Among Interior Native peoples, fireweed was used externally as a medicine, sometimes mixed with other plants. They also peeled young stems of fire weed and ate the succulent marrow [pith] raw. Sometimes whole stems were boiled or steamed. Some Coastal peoples, after eating the marrow dried the stem peelings and twisted them into twine used for fished nets. Dried fire weed leaves have been used as a tea substitute in England and Russia, but may have a laxative effect. They also used the seed “fluff” to do weaving.