Historically, the Navajo ate the ripened cones in the fall or winter and made a dye from the bark and cones. They used its wood for various purposes. Among the Zuni people, a poultice of the chewed root was applied to increase the strength of newborns and infants. An infusion of the leaves was also taken for muscle aches and to prevent conception. An infusion of the leaves was also taken postpartum to prevent uterine cramps and stop vaginal bleeding.Camazine, Scott and Robert A. Bye 1980 A Study of the Medical Ethnobotany of the Zuni Indians of New Mexico. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2:365-388 p.373 A simple or compound infusion of twigs was used to promote muscular contractions at birth and used after birth to stop blood flow.Stevenson, Matilda Coxe; 1915 Ethnobotany of the Zuni Indians. SI-BAE Annual Report #30 p.55 The wood was also used as a favorite and ceremonial firewood, and the shredded, fibrous bark was specifically used as tinder to ignite the fire sticks used for the New Year fire.Stevenson, p. 93
