Fireweed - tall
Latin Name:
Epilobium angustifolium
Categories:
As food
The pink flowers of the fireweed plant are edible and can be mixed in with jello and salads. In the spring, the new shoots can be cooked like asparagus, chopped and eaten as greens, or mixed in with salads.
As medicine
The whole plant can be boiled and the liquid rubbed on the skin for rashes. A poultice is made from the leaves and applied to burns, bee stings, aches and swelling caused by arthritis.
Source: Andre, Alestine and Alan Fehr, Gwich'in Ethnobotany, 2nd ed. (2002)
The leaves of the tall fireweed and dwarf fireweed are chewed and applied to bee stings and bites.
Source: Andre, Alestine, Nan t'aih nakwits'inahtsìh (The Land Gives Us Strength) (2006)
