Pipsissewa
Chimaphila umbellata
Pyrolaceae (wintergreen family)
If you’ve ever played the old Uncle Wiggly board game, you might remember the line “The pipsissewa mala shuddered and trembled when Uncle Wiggly took three steps.” This beautiful creeping evergreen herb certainly doesn’t deserve the bad boy reputation! His Algonquian Indian name, pipsissewa, comes from a Canadian Cree word meaning “breaks it into small pieces”, like breaking a stone in the bladder. Your official gender name, chimaphila, means “winter-loving,” as these small, shrub-like plants are often prominent in winter snow. the name of the species, umbellatepoints to its small umbrella-shaped flowers.
Also called wintergreen, ground holly, waxflower, and prince’s pine, pipissewa is native to eastern woodlands and thrives in mixed hardwood forest. Stems can be ten inches tall, topped in midsummer by one to three small, fragrant, drooping, white to pink flowers. These small waxy flowers eventually erect as climaxes and become woody and stringy as each plant projects its mature pod upwards. Pipsissewa striped or spotted, Chimaphila maculataalso called ratsbane or rheumatism root, it is a close relative.
Traditional uses:
Native peoples chewed and sometimes smoked the leathery leaves of pipsissewa to treat numerous conditions. The leaves and roots were steeped in strong teas (decoctions), sometimes formulated with other native herbs, to relieve coughs, colds, bladder ailments, and kidney problems. Eastern Algonquians used the tea to flavor other medicines, to relieve PMS problems, and as a diuretic, astringent, and sudorific (to induce sweating) for sweat bathing. Iroquois herbalists used this to treat stomach cancer and rheumatism. Some tribes used leaf decoctions to treat eye problems and drank them as spring tonics. Along the West Coast, from British Columbia to southern California and into Idaho, is the West C. menziesii, a whorled, often variegated species, six inches tall. The thompsan Indians of British Columbia ground the entire plant into powder to reduce inflammation of the joints, legs, and feet. Native peoples also plastered the leaves on skin tumors, ulcers, and muscle aches, especially as a remedy for back pain.
Modern uses:
A decoction made from pipsissewa leaves was an original ingredient in traditional root beers, and pipsissewa extract continues to be used as a flavoring agent in some sweets and soft drinks, as well as various health care products. Provides an earthy and musky flavor.
Deposits:
The biologically active compounds arbutin, sitosterol, and ursolic acid can produce various healing benefits but also irritate sensitive skin.
Growth and Propagation Needs:
Pipsissewa prefers dry forests and sandy soils. In most of our northern temperate regions, its bright green leaves are signs of healing through the winter snows. However, pipsissewa is now endangered in much of its natural range, making it especially important to grow it in our medicine wheel gardens. It is difficult to propagate from seed. It is propagated from one-inch pieces of underground rootstock left under leaf mulch.
Companions:
Pipsissewa grows well with most shade-loving plants in the medicine wheel garden, especially apple and maidenhair fern.
When a pregnant woman feels feverish and drowsy, she is not sick, it is her baby. Make a small bundle of Pipsissewa about an inch thick using the entire plant. Put this in half a quart of water to steep. Take a cup four times a day until exhausted.
– Sam Hill, Onondaga Herbalist, Six Nations Reserve, 1912