- Region
- North America
- Origin
- Moist, shady coniferous forests of the northern hemisphere, from Spain to Japan and North America
- Traditions
- Kwakwaka'wakw medicine
North America · Herb · № 972
Moneses uniflora
Herb · North America
Single delight
Moneses uniflora
A small plant of the heath family with a single nodding, white, fragrant flower. The pounded plant irritates the skin and can raise blisters.
Safety notes
Can damage the skin: do not leave on too long, not on sensitive skin and not on children. The plant is small and rare: do not pick it in the wild. Traditional use is no proof of effect; consult a doctor or pharmacist if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, take medication or have a medical condition.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Kwakwaka'wakw medicine: Can damage the skin; not on children or sensitive skin.
Preparation
External: lay the pounded plant briefly on the painful place and wash it off as soon as it burns.
Use in traditions
The Kwakwaka'wakw called it 'the blistering medicine'. For pain in the shoulder a man pounded the little plants between two stones and laid them on his wife's shoulder. 'Try to bear the pain a little while', he said, 'so that a blister comes.' When she could bear it no longer he washed it off, pricked the blister and laid a cloth with oil on it. Other peoples, such as the Makah, boiled the plant with Labrador tea and licorice fern for coughs.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Kwakwaka'wakw medicine
Attributed effects
'The blistering medicine', for pain in the shoulder.
Preparation and amount
Pound the herb between two stones and lay it on the painful shoulder; wash it off when it burns too much, prick the blister and lay a cloth with oil on it.
Caution: Can damage the skin; not on children or sensitive skin.