[BalancedHealth] Native American Herbal Remedies

[Guest guest]

Comments?

Misty L. Trepke

www..com

 

Native American Herbal Remedies

 

Asthma

 

Skunk Cabbage.

Used by the Winnebago and Dakota tribes to stimulate the removal of

phlegm in asthma. The rootstock was official in the U.S.

Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1882 when it was used in respiratory and

nervous disorders and in rheumatism and dropsy.

 

Mullein.

Introduced by Europeans. The Menominees smoked the pulverized, dried

root for respiratory complaints while the Forest Potawatomis, the

Mohegans, and the Penobscots smoked the dried leaves to relieve

asthma. The Catawba Indians used a sweetened syrup from the boiled

root, which they gave to their children for coughs.

Backache

 

Arnica.

The Catawba Indians used a tea of arnica roots for treating back

pains. The Dispensary of the United States (22nd edition) states

this drug can be dangerous if taken internally and that it has

caused severe and even fatal poisoning. Also used as a wash to treat

sprains and bruises.

 

Gentian.

The Catawba Indians steeped the roots in hot water and applied the

hot fluid on aching backs.

 

Horsemint.

The Catawba tribe crushed and steeped fresh horsemint leaves in cold

water and drank the infusion to allay back pain. Other tribes used

horsemint for fever, inflammation, and chills.

 

Bronchitis

 

Creosote Bush.

A tea of the leaves was used for bronchial and other respiratory

problems.

 

Pleurisy Root.

The Natchez drank a tea of the boiled roots as a remedy for

pneumonia and was later used to promote the expulsion of phlegm,

Wormwood.

The Yokia Indians of Mendocino County used a tea of the boiled

leaves of a local species of wormwood to cure bronchitis.

 

Burns

 

Yellow-Spined Thistle.

The Kiowa Indians boiled yellow-spined thistle blossoms and applied

the resulting liquid to burns and skin sores.

Childbirth

 

To Speed Childbirth:

 

Partridgeberry.

The Cherokee used a tea of the boiled leaves. Frequent doses of the

tea were taken in the few weeks preceding the expected date of

delivery.

 

Blue Cohosh.

To promote a rapid delivery, an infusion of the root in warm water

was drunk as a tea for several weeks prior to the expected delivery

date.

 

To Speed Delivery of the Placenta:

 

American Licorice.

A tea was made from the boiled roots.

Broom Snakeweed.

Navajo women drank a tea of the whole plant to promote the expulsion

of the placenta.

To Stop Post-Partum Hemorrhage:

 

Buckwheat.

Hopi women were given an infusion of the entire buckwheat plant to

stop bleeding.

 

Black Western Chokecherry.

Arikara women were given a drink of the berry juice to stop

bleeding.

 

Smooth Upland Sumac.

The Omahas boiled the smooth upland sumac fruits and applied the

liquid as an external wash to stop bleeding.

To relieve the Pain of Childbirth:

 

Wild Black Cherry.

Cherokee women were given a tea of the inner bark to relieve pain in

the early stages.

 

Cotton.

The Alabama and Koasati tribes made a tea of the roots of the plant

to relieve the pains of labor.

 

Colds

 

Boneset.

Boneset tea was one of the most frequently used home remedies during

the last century. The Menominees used it to reduce fever; the

Alabamas, to relive stomachache; the Creeks, for body pain; the

Iroquois and the Mohegans, for fever and colds.

 

Colic

 

Catnip.

The Mohegans made a tea of catnip leaves for infant colic.

 

Contraceptives

 

Ragleaf Bahia.

The Navajos, who called the Ragleaf bahia herb twisted medicine,

drank a tea of the roots boiled in water for thirty minutes for

contraception purposes.

 

Indian Paintbrush.

Hopi women drank a tea of the whole Indian paintbrush to " Dry up the

menstrual flow. "

 

Blue Cohosh.

Chippewa women drank a strong decoction of the powdered blue cohosh

root to promote parturition and menstruation.

 

Dogbane.

Generally used by many tribes, a tea from the boiled roots of the

plant was drunk once a week.

 

Milkweed.

Navajo women drank a tea prepared of the whole plant after

childbirth.

 

American Mistletoe.

Indians of Mendocino County drank a tea of the leaves to induce

abortion or to prevent conception.

 

Antelope Sage.

To prevent conception, Navajo women drank one cup of a decoction of

boiled antelope sage root during menstruation.

 

Stoneseed.

Shoshoni women of Nevada reportedly drank a cold water infusion of

stoneseed roots everyday for six months to ensure permanent

sterility.

 

Coughs

 

Aspen.

The Cree Indians used an infusion of the inner bark as a remedy for

coughs.

 

Wild Cherry.

The Flambeau Ojibwa prepared a tea of the bark of wild cherry for

coughs and colds, while other tribes used a bark for diarrhea or for

lung troubles.

 

White Pine.

The inner bark was used by Indian people as a tea for colds and

coughs.

 

Sarsaparilla.

The Penobscots pulverized dried sarsaparilla roots and combined them

with sweet flag roots in warm water and used the dark liquid as a

cough remedy.

 

Diabetes

 

Wild Carrot.

The Mohegans steeped the blossoms of this wild species in warm water

when they were in full bloom and took the drink for diabetes.

Devil�s Club.

The Indians of British Columbia utilized a tea of the root bark to

offset the effects of diabetes.

 

Diarrhea

 

Blackcherry.

A tea of blackberry roots was the most frequently used remedy for

diarrhea among Indians of northern California.

 

Wild Black Cherry.

The Mohegans allowed the ripe wild black cherry to ferment naturally

in a jar about one year than then drank the juice to cure dysentery.

Dogwood.

The Menominees boiled the inner bark of the dogwood and passed the

warm solution into the rectum with a rectal syringe made from the

bladder of a small mammal and the hollow bone of a bird.

 

Geranium.

Chippewa and Ottawa tribes boiled the entire geranium plant and

drank the tea for diarrhea.

White Oak.

Iroquois and Penobscots boiled the bark of the white oak and drank

the liquid for bleeding piles and diarrhea.

 

Black Raspberry.

The Pawnee, Omaha, and Dakota tribes boiled the root bark of black

raspberry for dysentery.

 

Star Grass.

Catawbas drank a tea of star grass leaves for dysentery.

Digestive Disorders

 

Dandelion.

A tea of the roots was drunk for heartburn by the Pillager Ojibwas.

Mohegans drank a tea of the leaves for a tonic.

 

Yellow Root.

A tea from the root was used by the Catawbas and the Cherokee as a

stomach ache remedy.

 

Fevers

 

Dogwood.

The Delaware Indians, who called the tree Hat-ta-wa-no-min-schi,

boiled the inner bark in water, using the tea to reduce fevers.

 

Willow.

The Pomo tribe boiled the inner root bark, then drank strong doses

of the resulting tea to induce sweating in cases of chills and

fever. In the south, the Natchez prepared their fever remedies from

the bark of the red willow, while the Alabama and Creek Indians

plunged into willow root baths for the same purpose.

 

Feverwort.

The Cherokees drank a decoction of the coarse, leafy, perennial herb

to cure fevers.

 

Headache

 

Pennyroyal.

The Onondagas steeped pennyroyal leaves and drank the tea to cure

headaches.

 

Heart and Circulatory Problems

 

Green Hellebore.

The Cherokee used the green hellebore to relive body pains.

American Hemp and Dogbane.

Used by the Prairie Potawatomis as a heart medicine, the fruit was

boiled when it was still green, and the resulting decoction drunk.

It was also used for kidney problems and for dropsy.

 

Hemorrhoids

 

White Oak.

The Menominee tribe treated piles by squirting an infusion of the

scraped inner bark of oak into the rectum with a syringe made from

an animal bladder and the hollow bone of a bird.

Inflammations and Swellings

 

Witch Hazel.

The Menominees of Wisconsin boiled the leaves and rubbed the liquid

on the legs of tribesmen who were participating in sporting games. A

decoction of the boiled twigs was used to cure aching backs, while

steam derived by placing the twigs in water with hot rocks was a

favorite Potawatomi treatment for muscle aches.

Influenza

 

Native Hemlock (as opposed Poison Hemlock of Socrates fame).

The Menominees prepared a tea if the inner bark and drank it to

relieve cold symptoms. A similar tea was used by the Forest

Potawatomis to induce sweating and relieve colds and feverish

conditions.

 

Insect Bites and Stings

 

Fendler Bladderpod.

The Navajos made a tea and used it to treat spider bites.

Purple Coneflower.

The Plains Indians used this as a universal application for the

bites and stings of all crawling, flying, or leaping bugs. Between

June and September, the bristly stemmed plant, which grows in dry,

open woods and on prairies, bears a striking purplish flower.

 

Stiff Goldenrod.

The Meskwaki Indians of Minnesota ground the flowers into a lotion

and applied it to bee stings.

 

Trumpet Honeysuckle.

The leaves were ground by chewing and then applied to bees stings.

 

Wild Onion and Garlic.

The Dakotas and Winnebagos applied the crushed bulbs of wild onions

and garlics.

 

Saltbush.

The Navajos chewed the stems and placed the pulpy mash on areas of

swelling caused by ant, bee and wasp bites. The Zunis applied the

dried, powdered roots and flowers mixed with saliva to ant bites.

 

Broom Snakeweed.

The Navajos chewed the stem and applied the resin to insect bites

and stings of all kinds.

 

Tobacco.

A favorite remedy for bee stings was the application of wet tobacco

leaves.

 

Insect Repellents and Insecticides

 

Goldenseal.

The Cherokee pounded the large rootstock with bear fat and smeared

it on their bodies as an insect repellent. It was also used as a

tonic, stimulant, and astringent.

 

Rheumatism

 

Pokeweed.

Indians of Virginia drank a tea of the boiled berries to cure

rheumatism. The dried root was also used to allay inflammation.

 

Bloodroot.

A favorite rheumatism remedy among the Indians of the Mississippi

region - the Rappahannocks of Virginia drank a tea of the root.

Sedatives

 

Wild Black Cherry.

The Meskwaki tribe made a sedative tea of the root bark.

Hops.

The Mohegans prepared a sedative medicine from the conelike

strobiles and sometimes heated the blossoms and applied them for

toothache. The Dakota tribe used a tea of the steeped strobiles to

relieve pains of the digestive organs, and the Menominee tribe

regarded a related species of hops as a panacea.

 

Wild Lettuce.

Indigenous to North American, it was used for sedative purposes,

especially in nervous complaints.

 

Thrush

 

Geranium.

The Cherokee boiled geranium root together with wild grape, and with

the liquid, rinsed the mouths of children affected with thrush.

 

Persimmon.

The Catawba stripped the bark from the tree and boiled it in water,

using the resulting dark liquid as a mouth rinse.

 

Sources: Millspaugh, Charles F. American Medicinal Plants. NY: Dover

Publications, 1974.

Mooney, James. Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred Formulas of the

Cherokees. Nashville TN: Charles and Randy Elders, Publishers, 1982.

Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine Earth Food. NY: Fawcett Columbine,

1980.

 

--

Namasté, Cindi

Peace and Ble§§ings

Epona'Bri Rhiannon Raven Astra-Peace

Life is 10% attitude and 90% how you react to it.

 

In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust

 

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness.

Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten

lost.

 

May the God of your Choice Bless You!