Tiny Tusker’s
medicine trunk
let’s learn about medicinal plants!
Join us with Tiny Tusker, Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, and Evan Alvarado as we explore the many plants, herbs, and trees found in the medicine trunk! We take a look at past Indigenous uses, history, and even how they are used today as we learn about the qualities of each plant. Check back as we continue to update the series and learn more about medicinal plants!
Also, follow along with our Tusker Medicine Trunk Workbook! Inside you can find coloring pages, a word search, and a crossword puzzle!
Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz
Felicia is a Tewa-Xicana traditional healer living in the Sonoran Desert where she works as an indigenous foods activist and natural foods chef. Her work has been featured in Food & Wine, Spirituality & Health, and on Padma Lakshmi's Taste The Nation among many other platforms. Felicia loves sharing knowledge!
Evan Alvarado
Having deep roots in the arts and music, Evan Alvarado seeks to understand life through a creative lens. His mother an artist & videographer, and his father a musician, Evan has had lifelong inspiration in crafting his creative abilities. Evan owns and runs his video/media business AENIMATE MEDIA PRODUCTIONS.
Let’s discover…
Cholla Cactus
Cholla Cactus are indigenous to native to northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States, the calcium rich bulb makes for a great meal!
Learn more with Felicia and Tusker!
Wild Ginger
Don't be fooled by its name, while wild ginger sounds similar to the Southeast Asian root, it gives off very different qualities. It also attracts the beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly!
Let’s learn more with Evan and Tusker!
Honeysuckle
Honeysuckles thrive all across the world and come in many different varieties. They provide sweet nectar to bees and hummingbirds, some of you or your parents may have enjoyed this nectar if you come across one of these beautiful flowers!
Learn more with Evan and Tusker!
Mint
Mint is a green herb with a strong smell that may remind you of candy. Its leaves look a little spikey around the edges but are actually quite soft. It changes the scent of the meat or berries so bugs won’t want to eat them while making them tasty for us to eat.
Learn more about Mint with Tusker and Evan!
Blackberry
Blackberries love to grow in the wild and typically grow their fruit in the hot summer months. The berries grow on wild thorny vines, so be careful when picking them! They are a tasty and nutritious treat that helps the body function! There are plenty of recipes online to tell you how to make blackberry tea or a tasty dessert.
Learn more with Tiny Tusker and Evan in the video!
Echinacea
Echinacea or the purple coneflower is a very common type of flower that grows to be from 4 to 20 inches tall depending on the type of plant and is grown in North America, specifically the Eastern United States, from Iowa and Ohio to Louisiana and Georgia. This plant is sometimes called Missouri Snakeroot and has been used in studies to make mice 50-80% more resistant to sickness! It has plenty of medical uses to learn about!
Watch the video with Evan Alvarado to learn more!
Desert Lavender
Suppose you close your eyes and imagine the smell of clean sheets just pulled from the dryer, or maybe a nice warm bath filled with bubbles. You might be smelling lavender! Lavender has recorded uses for over 2,500 years ago! It comes from the Mediterranean, where ancient Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and Egyptians used the herb for its relaxing and purifying qualities. The North American plant called “desert lavender” is not the same as lavender but has deeper roots in Native American culture with similar uses as lavender. The word lavender has the stem “lavare” in Latin, which means “to wash.” No wonder why when you think of the scent of clean, you think of lavender!
Watch the video with Felicia to learn more.
Nopales Cactus
The nopales cactus is sometimes known as the prickly pear cactus and has long been a staple food and medicine for Indigenous peoples of the southwestern United States and Mexico! The large green leaves are called the nopales and the fruit that grows on them is the prickly pear, both are used in food and medicine. Be careful if you try to harvest the nopales or prickly pears because they are covered with needle-like spines, which provide natural protection from hungry animals!
Felicia tells us all about the Nopales Cactus in the video to the left, watch to learn more!