1878. | Plants Used by Indians of the United States. 653 
substance which is used by the Apache Indians in gun-shot and 
other wounds, to stop hemorrhages, for which it is well adapted. 
Glycyrrhiza lepidota, called by settlers of Utah, Desert root.— 
Pah-Utes eat it for its tonic effects. In taste it is much like licor- 
ice. Whites sometimes chew this root in place of tobacco. 
Ephedra antisyphilitica, called teamster’s tea, since men travel- 
ing with teams in New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California, 
camping among Indians, contract venereal diseases, and use this 
plant abundantly as a remedy, taken internally in the form of tea. 
A quantity of the plant is often taken along in case of need. This 
is a well-known remedy for gonorrhoea among many Indians and 
Mexicans, It is a strong astringent, and may prove valuable for 
- its tonic properties. 
Dyeing Materials —Rumex hymenosepalus,a species of dock, 
is very abundant in sandy localities of mountain districts, 
and along river bottoms in Arizona and Southern Utah. Indians 
use the root for tanning buckskins. Moccasins made from leather 
thus tanned are rendered much more durable, and less liable to _ 
injury from moisture. It is also used in dyeing, as it yields a 
bright brown or mahogany color. Occasionally, Indians orna- 
ment their bodies by using this substance to form designs upon 
their limbs. Males especially, go more or less naked all the year 
round. The people of Utah use the leaf stem as a substitute for 
rhubarb to make pies. 
Sueda californica—At San Diego, California, it is commonly 
called glass wort, from the glassy brittleness of the stem. It 
yields much caustic potash, the ashes of which are used by soap 
makers. Indians gather the seed for food. The plant also yields 
a dark coloring matter. 
S. diffusa, Sah-ap-weep of the Pah-Utes. The seeds of this 
plant are very small; nevertheless, they are gathered in great 
quantities. They are very difficult to clean, but the Indians 
are glad to obtain them. They are ground fine and made into 
biscuits. The seeds have a decidedly salty, potash taste. The 
flour tastes best when made into mush. The Coahuila Indians, 
of Southern California, make a fine black dye by- steeping a 
quantity of this plant in water. For coloring their baskets black 
they take some mature rushes, and steep them several hours in 
this black dye, which is very penetrating, and the color is peated 
a but it has a very fetid, disagreeable smell. 
