Bidens vulgata

Native American Names

The only Native American name i could find in Omaha was "wau pezhe" there was no other name for it.

Description

Beggar's tick is an annual plant it's about 2-3in. tall. Stems are light- green or reddish brown and the leaves are up to 10in. long and 6cm across and the leaflet's has petioles up to 2 cm long. Leaflets are up to 3cm long and 1cm across, narrowly weight and it's an grass like plant. Introduced so it flowers around late July and it usually dies around end of November.

Location and Habitat

You could find this plant in Nebraska or all over the Midwest and our reservation grows by the school and by the pow-wow grounds. It habitats nearly all over the reservation buy mainly by cultivated beds, ditches, and grestry area.

Uses

The Native American used it for dress wounds and ulcers, the whole plant is antriheumatic and it is also used in enemas to treat intestinal ailment. Substance isolated from the leaves are bacterial and fungicidal. The applications include influenza, swollen and sore throat, enteritis, dysentery, jaundice, intestinal carbuncle, epilepsy in children, malnutrition in infants and hemorrhoids. Mostly the northern Native Americans like the Omaha's, Lakota's, Sioux's, and the ho-chunks mainly these tribes use it back in the day. Pilosa whole plant extract was tested for activity against various bacteria and fungi. The plant today has been published regarding the use of bur as an antimicrobial agent despite widespread traditional use in Brazil now. The recipes I would use today is for tea or salads or steamed and added to soups and stews they can also be dried for later use.

By Anthony Cook

This Page was last update: Friday, December 14, 2007 at 11:11:17 AM
This page was originally posted: 11/21/07; 10:21:52 AM.
Copyright 2008 Plants of the Omaha Indian Reservation

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