Other Names
Atamaoya, heiliger tabak, holy tobacco, Indianertabak,
Indian tobacco, killikinnick, kinikinnik,
kinnecanick, kinnickinnick, k’nickk’neck, larb,
native blend, ninnegahe, Uakan tobacco
Kinnikinnick is an Algonquian word that means
"the mixed" or "something that is mixed:’ It is
used to refer to various ingredients and smoking
blends that are ritually smoked by Native Americans,
for example, in the proverbial peace pipe.
The ingredients of such smoking blends are often
called larb, a corruption of the French word l’herbe
(Johnston 1970, 317*).
Smoking was and continues to be a part of all
Native American ceremonies, including shamanic
healings, powwows, meetings of the tribal councils,
ratification of treaties, and vision quests. The
Kiowa, for example, smoke sumac leaves (Rhus
glabra 1.) before they ingest peyote (Lophophora williamsii) to purify themselves for the ceremony
(Kindscher 1992, 185*).
Early reports about the smoking habits of
North American Indians often attributed kinnikinnick
with a variety of psychoactive effects. One
document described the effects as "narcotic;’
while another claimed that it was "like opium" or
that it made one drunk (Ott 1993*).
The main ingredient of the various mixtures is
uva-ursi (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi [1.] Sprengel
[syn. Arbutus uva-ursi 1., Arctostaphylos media
Greene, A. officinalis Wimm., A. procumbens
Patzke, Mairania uva-ursi Desv., Uva-ursi buxifolia
S.P. Gray, Uva-ursi procumbens Moench]), a member
of the Ericaceae (Heath) Family. In North
America, uva-ursi is also known by the names kasin,
ka-sixie, kaya’nl, kwica, sklewat, kinnikinnik, or
smoking weed. This prostrate-growing plant can
easily be confused (and adulterated) with bog
bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum 1.) and winter green (Gaultheria procumbens L.) (HoffmannBohm
and Simon 1992, 331). Its leaves are added
as an antiseptic ingredient to many diuretic teas
(Paper et al. 1993). The Flathead Indians smoked
uva-ursi in pipes and blew the smoke they inhaled
into the ears of those suffering from earaches
because of its numbing effects (Hart 1979, 281 *).
Prior to the introduction of tobacco, uva-ursi was
smoked throughout the American Northwest.
Later, the leaves were often mixed with tobacco
(Nicotiana tabacum). The Chehali say that uva-ursi
smoke causes a "drunken feeling" when inhaled. A
S’Klallam man even warned against mixing yew
needles (Taxus brevifolia Nutt.) and uva-ursi
because the blend would have "too strong of an
effect" (Gunther 1988, 44*).
Dried uva-ursi leaves contain 5 to 12%, sometimes
even as much as 15%, arbutin and occasionally
up to 2.50/0 methylarbutin (Hoffmann-Bohm
and Simon 1992, 331). The leaves have antibacterial
properties. High doses can induce labor
(Hoffmann-Bohm and Simon 1992, 335). The
leaves of the American plant contain the flavones
myricetin and quercetin (cf. Psidium guajava,
Vaccinium uliginosum) as well as arbutin,
hydrochinone, and gallic acid (Veit et al. 1992). A
closely related Mexican species, Arctostaphylos
arguta (Zucc.) DC., is known in the local vernacular
as madrofio borracho ("drunken strawberry
tree"), which may indicate a possible psychoactive
activity (Martinez 1994,205*).
One very popular admixture is the inner bark
of Cornus stolonifera Michx., which is also often
smoked by itself and is also known by the name
kinnikinnik (Johnston 1970, 317*).
To aromatize the mixture, musk glands as well
as various animal fats (such as buffalo fat) were
sometimes used (Kindscher 1992, 226*).
Some kinnikinnick ingredients are clearly
psychoactive, including the roots of Veratrum
viride, the leaves and seeds of the thorn apple
(Datura stramonium, Datura innoxia), the herbage
of Lobelia inflata, the various tobacco species
(Nicotiana spp.), sassafras bark (Sassafras albidum),
and others (Hart 1979, 281 *). Many of the
ingredients in eastern kinnikinnick mixtures are
commonly considered to be poisonous, and some
are especially dangerous: Datura stramonium,
Euonymus spp. (alkaloids; cf. Bishay et al. 1973),
Kalmia latifolia, Prunus serotina, Taxus spp.,
Veratrum viride (de Wolf 1974). The different
mixtures can have very different effects, which are
likely due to a wide range of possible synergisms
and pyro-chemical modifications.

Recipes
It is quite possible that the psychoactive effects of
some kinnikinnick recipes are produced by a
skillful combination of the various ingredients
and the resulting synergistic effects, even though
the individual ingredients might not themselves be psychoactive. On the other hand, there are also
recipes that do contain powerful hallucinogenic
ingredients (e.g., Datura stramonium). Unfortunately,
information about the relative proportions
of ingredients is not always provided.
The smoking blend called sagackhomi consists of
equal parts of (Emboden 1986, 162*):
kinnikinnick—- Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
(L.) Spreng.
tobacco—– Nicotiana tabacum 1.
The ceremonial pipe tobacco of the Blackfeet
contains equal parts of (Johnston 1970*):
pistacantobacc0436 )———- (wild Nicotiana attenuata Torr. (cf. Nicotiana spp.)
siputsimo (sweetgrass)—-Hierochloe odorata (1.)
Beauv.
Another mixture produced by the Blackfeet
consists of equal parts of (Johnston 1970, 317f.*):
kuk-see——-Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
(L.) Spreng.
pistacan (wild tobacco)——Nicotiana attenuata Torr.
The smoking blend of the Omaha consists of
equal parts of (Kindscher 1992, 184*):
chanzi———Rhus glabra L.
tobacco——-Nicotiana spp.
arrowroot—-Viburnum sp.
red willow—–Cornus stolonifera Michx.
The Cheyenne prepared a particularly "potent"
smoking blend from (Kindscher 1992, 185*):
aromatic sumac—Rhus aromatica Ail.
bearberry, uva-ursi—–Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
(L.) Spreng.
dogwood——Cornus stolonifera Michx.
tobacco——Nicotiana sp.
One popular modern ritual blend that can also be
bought as a finished product consists of:
blackberry leaf—–Rubus sp.
California poppy flower—–Eschscholzia californica Cham.
catnip———Nepeta cataria 1.
comfrey leaf———comfrey leaf virginianum L.
mullein———–Verbascum thapsus L.
raspberry leaf———–Rubus idaeus L.
spearmint———-Mentha spicata 1.
Virginia strawberry
leaf———Fragaria virginiana
Duchesne437
A different Native American smoking blend consists
of equal parts of the following ingredients
(R~itsch 1991, 168*):
damiana herbage———-Turnera diffusa
lobelia herbage———Lobelia inflata L.
passionflower herbage——Passiflora incarnata L.
water mint———–Mentha aquatica L.(cf. kykeon)

Kinnikinnick Ingredients
(from Foster and Duke 1990; Hart 1979*; Hartwich 1911,32 f.*; Johnston 1970*; Kindscher 1992*;
Ott 1993*; Rutsch 1973; Schroeter 1989; modified)

Literature
See also the entries for smoking blends.
Bishay, D. W., Z. Kowalewski, and J. D. Phillipson. 1973.
Peptide and tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids from
Euonymus europaeus. Phytochemistry 12:693-98.
Black Elk. 1989. The sacred pipe. Norman: University
of Oklahoma Press.
de Wolf, Gordon R. 1974. Guide to potentially
dangerous plants. Arnoldia 34 (2): 45-91.
Foster, Steven, and James A. Duke. 1990.
Easternlcentral medicinal plants. A Peterson Field
Guide. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
Hoffmann-Bohm, Kerstin, and Peter Simon. 1992.
Arctostaphylos. In Hagers Handbuch der
pharmazeutischen Praxis, 5th ed., 4:328-38.
Berlin: Springer.
McGuire, Joseph D. 1897. Pipes and smoking customs
of the American aborigines. Washington, D.C.:
U.S. National Museum.
Murray, Robert. 1965. A history ofthe Pipestone
National Monument, Minnesota. Pipestone,
Minn.: Pipestone Indian Shrine Association.
—.1983. Pipes on the Plains. Pipestone, Minn.:
Pipestone Indian Shrine Association.
Paper, D. H., J. Koehler, and G. Franz. 1993.
Bioavailability of drug preparations containing a
leaf extract of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (uvae ursi
folium). Planta Medica 59 suppL: A589.
Paper, Jordan. 1988. Offering smoke: The sacred pipe
and Native American religion. Moscow: The
University of Idaho Press.
Reagan, Albert. 1934. Plants used by the Hoh and
Quileute Indians. Transactions ofthe Kansas
Academy ofSciences 37.
Rutsch, Edward S. 1973. Smoking technology ofthe
aborigines ofthe Iroquois area ofNew York State.
Rutherford, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University
Press.
Schroeter, Willy. 1989. Calumet: Der heilige RauchPfeifen
und Pfeifenkulte bei den nordamerikanischen
Indianern. Wyk auf Fohr: Verlag fur
Amerikanistik.
Veit, M., I. Van Rensen, J. Kirch, H. Geiger, and F.-c.
Czygan. 1992. HPLC analysis of phenolics and
flavonoids in Arctostaphylos uvae-ursi. Planta
Medica 58 suppl. (1): A687.
West, George A. 1934. Tobacco, pipes and smoking
customs ofthe American Indians. Bulletin 17:1-994.
Milwaukee, Wis.: Milwaukee Public Museum.