Wolfberry - Lycium pallidum

Ethnobotanical Uses

The Bush
The Flowers
The Fruit

 

Food:

"Acoma Sauce & Relish Berries cooked into a syrup. --- Havasupai Beverage Dried berries ground and mixed with water to make a drink. Dried Food Berries sun dried for future use. --- Hopi Fruit Berries eaten fresh from the shrub. --- Berries eaten. --- Porridge Ground Berries mixed with 'potato clay' and eaten. --- Preserves Berries cooked to make a jam-like food and served with fresh piki bread. ---Starvation Food Berries boiled, ground, mixed with 'potato clay,' and eaten during past famines. --- Unspecified Seeds eaten. --- Isleta Fruit Fresh, summer berries eaten for food. --- Jemez Fruit Ripe or cooked berries made into syrup. --- Laguna Sauce & Relish Berries cooked into a syrup. --- Navajo Beverage Berries mashed in water and used as a beverage. --- Dried Food Fruits boiled, dried, stored for winter use, and eaten dry. --- Sun dried berries used for food. --- Fruit Fruits eaten fresh. --- Berries used for food. --- Berries eaten fresh of off the bush. --- Fresh mashed berries mixed with powered clay to counteract astringency and used for food. --- Soup Fruits boiled, dried , stored for winter use, and made into a soup. --- Berries used to make soup and stew. --- Special Food Fruit sacrificed to the gods. --- Winter Use Food Fresh berries, soaked, boiled until tender, ground with clay, and stored for winter use. --- Navajo, Ramah Dried Food Berries dried and boiled with clay, sugar, or wild potatoes. Fruit Berries eaten raw or boiled with clay. --- Zuni Fruit Berries eaten raw when perfectly ripe or boiled and sometimes sweetened. --- "(Moerman 322-3)

Medicine:

"Hopi Ceremonial Medicine Plant used at the annual 'Niman katicina' ceremony. --- Navajo, Kayenta Toothache Remedy Ground root placed in cavity for toothaches." --- Navajo, Ramah Ceremonial Medicine and Emetic Leaves or root used as ceremonial emetic. Misc. Disease Remedy Plant used for chickenpox and poultice of plant used for toothaches. Panacea Bark and dried berries used as 'life medicine." Toothache Remedy Poultice of heated root applied for toothache. ---"(Moerman 322-3)

Other Uses:

"Hopi Ceremonial items Whole shrub used in Niman kachina dance. --- Navajo Sacred Items Plant considered to be a sacred plant. --- Navajo, Ramah Ceremonial Items Thorn ash used for Evilway blackening. Stem used to make Evilway big hoop. --- Zuni Protection Ground leaves, twigs, and flowers given to warriors for protection during war. A pinch of the mixture was given to each warrior. The warriors place it in their mouths, ejected the mass into their hands, and rubbed in on their faces, arms, and bodies so that the enemy's arrows could not harm them.----" (Moerman 322-3)