Cecilia Mitchell walks among the dozen or so varieties of herbs she grows, counting off the medicinal benefits of each as she goes. Licorice, that's for migraines.
Primrose helps with skin problems and stimulates hair growth.
And knotweed, she says, is especially important. It's good for arthritis and lowering cholesterol. Cecilia is Mohawk and lives on the 27,000-acre Mohawk territory of Akwesasne, which spans the St. Lawrence River, in between New York State and Canada. In her backyard, which ends on the banks of the St. Regis River, Cecilia has built a community medicine garden five tiers high. All the projects are under the auspices of the Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment.