Use of plants for food and medicine by Native Peoples of eastern Canada

Abstract

At least 175 food plants and 52 beverage plants were gathered by Native Peoples in eastern Canada. Iroquoian agriculturalists of southern Ontario cultivated corn, beans, squash, tobacco, and sunflowers, and gathered the greatest variety of food plants. Southern and eastern Algonkian hunters and gatherers ate a wide variety of wild plant foods including fleshy fruits, nuts, greens, and underground parts. Little is known about the use of wild food plants by northern Cree and Naskapi.Nutritional data for gathered plants indicate that many of these species exceed conventional plant sources for vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and fibre are particularly well represented in certain gathered plants. Some wild plant foods require special preparation or must be consumed in limited quantities because they contain toxic secondary metabolites.Over 400 plants are used in native medicine. Native medicine consists of rational and ritualistic components. Treatment of physical disorders, whose origin could be determined, was effective. At least 105 medicinal plants have a real effectiveness based on phytochemical constituents. Conifers were the most widely used group of plants in this category. Antibiotic monoterpenes, polyacetylenes and alkaloids, astringent tannins, and analgesic monoterpenes and salicylates are among the most rationally and widely used plant constituents.There is need for more research into nutritional constituents and pharmacological properties to assess the value and potential of plants used by Native People of eastern Canada.

The Biology of Canadian Weeds. 137. Brassica napus L. and B. rapa L.

“…In contrast, Arnason et al (1981) suggested an earlier introduction and described the extensive use of various Brassica and Sinapis spp. for food and medicine by native peoples of eastern Canada.…”

Antidiabetic Activity of Extracts from Needle, Bark, and Cone ofPicea glauca.: Organ-Specific Protection from Glucose Toxicity and Glucose Deprivation

“…When the bioactivities of extracts made from separated organs of the same species (i.e., root, stem, leaf, and fruit extracts) were compared, certain plants exhibited organ-specific activities , some of which could be attributed to differences in phenolic constituents within the plant organs (Harris et al, 2007). Here, we extend these findings to an analysis of minhikw, the Cree term for Picea glauca, a plant reported useful for controlling diverse diabetic complications among several First Nations groups (Arnason et al, 1981;Leduc et al, 2006), particularly the Cree of Whapmagoostui. We report that polar fractions of Picea glauca (minhikw) needle are more effective than bark and cone extracts at protecting PC12 peripheral neuronal precursors from both glucose toxicity and glucose deprivation.…”

“…As reviewed by Arnason et al (1981) as well as by Moerman (1988), the needles, cones, and bark are used separately by various First Nations groups of eastern Canada to treat different symptoms, including those associated with diabetes and its related complications (Arnason et al, 1981;Moerman, 1988;McCune & Johns, 2002). For instance, the cone and bark (gum) are prepared by the Abenaki for frequent urination whereas the Mi'kmaq and Atikamekw employ the bark to treat sores and wounds.…”

Non-wood Forest Products Based on Extractives- A New Opportunity for Canadian Forest Industry Part 2- Softwood Forest Species

“…The ethnopharmacological study conducted by Arnason et al (Arnason, Hebda, & Johns, 1981) has collected extensive data on this species. Several Native American First Nations consumed the gum-resin of various spruce species for chewing.…”

“…In Europe, a spruce species -Picea abies -was commonly used in medicinal baths to treat rheumatisms and nervous disorders; to this effect, young shoots and needles of 60 to 80 year old trees were preferably harvested for their inherently high concentration of active ingredients. Table 2 summarizes the main ethnopharmacological data published by Arnason et al (Arnason et al, 1981) with regards to the Picea genus in Québec. Reported therapeutic uses of any particular forest species often yield valuable information to help identify bioactive components of extractives, for future applications in nutrition, cosmetics, cosmeceuticals, pharmaceuticals, etc.…”