Partridgeberry aka Squaw/Woman’s vine aka Mitchella repens. It’s in the Rubiaceae plant family along with coffee and cleavers. Some think the word squaw is from the Algonquin name “ekaw” meaning “woman”, so woman’s vine.
I’ve been meaning to post about this little vine for a couple years, every prepper should know this one, especially women of child bearing years. This plant seems designed for women’s health issues. It helps and has strong influence on menstruation, infertility and pregnancy, even easing labor pains. It also helps kidney stones pass.
To quote Patricia K Howell “Partridge Berry is an important gynecological remedy in modern herbal practice. It is considered a reliable tonic to treat deficiency and weakness with symptoms such as infertility, lack of menses, menstrual pain and threatened miscarriage. It is also an effective remedy for reducing excessively heavy menstrual flow and relieving persistent vaginal discharge. During the final trimester of pregnancy, partridgeberry used as a uterine or labor tonic.”
To quote Thomas Easley “Partridgeberry was traditionally taken as tea by Native American women during pregnancy. It was used to ease difficulties of pregnancy in the later stages and to make childbirth fast and easy. Partridgeberry salve, applied after breastfeeding, works wonders to heal sore nipples. Partridgeberry tones the uterus which eases painful menstruation and regulates periods of irregularity.”
You can harvest partridgeberry any time of the year, either dry it for tea or make a standard 1:2 tincture. Use the vine and leaves, not the root.
Pay close attention to the first two photos. Partridgeberry hides under leaf litter on the forest floor near water. Partridgeberry covers the forest floor under all the leaves in the 2nd photo, acres of it.
The last 3 pics are partridgeberry in bloom. This was the only time I’ve seen it bloom. It blooms in winter, summer, when ever it wants! And the little blooms vanish overnight. The little berries are red and edible, birds love them but they have no flavor. I have no nutritional info.
More hiding...
In Bloom
I’ve been meaning to post about this little vine for a couple years, every prepper should know this one, especially women of child bearing years. This plant seems designed for women’s health issues. It helps and has strong influence on menstruation, infertility and pregnancy, even easing labor pains. It also helps kidney stones pass.
To quote Patricia K Howell “Partridge Berry is an important gynecological remedy in modern herbal practice. It is considered a reliable tonic to treat deficiency and weakness with symptoms such as infertility, lack of menses, menstrual pain and threatened miscarriage. It is also an effective remedy for reducing excessively heavy menstrual flow and relieving persistent vaginal discharge. During the final trimester of pregnancy, partridgeberry used as a uterine or labor tonic.”
To quote Thomas Easley “Partridgeberry was traditionally taken as tea by Native American women during pregnancy. It was used to ease difficulties of pregnancy in the later stages and to make childbirth fast and easy. Partridgeberry salve, applied after breastfeeding, works wonders to heal sore nipples. Partridgeberry tones the uterus which eases painful menstruation and regulates periods of irregularity.”
You can harvest partridgeberry any time of the year, either dry it for tea or make a standard 1:2 tincture. Use the vine and leaves, not the root.
Pay close attention to the first two photos. Partridgeberry hides under leaf litter on the forest floor near water. Partridgeberry covers the forest floor under all the leaves in the 2nd photo, acres of it.
The last 3 pics are partridgeberry in bloom. This was the only time I’ve seen it bloom. It blooms in winter, summer, when ever it wants! And the little blooms vanish overnight. The little berries are red and edible, birds love them but they have no flavor. I have no nutritional info.
More hiding...
In Bloom
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