Health Food in the Forest - Wild Strawberries

Health food has been right under our noses allhelped. Other uses included:
along - at least it has for those of us who live- Mashed strawberries were made into a paste
where the wild strawberries grow.and used to clean teeth and to relieve toothache.
When I was a little kid playing outdoors all- They used the juice to mix with water and
summer, we used to feel like we'd found treasurebathe reddened eyes and to squeeze into
when we came across a berry patch in the grass.inflamed sores and onto sunburned skin to speed
We'd sit on the ground and eat to our heart'shealing.
delight. It never occurred to us that we were- A tea made from the dried leaves was used to
eating health food - only that we were having arelieve stomach troubles.
treat that was as good or better than a candy- The strawberry's roots were harvested and
bar.made into bitters - for a Spring tonic and blood
The small size made these wild berries precious,purifier. My bet is that the settlers soon learned to
and picking them didn't fill a bucket very fast, socopy them, since those old-time farm and ranch
very few made it home with us to our moms.women had no corner drugstore.
I recently ran across a history of their use - itOther reading revealed that In the East, during
may make you view them with new respectthe American Revolution, Minutemen were saved
when you see them - and maybe make it worthfrom scurvy by drinking tea made from the fresh
your time to pick those tiny little gems.green foliage of the wild strawberry.
The Indians here in the west used wildSo it appears that the entire plant has been used
strawberries to cure a variety of ailments,as a health tonic all across North America.
beginning with colds. They probably didn't knowNext time you see a wild strawberry - do a bit of
about the vitamin C content, but knew whatharvesting!