical Skunk Cabbage. Learn about the history, stories, uses and benefits of this primal ancient plant medicine.

Western Skunk cabbage. (Lysichiton americanus)
This is a member of the arum araceae family which contains over 3000 specie mostly growing in tropical and sub tropics areas. Including plants like Taro and the peace Lilly.

The leaves can grow up to a meter in length and so were used by coastal native peoples for many practical applications such as to wrap bundles of food, layer pit cooks and Earth ovens, cover food, protect from rain and hold water with.

This plants roots are edible, but they must be processed to remove some of potentially toxic compound before consumption.
Large doses have been reported to cause nausea, headaches, vomiting. vertigo dimness of visions.

The Leaves should never be eaten!
Many Northwest native tribes cooked the rhizomes and used them as a food in the spring before the salmon came in. It is considered more of a starvation food though. If eaten the roots must be cooked thoroughly as they contain calcium oxalate and other potentially toxic compounds which cause a burning sensation in the mouth among other negative effect. Cooking them breaks down some of these compounds.

Small amounts of the tincture of skunk cabbage have been used with in asthma, chronic catarrh and some types of bronchial conditions.

This plant is also said to be helpful in epilepsy, and convulsions especially during pregnancy and labour.
The tincture and tea have been used with asthma, chronic catarrh and some bronchial conditions. It is said to be helpful in epilepsy, and convulsions during pregnancy and labour.
Externally the roots can be made into a powder or an ointment to ease pain and stimulate new connective tissue growth.

Skunk Cabbage root can make up from 50%-90 % of the black bears diet in spring.
It has been shown to be helpful with stabilizing blood sugar levels and helping with diabetes.
Skunk Cabbage contains lots of salicylates, accounting for its analgesic or pain relieving properties

Two prominent thinkers on the use of skunk cabbage that are worth checking out are:
Sean Donahue at http://greenmanramblings.blogspot.ca
and Stephen Buhner who shares many of his experiences with it in his books especially the secret teachings of plants.

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