Ethnobotany of the Meskwaki Indians / by Huron H. Smith.

220

BULLETIN, PUBLIC MUSEUM, MILWAUKEE.

[Vol. 4

Specimen 5098 of the Dr. Jones collection consists of the root and
leaves of Iodanthlius pinnatifidus and is called "miskacawigi" [red
flowers]. The boiled root yields a paint or toilet rouge, and it is used
by the fair sex to add to their charm, hence called by the Indians a
woman's love medicine. There is no record of any use by the white
man.
CUCURBITACEAE (GOURD FAMILY)
Squash (Cucurbita pepo var.). Specimen 5100 of the Dr. Jones
collection is the stem of the common Meskwaki squash, which is
ground up and boiled to make a medicine for female ills. It was given
no especial medical name. There is no record of its use by the whites.
Wild Balsam-Apple (Echinocystis lobata (Mx.) T. & G.),
"mishina'we" [Indian or man-in-the-ground] (P P). The root alone
is pounded into a pulp as a poultice for headache. It is one of the
principal ingredients of McIntosh's remedy, number 15, which he calls
a universal remedy for all sicknesses. It has been used by the eclectic
practitioners as an active purgative.
DIOSCOREACEAE (YAM FAMILY)
Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa L.), "ki'tcipyamiskahi" [great
twister] (M). The root of the wild yam is one of the remedies reported by Dr. Jones (3615), which is used by women to relieve pain
at childbirth. In Wisconsin, a tincture of the roots has been used by
the white man as an expectorant and diaphoretic, and a decoction of
the roots is said to be valuable in bilious colic.
EQUISETACEAE (HORSETAIL FAMILY)
Scouring Rush (Equisetum hyentale L.), "sesi'po" (M). Shown
in plate XLIV, fig. 2. The Meskwaki drink an infusion of the whole
plant as a cure for men or women of gonorrhea. Equisetum has been
used in South America as an intestinal and urethral astringent.
EUPHORBIACEAE (SPURGE FAMILY)
Flowering Spurge (Euphorhia corollata L.), "tcaposi'kfini" [bowel
movement] (M) "potea'temin" (P P). The root of this species has
laxative properties. It is often combined with a black root for a physic.