DOGWOOD 
| Medicine:
C. alternifolia was used to make an eye medicine by the Chippewa. The bark was simmered in water and used on aching muscles and a bark tea was used to promote sweating and break a fever. Ceremony: The leaves of some varieties of Dogwood were used in smoking mixtures including Red Osier dogwood (C. stolonifera) and the C. rugosa type of dogwood. The root of C. alternifolia was also used in a charm that was applied to muskrat traps. Technology: The inner bark of Red Ossier dogwood was used in mixtures for red, black and yellow dyes. The hardness of the wood makes it good for carving durable items. Note: When dogwoods flowered in the spring, it indicated the planting time for corn.
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© 1994 - Tara Prindle unless otherwise cited. |
