Chapters 6.30
6.30 - Polygonum bistorta
Melissa Schreuders , University of Guelph, Canada
Suggested citation for this chapter.
Schreuders,M. (2022) Greens, Fleshy Stems and Gourds. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/
Introduction
Medicinal plants have been used throughout the world by our ancestors, for thousands of years. One of these medicinal plants includes mountain bistort from the Polygonaceae family with the scientific name Polygonum bistorta. Mountain bistort is also often called Bistorta officinalis and goes by the common names Bistort or Snakeroot (Pawłowska et al. 2020). Mountain bistort can easily be confused with its relatives since the Polygonaceae family contains around 1200 species and the Polygonum genus contains an estimated 300 species (Vechiu et al. 2018). This paper will detail key facts about mountain bistort, it’s identification features, and association with Indigenous Peoples.
Description
Mountain bistort is a perennial herb, meaning it comes back every year for more then two years (Pechackova & Krahulec 1995). It can grow anywhere from 10 to 30 cm tall, with spikes of small, pink or white flowers that bloom at the top of the stems between June and September (Ali et al. 2015; Vechiu, E, 2018). Its light green leaves are a narrow heart shape and approximatly three to five centimeters in length (Ali et al. 2015, Vechiu, E, 2018). The starchy, pecan sized rootstalk as well as the large rhizome of the bistort plant contain the most medicinal biochemicals (Mehar & Tabarak, 2013, Porsild, 1937). An image of mountain bistort can be seen in Figure 1.
As a flowering plant, bistort has the ability to reproduce both sexually with a seed, as well as vegetatively (Nekratova & Shurupova, 2014). The rhizome is the main stem of the plant, that grows horizontally underground and can grow new plants from shoots. This makes it highly effective at vegetative reproduction (Pechackova & Krahulec 1995). One to three leaves at a time, can shoot up from the perennating bud, which sits about 10 cm below the ground’s surface (Starr et al. 2000).
Geographical Origins
Mountain bistort is consumed and used in many countries within Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America (Intisar et al. 2012). It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (Intisar et al. 2012a) as well as for an “emergency food” in Scandinavia, Switzerland, and Germany (Turner et al. 2011). Mountain bistort is found in the mountain habitats of most arctic reigons, these reigons include marshy alpine areas, dry tundra areas and the heathlands of Alaska (Ali et al. 2015; Porsild, 1937; Starr et al. 2000). The distribution of mountain bistort throughout North America is shown in Figure 2. Bistort typically grows between grasses and near water (Mehar & Tabarak, 2013). In North America, bistort was traditionally used by Indigenous people for its medicinal and nutritional benefits (Graves & Morries, 1834). There is not a lot of information on specific tribes or groups that used mountain bistort, however, the Alaskan Eskimos, Tanaina of Alaska, and likely the Inuit tribes all used it (Kuhnlein & Turner 1991).
How It Is Consumed
Most parts of mountain bistort plants can be consumed, and each part can be prepared in numerous ways. When compared to other medicinal plants in a mountain range of Russia, bistort was found to have one of the highest amounts of operational raw materials (Nekratova & Shurupova, 2014). Typically, the underground parts of the bistort, specifically the rhizome and rootstalk, are used for medicinal purposes while the rest of the plant is traditionally used only for its nutritional value (Mehar & Tabarak, 2013). The roots and leaves of bistort have commonly been eaten raw, cooked, or used as an ingredient in drinks and syrups (Intisar et al. 2012b). As an herb, bistort can also be made into a herbal tea, which can be used as a compress (Pawlowska et al. 2020). In addition, the rhizome can be dried and powdered (Pawlowska et al. 2020). Essential oils are often extracted from the rhizome and used topically as well (Ciopata et al. 2014). The following are ways in which some Indigenous Peoples consumed mountain bistort. Alaskan Eskimos would eat the leaves raw or preserve them in seal oil (Kuhnlein & Turner,1991). The Tanaina of Alaska would mix the leaves with other leaves or plant products or add them to stews as well as eat the bistort roots raw. The Inuit are thought to have chewed the roots after eating fish eggs as a way to clean their teeth (Kuhnlein & Turner,1991).
Medicinal Benefits
Mountain bistort is most known for its medicinal properties as an herb and has been referred to as a “single cure” for many health problems (Intisar et al. 2012a). Its medicinal properties are a result of bistort’s high content of phytochemicals like phenolics, flavonoids, steroids, triterpenoids and tannins (Intisar et al. 2012a)).
A study by Pawlowska et al. (2020) showed that bistort has anti-inflammatory and anti bacterial benefits when applied topically. It can be applied to open wounds to prevent or decrease bacterial infection, allowing the wound to heal properly. Its has even been shown to stop bleeding (Mehar & Tabarak, 2013). The contents of the rhizome also have the ability to regulate immune response in the body and skin, which decreases inflammation (Pawlowska et al. 2020). Additionally, it has been used to treat various skin problems such as smallpox, measles and even pimples (Mehar & Tabarak, 2013).
The phenolic compounds in mountain bistort give it the ability to kill cancer cells and therefore, it has the potential to prevent cancer (Intisar et al. 2012a). Ali et al. (2015) showed that mountain bistort was effective for treating diarrhea when it was induced in mice by castor oil. Further gastro-intestinal complications that bistort has been used to treat, include ulcers, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome and more (Mehar & Tabarak, 2013). Interestingly, it has also been found to be an effective treatment for snake bites (Ali et al. 2015). The bistort rhizome has been used to control heavy menorrhoea and reduce the risk of miscarriage as well (Pawlowska et al. 2020). In addition, studies have been done which demonstrate the effectiveness of bistort for treating arthritis in animals (Mehar & Tabarak, 2013). The question is not so much what bistort can treat, rather, what it can not!
Nutritional Benefits
Mountain bistort was traditionally an important and favorite source of carbohydrates for North American Indigenous peoples (Turner et al. 2011). This source of nutrition is highest at the end of the leaf-growing season, when the carbohydrate concentration in tubers is usually higher (Turner et al. 2011). Additional nutritional values of bistort include its high concentration of vitamin C and carotene (Turner et al. 2011). When compared to some other “weeds”, bistort was found to have a low percentage of ash or minerals, however, it had optimal zinc content, and higher concentrations of phosphorus, magnesium and copper then some of the other plants (Ciopata et al. 2014).
Limitations
Mountain bistort is an extremely dominant plant, meaning it is extremely abundant and able to negatively influence other plants around it by taking their resources (Pechackova and Krahulec 1995). When an ecosystem is dominated by one species, biodiversity decreases resulting in a decrease of ecosystem function (Cred et al. 2009). A single species has less to offer for the environment than a balanced ecosystem with more then one plant species (Cred et al. 2009).
Another possible limitation of mountain bistort is that it is unable to adapt to lengthened growing seasons (Starr et al. 2000). As the growing season lengthens with climate change, some plants will be able to adapt and dominate, before mountain bistort has a chance to grow back for the season, putting it at a disadvantage. A study done by (Schweiger et al. 2008) showed that a species of butterfly has the potential to adapt to global warming and expand its range, however, mountain bistort is its host plant, so it is limited to the area where bistort can grow.
References
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