The Ojibwa call it Zhoshkidjeebik, or Oja’cicji’bik meaning “slippery root”, or “soap root”. They would moisten and pound the root until it lathered up.

In Germany, it is known as Feuerkraut (Fire Herb), and in England, it is known as Bombweed because it was quick to colonize bomb sites. The American Cree knew it as Ihkapaskwa, to denote that it blooms when moose are fattening up and mating. Russia knows it as Kipri, and boils it to make Quaffe a fermented drink of malted rye, flour, and wild mint, and also use it to boil with fish, and use the leaves as tea, and they sun-dry the ‘center pith’ for later use.

The raw root can be eaten as a food source, and in the summer the stem is split open and the thumbnail or teeth are used to extract the inner edible ‘pith’ which is sugary. It tastes a little like cucumber but only when done in the summer.

The Blackfoot would rub dried fireweed flowers on their mittens and rawhide thongs as a waterproofing. The inner pith from the stems was dried, powdered, and rubbed on the hands and face as a powder to protect from the freezing wind chill and moisture from the snow.

The root is often dried and ground into flour for making bread, and the rose-pink flower buds are beautiful in desserts and salads. The roots have also been used as a substitute for coffee, in many areas of the world.

. . . . 60 Seeds