Herbs & Wildflowers

When hiking in spring and summer, fragrant flowers and herbs fill the air with sweet, dusky scents. I went hiking at Lady’s Slipper Trail in Creston, BC, and the wildflowers native to the Kootenays – wild rose, indian paintbrush, lady’s slipper, larkspur, valerian – greeted me cheerily. Additional herbs, like fireweed, oceanspray, ninebark, uva ursi, twinflower, and sweet Sicily, lined the path with lush green leaves. I went hiking with a local botanist, who introduced me to new plants and told me their medicinal properties. Many First Nations groups used plants for medicine, charms, food, and materials, and this post covers some of their uses they had for herbs and wildflowers.

Here are some wildflowers and herbs that add both beauty and medicine to the forest floor:

I would wear those slippers! The unique and dainty mountain ladyslipper is a wildflower both rare and very admired. This plant is endangered, sadly, and on my hike at Lady’s Slipper Trail (the very trail is named after this plant, for it is often seen there) we only encountered the one flowering stalk. Some First Nations peoples used the stalks and leaves as medicine, and pregnant women drank the medicine from this plant to guarantee having a small baby.

Twinflower, with its vining branches and dainty pink flowers, is a unique plant that aids in pregnancy and menstruation. It is said to help relieve headaches and sore limbs.

Used to kill parasites in the skin and lice, larkspur is a wildflower that is not often used in medicine anymore. Because of its infamousness as a “violent purgative” and as poisonous, caution is advised when using this plant. However, admiring its deep indigo hues on an alpine meadow is reccomended!

Indian paintbrush has distinctive fiery-tipped leaves, which is actually the flower part of the plant. The base of the plant can be eaten – in some areas of the United States, caution is advised before ingesting this plant, as it can soak up selenium from the soil. First Nations peoples used this plant as a contraceptive, and to lighten menstrual cycles. The flowers were also used as a red dye.

In my research, I have not come across sandwort being edible or medicinal, but its dainty white flowers are a pleasure to the alpine meadow.

Valerian is a herb that is used in tinctures, pills, and other medicines to calm one’s mind and aid sleep. The root of valerian is highly medicinal, with the most relaxing properties. One First Nations group used valerian as a disinfectant.

False Solomon’s seal root was used as a blood purifier, and the roots and berries were eaten. Young leaves were also eaten.

Mariposa lily (this one specifically three-spot) corms were eaten by the Ktunaxa, an indigenous tribe in British Columbia and Alberta. These flowers are beautiful and delicate, and cannot be transplanted easily. They are best left alone to bring the forest a dewy face of white sunshine.

Queen’s cup is a beautiful flower that produces a single blue berry, which grouse are reported to eat. One group of First Nations used queen’s cup as eye medicine, but this flower was not widely used among First Nations peoples, though the blue berry was used for a blue dye as well.

The plant old man’s whiskers is unique and interesting. When this plant goes to seed, feathery seed clusters erupt from the base of the flower, much like dandelion seeds. This plant is also called prairie smoke, for the seeds can resemble a haze on the forest floor. The plant was used for vaginal yeast infections and also as a women’s love potion.