Łódź, Plac Niepodległości

The predatory wasp is Ammophila sabulosa. Native to mountains in central North America; cultivated in Poland as an ornamental plant. Edible plant - fruits raw or cooked, sweet and fleshy, but strongly flavoured; the roasted fruit is a coffee substitute; a tea is made from the fruits and young shoots. Herbal plant - was widely employed medicinally by many native North American Indian tribes who used it in particular to treat problems connected with the chest and kidneys; the fruits are appetizer, diuretic and stomachic, an infusion has been used in the treatment of stomach, kidney and bladder problems; an infusion of the twigs has been used in the treatment of fevers, pneumonia, coughs and colds; a poultice of the mashed and dampened branches has been applied to skin sores; the leaves are diaphoretic, disinfectant, febrifuge, haemostatic, laxative, sedative and tonic, a decoction has been used in the treatment of internal bleeding, constipation and constant coughing. Usable plant - an essentail oil obtained from the leaves and the stems of the plant is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations for skin tonics and as a masking agent for other aromas; the wood is extremely tough, aromatic, close grained, light in weight, fairly strong in endwise compression but moderately weak in bending, hard, durable in the soil, it is used for furniture-making, interior finishes, novelty items, chests, bows, hoops, hafts, wheels, etc.