Source: https://giizis13.wordpress.com

Ode’imin (strawberry) is known to the Anishinaabeg as the “heart berry.” According to Edward Benton-Benai in Mishomis, “It was said the ode’imin resembled the heart in shape, structure and color. Just as the ode’imin was connected to the plant by a vast system of leaves, runners, and roots, so was the heart connected to the organs and other parts of the human body.” Also, according to Mishomis, the roots of the ode’imin could be taken just before the berry ripened to purify a person’s blood. It is also good medicine for the heart and the teeth. The health of the teeth has recently been recognized, through medical research, as an indicator of and contributor to a healthy heart. The Gete Anishinaabe (old time Anishinaabe) recognized the importance of the ode’imin long ago and this recognition was most likely the reason for this important plant’s name in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language).

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