ARam’aas’kaq
Matricaria discoidea DC. = Matricaria matricarioides (Less.) Porter
Plant
Pineapple weed is an introduced plant that has spread to all Kodiak Alutiiq communities. The small, fragrant herb has round, berry-like, yellow flower heads and finely cut leaves. People call it by a Russian name, suggesting it may have been introduced by Russian colonists.
Food: Some people drink pineapple weed tea as a beverage tea and eat the berry-like flowers.
Medicine: A tea of pineapple weed (fresh or dried) can help a new mother to cleanse her system, produce milk, and cleanse her baby’s system. Sometimes a baby is given a small amount of the strained tea to help remove its black stools. The tea also removes the old blood left inside the mother after birth. Pineapple weed tea serves as a laxative, a relaxant, and a cleanser for a menstruating woman’s system. It is used it to relieve menstrual cramps, as sleeping aid, and to treat colds.
Material: Children enjoyed stringing pineapple weed flowers into necklaces.
