Buy Pipsissewa Herb for Kidneys, Urinary Tract, and Other Benefits

Pipsissewa

Chimaphila umbellata

Pyrolaceae (wintergreen family)

If you’ve ever played Uncle Wiggly’s old board game, you might remember the phrase “The bad pipsissewa flinched and trembled when Uncle Wiggly took three steps.” This beautiful, creeping evergreen certainly doesn’t deserve a bad boy reputation! His Algonquin Indian name, pipsissewa, comes from a Canadian Cree word that means “breaks it into small pieces”, like breaking a stone in the bladder. Your official gender name, Chimaphila, means “winter lover”, as these tiny shrub-like plants are often prominent in winter snow. The name of the species, umbellata, points to its small umbrella-shaped flowers.

Also called wintergreen, ground holly, wax flower, and prince pine, pipissewa is native to eastern forests and thrives in mixed hardwood forest. The stems can be ten inches tall, crowned in midsummer by one to three small, fragrant, drooping, white to pink flowers. These small, waxy flowers eventually erect in a climax shape and become woody and fibrous as each plant projects its mature pod upward. Scratched or spotted pipsissewa, Chimaphila maculata, also called ratsbane or rheumatism root, 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 discomfort, and kidney problems. Eastern Algonquins used the tea to flavor other medications, to alleviate PMS problems, and as a diuretic, astringent, and sudorific (to induce sweating) for sweat baths. Iroquois herbalists used it to treat stomach cancer and rheumatism. Some tribes used decoctions of the leaves to treat eye problems and drank them as spring tonics. Along the west coast, from British Columbia to southern California and Idaho, lies the west C. menziesii, a coiled species, often variegated, standing six inches tall. The Thompsan Indians of British Columbia put poultices of the whole powdered plant to reduce swelling of the joints, legs and feet. Native peoples also put the leaves in poultices 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 in various health care products. Provides an earthy and musky flavor.

Bonds:

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 shiny, green-toothed leaves are signs of healing through the winter snows. However, the pipsissewa is now in danger across much of its natural range, which is why it is especially important to grow it in our medicine wheel gardens. It is difficult to propagate from seed. Propagate from one-inch pieces of underground rootstock left under the leaf mulch.

Companions:

Pipsissewa grows well with most shade-loving plants in the medicine wheel garden, especially the Mayan apple and the maidenhair fern.

When a pregnant woman feels feverish and sleepy, she is not sick, but her baby. Make a small packet of Pipsissewa about an inch thick using the whole plant. Put this in half a quart of water to soak. Take a cup four times a day until it runs out.

– Sam Hill, Onondaga Herbalist, Six Nations Reservation, 1912