TOPIC: Many Tops & Plants That I Buy - This topic is educational

Indian Turnip root/Jack in the pulpit - The Pawnee Indians ground the roots of this plant into a fine powder and dusted it onto the head and temples in order to cure headaches. Other Native Americans used it in the form of a poultice for rheumatism, boils, abscesses, and ringworm. The root was also dried, aged, and used to fight colds and coughs.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit contains calcium oxalate crystals. These crystals are poisonous. When eaten, they stick in the mucous membranes of the mouth and cause burning, irritation, and swelling. The swelling can be severe enough to block a person's air passages.So unless you know how to properly break this root down do not use it.



My personal observatin concerning this plant - This plant has often fooled me for a bunch of ginseng from a distance you can see the bright red fruit and it favors a pod of ginseng berries insomuch that the most trained eye may be fooled untill you advance closer to the plant and reconise that it is a Indian Turnip...This plant is not as plentyfull as alot of other plants are.When I go through the season I will gather the roots and dry them all season long before I sell them because in my area they are scattered every where but they are not in big patches.Now in your area that may be different.So it is not a root that I go digging to earn a days pay,but it is a root that I save and it does pay a good price per dry pound and is well worth digging and saving as I go along through the season.

Billy.

Billy, I have enjoyed this thread a lot. I dig Jack-N-The-Pulpit and put it in my perennial bed. Beautiful plant for sure. Most of the time the bulb-ed root is about the size of a golf ball on a mature plant. However, I have recently dug a few to transplant and they were waist tall and the bulb-ed root was the size of a tennis ball on a dozen or so. Also, the seeds really germinate well too. I have grown many from seed in my perennial garden as well as in the woods. I plant them just like I do ginseng seed. I space the seed a couple feet apart. Back in the day I used to be fooled as well. Spotting the big red wad of red berries from the creek bed, I had climbed many a steep hill to the top only to find the red berries do not belong to a big ole ginseng plant but a to this beautiful plant.
Enjoy your post on these woodland plants.
Latt

Latt thank you my friend and you are finding some very nice root bulbs them that are big as tennis balls are old timers no doubght it is also good to know that the berries produce well that information may come in handy in the future.









Latt wrote:

Billy, I have enjoyed this thread a lot. I dig Jack-N-The-Pulpit and put it in my perennial bed. Beautiful plant for sure. Most of the time the bulb-ed root is about the size of a golf ball on a mature plant. However, I have recently dug a few to transplant and they were waist tall and the bulb-ed root was the size of a tennis ball on a dozen or so. Also, the seeds really germinate well too. I have grown many from seed in my perennial garden as well as in the woods. I plant them just like I do ginseng seed. I space the seed a couple feet apart. Back in the day I used to be fooled as well. Spotting the big red wad of red berries from the creek bed, I had climbed many a steep hill to the top only to find the red berries do not belong to a big ole ginseng plant but a to this beautiful plant.
Enjoy your post on these woodland plants.
Latt

Rattlesnake Plantain - The fresh leaves and root make an external application for scrofulous sores, skin rashes, bruises, and insect bites. Native Americans used root tea for pleurisy, snakebites; leaf tea was taken (with whiskey) to improve appetite, treat colds, kidney ailments, blood tonic, toothaches. Externally, leaf poultice used to cool burns, treat skin ulcers. Physicians once used fresh leaves steeped in milk as a poultice for tuberculous swelling of lymph nodes, scrofula. Fresh leaves were applied every 3 hours, while the patient drank a tea of the leaves at the same time.



My personal observatin concerning this plant - This plant usely grows plentyful and is a diggers friend as it usaly yeilds good profits for a hard days work.The plant is used in is fulness the root,steam,and leaves are all used.A good digger can earn any where between $80.00 to $125.00 a day after drying and selling the harvest.I do not dig this plant unless I find it in good amounts because if it is scattered out the harvest and pay out would be much less.

Billy.

I got a ton of these jack in the pulpits growing in the ditches of my driveway. I pick the red seed clusters and put them is vases like flowers. They last quite a while that way. In fact because it's seeds the red seed cluster lasts after the stem has rotted. Great late summer substitute for flowers. I've never tried the root though. I'd have to be pretty hungry before eating plants that need to be treated before being edible. Unless it tasted like mana from heaven anyway. I eat cucumber root occasionally. That's good stuff. I also love to dig up Sassafras root too, but it illegal to sell it (as food anyway.)

Goldenseasl - is a Native American medicinal plant introduced to early settlers by Cherokee Indians.It is also called as ox-eye daisy, golden daisy, maudlinwort, moon daisy, eye balm, yellow root, orange root, eye-root, eye root and ground raspberry.Goldenseal can be found in moist forest soils and damp meadows.This plant is so bitter that it has almost no natural predators.

Goldenseal's benefits can be attributed to its alkaloids. These alkaloids are strongly astringent. Traditionally, goldenseal has been applied topically to treat minor skin wounds and cold sores. It has been taken orally to subside diarrhea and to boost the immune system. Once, it was also used as strong tea for indigestion. Today, it is used to help symptoms of the cold and flu. Goldenseal is commonly combined with Echinacea to treat cold and flu symptoms, especially coughs and sore throats.Lozenges containing goldenseal, echinacea and zinc are also popular.



My personal observatin concerning this plant - One of my all time favorites to dig because it is easy to identify and I usaly find this througout the year when digging other plants and barks and while waiting on the fruits to drop and mark them in my note book to go back and harvest.So before I ever start digging the plant I have a good harvest marked and ready.A good digger after washing and drying can earn from $60:00 - $150:00 a day digging this root.My best day of digging goldenseal was 17 pound wet.

Almost all of the people in this area and around us refer to Goldenseasl as Yellow root and do not even reconise the name Goldenseal and as many of us realise that Yellow root is actualy another plant entirely,just as many do not realise that at all.

False Unicorn/Star Grub - Women use false unicorn for treating ovarian cysts, menstrual problems, menopausal symptoms, vomiting from pregnancy, and infertility. Some women take it to normalize hormones after discontinuing birth control pills.False unicorn is also used to treat digestive problems and to relieve water retention by increasing urine flow. Some people also use it to rid the intestines of worms.



My personal observatin concerning this plant I like to dig this plant as it is always at the top of the price list for small plants.I depends on he size of the patch that you find,but star root is a diggers friend A good digger can earn up to $200.00 a day if he is in a plentyfull area but I have saw days when I dug $50.00 worth as it is not always in big patches and scattered,however if you find it plentyfull it is a good one.

I have a friend named William from Va: Last year during harvest ime for Star Grub He got on a hillside and stayed in there for over a week digging star root he made $ $975.00 that week.Like any thing it matters to find good patches,and always leave your seed and small plants no matter what it is that you are digging.

Billy.

Laddy Slipper - Native American healers used yellow lady's slipper to treat flu, hysteria, and certain other illnesses. Today, lady's slipper is combined with another herb, valerian root in products that claim to have calming effects.It is considered rare in its native North America, but it is cultivated for medicinal use in Eastern Europe. Native Americans used Lady's Slipper in love potions and to induce dreams.



My personal observatin concerning this plant - Laddy slipper is a rare plant and in some areas and States it is not legal to harvest the plant.Some States allow the harvest of the plant if the land is being cleared/clearcut like a strip mines etc....It is always good to make sure that you check with your agriculture department before you harvest laddy slipper.Alot of people actualy grow laddy slipper to sell instead of harvesting them wild and the markett does not seem to care that they are grown,and they are hard to grow as well.

I can not say what amount a good digger may make in a days work harvesting this plant because I have never sit out to hunt these.I do see them in my woods often,but can never bring myself to dig them as I think they are quite beautiful and there numbers are small around me compared to many other plants that we harvest.They can be sevral different colors,but in my area I only see yellow as in the photo or Pink.

If you have plenty in your area and if it is legal to harvest them,the money in these is good.

And always remember that every plant has a reproduction system and why`ll not many plants have a digging season placed on them and are legal to dig before they reproduce a responsable digger will still harvest after the seed has fallen,instead of before it has fallen,even if he is allowed to harvest before it has.If not then soon there will not be anything left to harvest in the woods that you hunt.Dig responsably at all times for yourself for your children and for future generations.

Billy.

Billy,
I spend a lot of time in the woods and have for 35 years. I do not recall seeing this beautiful plant here in Ohio ever. Not sure if it grows around here but that is one of the most beautiful woodland perennials I have ever seen. I too would have a hard time digging it. I would however transplant one into my perennial bed with all the other woodland plants I have growing. Sometimes the woodland plants transplant well and then again sometimes they don't. I currently have some Yellow Root, Jack-N-The Pulpit, Ginseng, Green Dragon, Trillum, Blood Root and wild ferns growing along with my hosta's.
Love this thread you started.
Latt

Hey Latt I am glad that you are enjoying this thread I am enjoying doing it also.

I have transplanted this into my garden and I can transplant one a year so I will send you a root to plant into your garden this season I will send a good amount of soil for the whole as well so you can have it in its original soil untill the plant takes hold that will help insure that it does well for you I think.

Latt these plants have many colors on the flower they are beautiful and I knowyou will enjoy having this one.

Billy.