Beth’s Natural Way – Trout Lilies

Truxton, NY
Phone: 315-247-3279
E-mail: bethsnaturalway@yahoo.com

This is my favorite time of year due to the ablilty to go outside your doorstep and pick your self a fresh green salad. Everywhere you look there is an edible green just offering itself to the health of your starved cells. One of my favorites to add to the salad is trout lily leaves known as American Adder’s Tongue. The Latin name is Erythronium americanum.

This plant is found in the deep woods and once it flowers the leaves are unedible. Eat only a few at a time as too many can react as an emetc. But a few only will act as a strirring spoon to gently cleanse the stomach and colon wall. In the very early spring, the corm is edible, tasting like a potatoe. Clean off the hard outer shell of the corm and boil for ten to fifteen minutes and serve with butter. Some like to boil the leaves and serve them with truffle balsamic vinegar, much like spinach. I soak them in a bowl of one gallon of water to one quarter cup of apple cidar vinegar for fifteen minutes. After the greens have soaked, chop up with a knive so everything is very small, add your favorite salad dressing and let set for twenty minutes before eating. The bitterness of the greens will be greatly reduced.

The corm is fern colored and a very small round shape just under the earth. The roots are light brown. There are only two leaves, pale green with light brown spots similar to the markings of a brook trout, hence the name. Its height is only four to six inches. The flowers hang upside down and are yellow with purple interlaced.

The Native Americans called this plant Fawn Lily due to its two upright lance shaped leaves. They used the roots in tea form for reducing fevers. The leaves are eaten to help cleanse mucus from the stomach and colon walls. The leaves also feed the pituitary gland that is our connection to our emotional self. The Pituitary gland is the master gland in the brain that controls our endocrine system, our hormonal system. Every gland of this system carries with it an emotion. The thyroid, depression or happiness; the liver anger or peace; the adrenals, fight or flight; the pancreas, grief or acceptance and the uterus or prostate, unconciousness or moving forward. The leaves used in abundance are used to induce vomiting. In extract form, they act against gram-positive and gram negative bacteria. Externally, the leaves help to heal ulcers or to draw out splinters. Mash four leaves in a mortar and pestle then apply the fresh juuice where needed.

The classes at Beth’s Natural Way will be focusing this year on providing the information to pick and eat and heal with your herbs outside your doorstep.

Vibrantly,
Beth Hill of Beth’s Natural Way!

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