Backcountry Uses for Medicinal and Edible Plants of the Yukon

31 July 2010

by Konrad Taube

From paddling down the Yukon to hiking up mountains at Hootalinqua, we are immersed in and surrounded by nature. We are stunned not only by how magnificent and transcendental nature is, but by how we are able to respectfully use the natural world to aide us on our adventure. From food to medicinal uses, simple methods of helping oneself are around each river bend, requiring only one's eye and basic knowledge of their surroundings in order to tap into nature's potential.

Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and rose hips grow wild in the Yukon and around the Yukon river. Containing Vitamins A, B1, B2, C, Calcium, Potassium, and Iron, these wild, treats are major preventers of malnourishment and are also delicious. The phenomenal qualities of these plants can be eaten raw or prepared into tea form, and all one is required to do is go out and search for nature's bounty.

Blood poisoning, nausea, and diarrhea – these are some of the many conditions that can injure an unlucky adventurer; luckily, nature has remedies to help cure these ailments. The powerful wormwood plant is made into a tea and consumed to help combat blood poisoning, caused by infected cuts. Change of diet, contaminated water, or spoiled food are frequent causes of diarrhea. The wormwood plant's bark can be eaten to remedy this sickness. Nausea, often caused by food, water, or seasickness, can be cured by drinking raspberry leaf tea. Each of these sicknesses can be very serious in a camp setting, due to their tendencies to be fatiguing or dehydrating, and the proper use of these three plants can be potentially life saving.

While we love and enjoy nature, we must also respect and revere it. Delicious and nutritious plants can be found consistently, but by eating a poisonous plant thought to be a beneficial one, one's sense of security can be completely inverted. Knowing one's surroundings and properly educating oneself about the wild edibles prior to one's wilderness venture is essential to maintaining a safe and pleasant trip into the wild.