Chia Power

Elmer Flax

Annette, from the Pure Gardener in Geneva, Ill, posted this photo:

 

It's "Elmer," an antique chia head from the World War II era.

Since she didn't have any chia seeds, Annette tried using golden flax seeds. Then she put Elmer under a "cloche" to keep the humidity high.

You can read more about it on her blog.

Morton Pottery in Morton, Illinois made these unique bisque heads  in several varieties. Grass seeds were provided to sprinkle on the grooved surface of the pot. Elmer is one of a series of military grass growing heads were only made from 1941 to 1945. They are fairly rare and are often expensive. More here.

Original Chia Pet Commercial

The pottery figure is quite primitive as were the original pottery made in Oaxaca, Mexico.

And did you notice? There's no Ch-ch-ch-Chia Jingle!

An Historic Article on the Use of Chia Seeds by Indians and Mexicans in 1891:

CHIA.

BY EDWARD PALMER

Zoe

Published by Zoe Pub. Co., 1891

Pg. 140-141

The family of Labiates furnishes few food plants to mankind. Some few, like sage, thyme, sweet marjoram, etc., are used for flavoring, and several others as aromatic teas with more or less reputed medicinal virtues, but I believe among civilized people, only the Mexicans use them to any extent as regular articles of diet.

Chia, a name associated both with food and drink, occurs in the early histories of Mexico, but no clue is there given to the plants which furnish it. I have given some time in my botanical travels in Mexico to the investigation of the matter and find that several species of the genus Salvia are commonly used, both by Indians and Mexicans, in the preparation of various forms of food and drink.

That the use of Chia is of much antiquity is proved by finding large quantities of it with ancient Indian remains; the custom of burying food with the dead evidently prevailing as it does to-day. Among the aborigines it is known by names in their own tongue— the Pimo Indians call Salvia Columbaria "Dak"—but in intercourse with Mexicans or Americans, only the Spanish "Chia " is heard.

As a food both nutritious and palatable it deserves to be better known. We are, perhaps, too apt to look with contempt upon the contents of the Indian granary, and though Chia is never likely to take rank as one of the great staples, it may come to be as universally esteemed among civilized as it is among the aborigines of the region where it grows.

In preparing Chia for use the seeds are roasted and ground, and the addition of water makes a mucilaginous mass several times the original bulk, sugar to the taste is added, and the result is the much prized semi-fluid "pinole" of Indians and others—to me one of the best relished and most nutritive foods while traveling over the deserts; the ground meal mixed with sugar being very portable and easy to prepare while journeying. The taste and appearance is somewhat that of flaxseed meal. One readily acquires a liking for it, and learns to eat it rather as a luxury than on account of its exceedingly nutritious properties.

Salvia Columbaria, a very common plant both in California and Mexico, grows so abundantly in some localities that it can be cut, threshed and cleaned like grain, finds purchasers in the markets and drug stores of Southern California, Southern Arizona, Sonora, Sinaloa, Lower California and the gulf side of Mexico. In these localities it is the basis of one of the most popular drinks used, not only by the Mexicans and Indians, but by many Americans.

Salvia carduacea, of more limited range than the preceding, extending from Central California to the northern part of the peninsula, is used in the same manner and under the same name.

Salvia Hispanica grows about Guadalajara, in the State of Jalisco, and in the neighborhood of the City of San Luis Potosi.

Salvia tiliafolia grows about the settlement known as Noroga- chic, inhabited by the Tarahumares, in the Sierra Madre.

Salvia Chian, inhabiting the central table-lands of Mexico, has a wide distribution.

Each of these plants is prized by the inhabitants of their localities for the uses which can be made of them. S. Columbaria and' S. Chian are the best adapted to cultivation, large crops of these species being grown and harvested with profit, the seeds being a staple article and in constant demand.

One of the most refreshing drinks known is prepared by infusing the seed-like nutlets in water. The mucilagious drink resulting retains the aromatic properties, which are lost in the roasting, which is the preliminary step in preparing it for food; and when sweetened and flavored with lemon juice, is especially grateful in the hot days of summer, even to the sick, as it is easily borne by the most delicate stomach, and at the same time affords considerable nutrition.

Chia meal is often mixed with the meal of roasted corn, or other grains. If used without further cooking, it is called as above, "pinole." If cooked in water as gruel or porridge, it is "atole." It is a very agreeable food, particularly if sugar or flavoring is added. The Pima Indians are especially fond of Chia "atole," and consume large quantities of it.

The seeds of Salvia are useful in gastro-intestinal disorders, and it is often used in the manner of flax-seed as an emollient, or for cataplasms.

Chia Grande is Hyptis suaveolens, a very common plant in the State of Colima. The seeds are gathered in large quantities from wild plants as well as from those cultivated as a crop by the Indians, and they are used in the same manner as the seeds of Salvia, developing apparently even a greater quantity of mucilage when wetted. Among the Indians it is called "Chan," and to the attolle or gruel made by mixing it with corn they apply the name "Bate." Its aromatic properties are destroyed by cooking, but the mucilaginous property is largely developed. It makes a rather tasteless dish unless a little salt is added, or, as the Indians remedy the defect, a syrup made from sugar is sprinkled over it.

Both the drink and the attolle prepared from Chian grande, are sold in the markets, the Indian women keeping it in large gourds, covered over the top with banana leaves for cleanliness. In supplying customers a small gourd is used as a dipper, and water is added whenever the attolle becomes too thick.

Tea made from the roots of Hyptis Suaveoleus is used to purify the blood, and it is also used as a remedy for the diseases of women.

From Google Books at this link.

Please note: This version is slightly edited from the original. Scientific names, however, have not been corrected or verified.

Some Useful Articles About Chia Seeds

I have been collecting chia articles from a number of websites and have posted links to them here. I hope I am not infringing copyright. In each case, the author and publisher are credited.

In this 2005 article in the Saturday Evening Post, author Ted Kreiter provides a good introduction to chia seed, and to the medical findings of Dr. Vladimir Vuksan, who  studied the effects of Salba on human health at the University of Toronto.

Native Seeds/SEARCH is an amazing not-for-profit that has done much to preserve the biodiversity of native American crops. They published this article.pdf in a recent newsletter.

Our friends at Good Cause Wellness have published this 16 page nutritional profile of chia seed, including pages of great recipes.

Salvia columbariae is another species of chia, native to the American Southwest. It was an important part of the diet of virtually all native American tribes in California.  Here is a descriptive datasheet from the USDA.

Finally, last December Bottom Line Health Secrets published this short article which acknowledges my expert assistance. The day it appeared, my web traffic tripled!!

La Chiera

An image of Mexican agua fresca sellers published today by Rachel Lauden  reminds me of this:

It depicts a seller of "agua de chia." "La chiera" is a lithograph by the artist, H. Iriarte.

From: Los Mexicanos pintados por si mismos, por varios autores.  Edicion de m. Murguia.  published by Casa de m. Murguia portal del  Aguila de oro. Mexico.  290p. originally issued in parts 1854-1855.

Thanks to ethnobotanist Dr. Joe Cahill,  who provided me with this image.

I'm not entirely sure how to interpret it. She is selling the beverage in the large jug, but I'm not sure why she has both bowls and drinking glasses.

   

England, 1819

From the Botanical Register,  courtesy of the Missouri Botanical Garden.

La Chiera

A few months ago I received "La Chiera," a digitized image from my friend in California, Dr. Joe Cahill.

It's a wonderful lithograph, first published 150 years ago. Dr. Cahill encouraged me to reproduce it here for our readers.

Just for fun, and because the image shows amazing detail, I thought I'd publish it in parts, sort of like a jigsaw puzzle. The first part is just below. Come back soon to see the other parts!!

Based on the first part and the title, "La Chiera," what do you think the rest of the image looks like? 

(For a FREE 1 ounce sample of chia seed, send me your sketch of "La Chiera," as you imagine it will look.) (I will publish your sketch here. Note: This offer expires on February 15, 2008.)

La Chiera-Detail #1

Smithsonian Magazine

This month, the Smithsonian Magazine carries an article about Chia Pets on page 32. It's published on the web, here and features an interview with Mr. Joseph Pedott who founded the Chia Pet company (Joseph Enterprises) and who created the idea for the "Ch-ch-ch-chia" advertising slogan.

Back in September, I interviewed Joseph Enterprises Vice President, Mr. Michael Hirsch in his San Francisco office. At that time, he declined to tell me how many Chia Pets are sold every year. But now that information has been published in the Smithsonian article, along with other secrets, (such as Mr. Pedott's age)!

A Primary Source

Download the original article as a pdf

Bulletin de la Societe Botanique de France, 1882, Book 29. Pg 138-139.
Chia seeds, by M. Hiland Flowers (the American Journal of Pharmacy, May 1882).

(Translated from the French) These are the seeds of Salvia hispanica which, despite the name, is from America, as is common knowledge.  It grows in the northern regions of Mexico.  The oil extracted from this seed is even better than flax oil for certain industrial uses. 
It is also used in preparing a refreshing beverage.  To one glass of cold water, add a spoonful of seeds and a bit of orange blossom water. This beverage is an emollient and a soothing agent in any illness accompanied by fever. The gelatinous substance that the seeds produce is used for the same pharmaceutical purposes for which we use flax seeds.  For the aforementioned reasons, and for that of trying to lower its price (now 60 cents per pound), people are starting to cultivate it in the United States, specifically in Pennsylvania.

Footnote: This sage is probably not the only seed in America whose seeds produce a gelatinous substance and which are used for medicinal or nutritional purposes.  Dr. Edward Palmer, who is responsible for important recent botanical explorations of the northern regions of Mexico and the western states of the American Union, wrote a paper on plants used by the Native Americans.  He established that the chia of Mexico, of New Mexico and of Arizona is produced by  Salvia columbariae Benth.  Mr. A. Gray, in his Botany of California, vol. 1, p 599, holds the same opinion, as does Mr. Rothrock in his Report Upon United States Geographical Surveys West of the One Hundredth Meridian, vol. 6, p 48.   Rothrock’s book explains that prospectors in California made good use of the seeds called chia, which are those of  Salvia columbariae.   Large quantities were found in graves dating from several centuries back (see Bankroft, The Native Races of the Pacific States, vol.2 pp. 232, 280, 347, 360).  It appears that the Aztecs grew chia regularly, much as the Egyptians grew flax, the containers of which are found in their graves.  The Nahuatl name for this plant is actually "chia", or more correctly "chianzotzotl".  Thus was it described under the name of Salvia chian by La Llave. 

In France Guibourt classified the seeds in question under the name of Salvia hispanica L. (see his Natural History of Simple Drugs, 4th ed. 11, p. 432  and his Observations on the Products of Mexico, published in 1866).  He even had the plant cultivated in the gardens at the School of Pharmacy where, unfortunately, it did not take.  The Pharmacopoea Mexicana which appeared in the town of Puebla, Mexico in 1832 also speaks of Salvia hispanica.  Let us add to the information provided in the same issue of the American Journal of Pharmacy by Mr. John M Maisch, that the best proof of chia’s origin is that there are 3 distinct varieties (Fray Bernardino de Sahugun, General History of Things from “New Spain,” p. 537 and 624).  These difficulties present a promising thesis subject for a young pharmacist.

MY COMMENTS: In American schools, students are now being taught to consult primary sources such as scholarly articles, research papers, correspondence, maps, and photographs.  It is no longer sufficient to rely upon the encyclopedia (or Wikipedia).  This historic article, which was published in the Journal of the Botanical Society of France, is an excellent primary source.

So what does this article mean? The main paragraph summarizes some uses of chia that were common in 1882. The footnote, however, is a muddle, at best. It describes the confusion about which species of chia is  used. 

Apparently some "young pharmacist" did come along and sort out "these difficulties" because we now know that Salvia hispanica was used throughout Mexico and that Salvia columbariae was used by native Americans in the United States. (But remember that when this article was written there were only 38 states! )

Anyway, I've been collecting primary sources addressing the uses of chia seeds, and I'll add some of them here from time to time. I hope you find them interesting.

Note: Credit for this translation goes to my very talented friend Caroline in Madison.

I am presently seeking someone who can help me translate papers from the Spanish. Please email me for more info.