Red Osier Dogwood: A Bridge Between The Practical and the Transcendent
This Sacred Medicine of the Dakota people heals eyes, bellies, and relationships
Red Osier Dogwood is a plant known by many names. In English, it is also known as Red Willow. In fact, Osier is French for Willow because it was mistaken by settlers for willow in the winter. In Dakota, it is called Caᶇŝaŝa (Chan-sha-sha), and in Anishinabe it is known as giniginige (or sometimes kinnickinnick, though this can also mean bearberry or smoking mix more generally). It spreads like wildfire at our house, so I wanted to learn more about it. Kakisimow Iskwew, Metis cultural activist, was told by her elders that, “Culture is the instructions for how to live on the land.” Though working with Red Osier Dogwood is not part of my ancestral tradition, it is an offering that this land knows well, so I am trying to listen and learn how I can be in good relationship with it. The main thing I use it for is for offerings, particularly when I am going to plant seeds or harvest something. I understand that it is powerful at carrying messages between people and to the spirit realm.
In Oceti Sakowin (Dakota, Lakota, Nakota) communities this plant is one of the four sacred medicines along with Sage, Sweetgrass and Cedar. There are ceremonial uses that I am not meant to know. Commercial tobacco became a stand in and necessary adaptation for Caᶇŝaŝa when the knowledge of how to process it was lost. This knowledge was actively suppressed by the US government who made the practice of Dakota culture (and Native American culture more generally), including the use of native languages and religion illegal. It remained illegal until 1978.
Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi, an indigenous-run organization managing the Lower Phelan Creek area in St. Paul, hosts wonderful plant talks called “Gifts of Plant Nation”. I have included many pieces of information they have shared below, and included the link to the talk where I do.
Identification
Red Osier Dogwood stands out in the crowd. Its stems are bright red, so you can identify it especially easily in winter. As the shrub ages, the older growth becomes brownish-red. It is a multi-stemmed shrub, with stems all originating near the same point. Stands of Red Osier Dogwood form dense thickets. Leaves are oval shaped, with a sharp point at the tip. They have clusters of white flowers that usually bloom in early spring, but the timing can be variable. Following the flowers, clusters of white berries form.
How to Grow
To plant from seed, make sure all of the flesh of the berry is removed. Then, refrigerate for at least one month. If transplanting or planting a potted Red Osier Dogwood, ensure that you only plant as far as the highest roots into the soil. If you plant it deeper than that, roots can grow from the stem that choke off the rest of the plant. You can also take a cutting of Red Osier Dogwood stem. Cut it at a 45 degree angle. Soak it in water until the stem sprouts roots and leaves, then plant in dirt.
How to Harvest
In the upper Midwest, now is the time to harvest Red Osier Dogwood, from about the first warm up in February until the first thunderstorm is the time that the most sap will be in the bark. Cut the red stems. Avoid cutting the main stems and the brand new growth. Otherwise, the plant is very tolerant of being cut. Bigger stems are easier to peel, but I try to use as much of what I harvest as possible. Use a pocket knife to shave the thin red layer off first, then peel the slightly thicker green layer. You can also cut the stem in half.
I have only used the inner bark in the past. It is used for smoking and for offerings. As I was researching, I learned that you can use the outer bark (the red shavings) for tea. Also, you can use the inner stem as a pain reliever if you soak it in water. One author commented on how much more difficult it is to harvest if you leave the stems to dry. I agree, wholeheartedly. They suggested only harvesting as much as you can peel within a week. I might even suggest less time than that. This year I harvested some about 2-3 days after cutting it and the stem closest to the cut was noticeably harder to peel.
Fredda Paul, a practitioner of traditional medicine and member of the Passamaquody nation says that Red Osier Dogwood should be left to dry slowly, ideally at a temperature around 65 degrees, 80 degrees is too hot and will decrease the amount of medicine in the bark.
The berries are also edible. I have not tried them, but have been told they are unpleasantly bitter.
Medicinal Uses
General
Iroquois people use Red Osier Dogwood for hemorrhage
Iroquois people also use it for pain
A poultice mixed with ash can be used for pain.
Also used for sore throats, cough, and fever
Head
Iroquois people use Red Osier Dogwood for headache
Eyes
Cree people use a decoction Red Osier Dogwood for sore eyes.
Ojibwe and Micmac people use decoction of Red Osier Dogwood root for eye pain and drainage
Decoction can also be used for styes
Cree people use the fruits are used for snow blindness.
Cree people also use the pith for cataracts
Gastrointestinal
Used as an infusion decoction to treat diarrhea by the Ojibwe and Potawatomi communities
The Maidu people used Red Osier Dogwood as a laxative and to induce vomiting
Kidneys
Used to fortify weak kidneys by the Shuswap people
Women’s Health
Used to prevent frequent pregnancies
A poultice of the inner bark is used for internal healing after childbirth
Skin
Decoction used for poison ivy and skin ulcers
Ojibwe people used an infusion/decoction of the inner bark for poison ivy
Bark shavings can be applied to wounds to stop bleeding.
Mental Health
Useful for treating irrational fears or paranoia
Useful for PTSD and hypervigilance
Helps people stay sober
Helpful for childhood anxieties (fear of the dark, monsters, kidnapping)
Helps with fears in autistic children as well
Spiritual
Smoked during ceremony to show respect, give spiritual protection, or carry messages to the spirits.
Helps people stay stronger spiritually.
Fredda Paul, a practitioner of traditional medicine and member of the Passamaquody nation notes that smoking Red Osier Dogwood is more effective than drinking it as a tea, because as smoke, it enters the bloodstream and can work on the inside and outside of the body. Leslie Wood Paul, suggests that for asthmatics and those who are sensitive to smoke to just start with one or two puffs because they can be helpful for breathing problems.
Medical Evidence
There is very little research on human medicinal uses of Red Osier Dogwood. To a certain extent, this makes sense because a substantial proportion of scientific research on plant medicine occurs in China, Iran, and Turkey, where they would not encounter this plant. Compounds contained in Red Osier Dogwood are well-known for their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Animal science research regarding poultry production suggests that Red Osier Dogwood is as effective as an antibiotic in preventing Salmonella infection in chickens.
Depending on the season of harvest, Red Osier Dogwood is one of the richest plants in polyphenol concentration. Polyphenols are important antioxidants. Compared to garlic, which is known for being rich in polyphenols, the peak polyphenol concentration in Red Osier Dogwood is 8-10 times higher. It also has higher polyphenol concentrations than lemongrass, lavender, rosemary, and calendula. Animal studies also showed that compounds in Red Osier Dogwood reduced stomach inflammation in mice infected with Helicobacter pylori (a bacteria that causes stomach ulcers and stomach cancer).
Adverse Effects
As I noted above, there has been very little research in the western biomedical system regarding Red Osier Dogwood. Based on the fact that it is used to induce vomiting and as a laxative, I would assume that it can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Ecosystem Services
The berries are eaten by small mammals and birds. Birds that eat the fruits include:
Wood ducks
Eastern bluebirds
Cardinals
Catbirds
Long-tailed chats
Crows
Purple finches
Yellow-shafted flickers
Crested flycatchers
Grosbeaks
Kingbirds
American magpies
Mockingbirds
Crested mynah birds
Orioles
Robins
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers
European starlings
Tree swallows
Scarlet tanagers
Brown thrashers
Thrushes
Vireos
Pine warblers
Cedar waxwings
Woodpeckers
Mammals that eat the fruit and leaves include:
Black bear
Beaver
Mountain beaver
Cottontail rabbits
Raccoons
Eastern skunks
Squirrels
Chipmunks
Mice
Rats
Inner bark is eaten by small rodents. Deer, elk, and moose eat twigs. They grow in dense thickets, which create shelter and nesting habitat for small mammals. The flowers attract pollinators. Red Osier Dogwood is a great plant to incorporate into restoration because it establishes well. It is also very effective at reducing erosion. Additionally, it is incredibly tolerant of extreme cold (even to -90 C) and flooding, which will likely make it an even more important plant with increasing weather extremes.
History and Folklore
In addition to medicinal uses, Red Osier Dogwood has also been used to make dreamcatchers, to make arrows and stakes, and as toothbrushes.
The Apache, Cheyenne, Dakota, Montana tribes, Ojibwa, Potawatomi, Omaha, Ponca, and Thompson Indians all smoke Red Osier Dogwood inner bark during sacred ceremonies. Many other tribes also smoked it outside of ceremony.
Red Osier Dogwood stems are also used for basket weaving and function similarly to willow in basket-making. Ojibwe tribes also used Red Osier Dogwood to make dyes.
Red Osier dogwood serves several other important cultural purposes. It can be used for the binding of a contract, as an offering, or in trade. At one point, red osier dogwood was so valuable that you could trade a handful of the dried bark for a horse. Red Osier Dogwood smoke is used by the Dakota people to cleanse the spirit and body or to bless the environment. It is used as a gift when asking for a favor, help, or knowledge. It is also used as a gift to animals, spirits, medicine men, the drums, or God/Great Spirit.
Red Osier Dogwood can also be used to mediate conflict in political or diplomatic settings and also in familial and marriage settings. It is also used in many types of ceremony including marriage, gratitude ceremonies, vision quests, and sundances.
In Iroquois story-telling, Red Osier Dogwood was a magic material that could make things happen immediately. A Red Osier switch could enlarge a table and make food appear, transform a dog into a monster bear, or transform logs into giant men. Arrows made of red willow never missed their mark. Red Osier Dogwood bark sprinkled on a lake could induce the lake-dwelling, blood-sucking monster to come to the surface. In one hero story, the hero had to convert red willow smoke into wampum beads. Heroes could also rise on Red Osier Dogwood smoke to pursue witches making a getaway. Red willow stems, arrows, and axes made from red willow wood were used many times to defeat supernatural enemies.
The Lakota believe, “What is done in the Star World, we do on earth.” Because of that, during the season for harvesting Red Osier Dogwood, the Big Dipper is the pipe and the sun is the live coal in the bowl of the pipe.
This story from the Dakota tradition shares how Red Osier Dogwood came to the Dakota people. It was originally shared at Sacred Willow: Keeping Tobacco Traditional:
One day, while the men were out hunting buffalo, the women and children were in camp. It was the end of August, and the choke cherries were ripe enough for picking. The women gathered their children and brought along some beautiful beaded tipi bags to collect this season’s choke cherries along the river. They collected into the evening when they heard the men returning to camp from hunting. All the children were accounted for except one. Ċanśaśa—no one could find him.
One of the older women returned to camp to let the men know the boy was missing. The entire encampment searched along the river for Ċanśaśa. The last anyone saw him was near this giant cottonwood tree with large branches that the children jumped off of into the water during hot, summer days. It was starting to get dark, and everyone gathered under the tree.
Under the tree was this beautiful shrub with bright, red branches. Everyone gathered in amazement. The Medicine Man pushed his way to the front of the crowd toward the bush. He said, ‘This is Ċanśaśa—he sacrificed himself for our people. We will use him in our prayers and smoke him in our pipes so that our prayers are carried to the spirits in the smoke.”
The crowd stunned, stepped back. The Medicine Man stated, “We will not collect his bark until after the last thunder and before the first thunder. That is when ċanśaśa is the most powerful. We will use ċanśaśa to heal our people and to come together in hard times. Ċanśaśa is not to be taken for granted—he is a gift from our creator.”
Magical Uses
Red Osier Dogwood is used in magical practices for meditation and clearing.
Flower Essences
Red Osier Dogwood flower essence is said to relieve the stress of spiritual growth and help you resonate with Mother Earth and the Milky Way. It can help to release trauma and promote family connections.
Blessing
Blessed Caᶇŝaŝa Thank you for sacrificing yourself For the benefit of the people of this land And the benefit of the earth Thank you for calming heated passions And opening ears to listen Thank you for healing eyes and bellies Thank you for allowing us to show proper respect Please help us to understand how to show you proper respect Please open our ears to listen to you That we may hear how to heal the people And heal the land Please open our hearts That we may be open to reconciliation and peacemaking Please open our minds That we may see new solutions to old problems
Wow. Have seen this plant many times hiking in the Santa Catalina Mountains. Makes me aware of a full universe of plants in these mountains that had underlying qualities lost among those considered to be more civilized. We walk in a land we do not know.