INDIAN
MEDICINEBy Lee Standing Bear Moore andTakatoka
Manataka American Indian Council
INDIAN
MEDICINE
By
Lee Standing Bear Moore andTakatoka
This
information is provided purely for historical and cultural
purposes. If used improperly, the herbs or substances
described herein, can be dangerous, if not fatal. For this
reason, methods used to prepare these primitive remedies in many
cases are omitted. Do not use any remedy described without the
advise of a professional health practitioner.
INTRODUCTION
The Creator gave many ways to heal bodily afflictions.
It is said that for every ailment known to man, Mother Earth has a
cure. We believe this to be so.
All animals, including humans must be attuned
with Mother Earth to remain balanced and healthy. We are part
of her, we are her and one day we all will return to her.
In this electronic fast age of concrete, plastic and the daily
grind, we lose connectivity with the peace and glory found at
our feet and all around us. Herbal medicine helps to
ground and bring balance.
It is useful to know herbal and
mineral medicines when we find ourselves or others in serious need
of treatment and a medical professional is not available.
Total dependence on doctors and hospitals is unwise in this
uncertain world. Practical knowledge of emergency medical treatment
is important for everyone. Knowing how herbal remedies can
benefit you and your family in your daily lives is also
important.
Use common
sense when it comes to mixing herbal remedies with prescription
drugs. Do not do it. We do not advocate the
replacement of professional medical intervention with the
information provided here.
The practice
of herbal medicine is a science, not a pastime. Do not
use this information to prescribe treatment for any one.
What may work for you, may become fatal to another.
It is good to know the ancient ways
and the gifts that are freely given by Mother Earth. Keeping
this information alive is vital to human survival. It honors
our ancestors and gives our children's children practical knowledge
to help them along life's pathways.
A
Cherokee Creation Story
By James
Mooney
At one time, animals and people lived together peaceably
and talked with each other. But when mankind began to multiply
rapidly, the animals were crowded into forests and
deserts.
Man began to destroy animals wholesale for their
skins and furs, not just for needed food. Animals became angry
at such treatment by their former friends, resolving they must
punish mankind. The bear tribe met in council, presided over by Old
White Bear, their Chief. After several bears had spoken against
mankind for their bloodthirsty ways, war was unanimously agreed
upon. But what kinds of weapons should the bears use?
Chief
Old White Bear suggested that man's weapon, the bow and arrow,
should be turned against him. All of the council agreed. While the
bears worked and made bows and arrows, they wondered what to do
about bowstrings. One of the bears sacrificed himself to
provide the strings, while the others searched for good arrow- wood.
When the first bow was completed and tried, the bear's claws could
not release the strings to shoot the arrow.
One bear offered
to cut his claws, but Chief Old White Bear would not allow him to do
that, because without claws he could not climb trees for food and
safety. He might starve.
The deer tribe called
together its council led by Chief Little Deer. They decided
that any Indian hunters, who killed deer without asking pardon in a
suitable manner, should be afflicted with painful rheumatism in
their joints.
After this decision, Chief Little Deer sent a
messenger to their nearest neighbors, the Cherokee Indians. "From
now on, your hunters must first offer a prayer to the deer before
killing him," said the messenger. "You must ask his pardon, stating
you are forced only by the hunger needs of your tribe to kill the
deer. Otherwise, a terrible disease will come to the hunter." When a
deer is slain by an Indian hunter, Chief Little Deer will run to the
spot and ask the slain deer's spirit.
"Did you hear the
hunter's prayer for pardon?" If the reply is yes, then all is
well and Chief Little Deer returns to his cave. But if
the answer is no, then the Chief racks the hunter to his lodge
and strikes him with the terrible disease of rheumatism, making him
a helpless cripple unable to hunt again.
All the fishes and
reptiles then held a council and decided they would haunt those
Cherokee Indians, who tormented them, by telling them hideous dreams
of serpents twining around them and eating them alive. These
snake and fish dreams occurred often among the Cherokees. To get
relief, the Cherokees pleaded with their Shaman to banish their
frightening dreams if they no longer tormented the snakes and fish.
Now when the friendly plants heard what the animals had
decided against mankind, they planned a countermove of their own.
Each tree, shrub, herb, grass, and moss agreed to furnish a cure for
one of the diseases named by the animals and
insects.
Thereafter, when the Cherokee Indians visited their
Shaman about their ailments and if the medicine man was in doubt, he
communed with the spirits of the plants. They always suggested a
proper remedy for mankind's diseases.
This was the beginning
of plant medicine from nature among the Cherokee Indian nation a
long, long time ago.
From
James Mooney's, "History and Myths of the Cherokees."
Indian remedies shown below are but a few examples of the
thousands used by indigenous peoples for ailments of every
description. Thousands of years spent gaining intimate
knowledge of plants, minerals and their varied uses has given the
world a vast pharmacopoeia of medicinal remedies and cures for many
common ailments. Indian contributions to pharmacological
medicine is unmatched anywhere in the world.
The list below intended for
example purposes only and should not be used to medically treat
ailments. In most instances, plants must be prepared using
exacting methods. If used otherwise, the results may
ineffectual if not dangerous or life threatening.
Asthma
Skunk Cabbage Used by the Winnebago and Dakota tribes
to stimulate the removal of phlegm. 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. Smoke and steam from the leaves of the mint were
also used by many tribes.
Backache
Arnica The Catawba Indians used a tea of arnica roots for
treating back pains. Arnica can be dangerous if taken internally and
may cause 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 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.
Blood Remedy
Sassafras A tonic was prepared using the leaves and bark.
Often other plants such as onion and willow bark was
added.
Boils
Grape and Peach Leaves Southern nations applied a poultice of
the ground leaves to the area and changed the bandage several times
a day.
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.
Broken Bones
Bone Set Pulverized into a wet mash poultice next to the
skin prior to affected area being wrapped in clay over the poultice
and changed daily. Saplings were used to reduce
mobility.
Burns
Yellow-Spined Thistle The Kiowa Indians boiled
yellow-spined thistle blossoms and applied the resulting liquid to
burns and skin sores.
Oak Bark The inner bark was boiled and as the water
cooled, the top layer was skimmed off and applied directly to the
burn without a bandage.
Chills
Snake Root The root was pealed, boiled and the ground for use as
a tea.
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.
Wild ginger was also used by the Iroquois and other
nations.
Colic
Catnip The Mohegans made a tea of catnip leaves for infant
colic.
Constipation
Seed Bladder Nuts The nuts were ground into a flour and mixed
with fruit.
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 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 Indians 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 liquid as a cough remedy.
Chestnut The inner bark was used like white pine and wild
cherry.
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
Black Cherry 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.
Willow Bark Many tribes knew the inner bark of
the willow ground into powder and mixed with water relieved
headaches. It was also used for potential heart
attacks.
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.
Hiccups
Wild Cherry Tea Used in case of chronic hiccups, the liquid was
gulped down repeatedly for several hours.
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.
Mullein A poultice of the wet puffy
mullein seed pods was used by many nations.
Clay The purple, yellow and blue clay
surrounding crystals was sifted to remove tiny crystals and ground
into a powder, made wet into a paste and applied as a
poultice.
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.
Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy Leaves The moist leaves were heated by steam for
several hours and rubbed into the skin, especially to areas
surrounding the afflicted spots. While this method did
not provide much relief from itching, it did build an immediate
immunity to the surrounding skin and future contact.
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.
Snake Bite
Red Elm After removing as
much venom as possible, Indians used the ground inner bark and young
early spring leaves as a poultice
applied directly to the
bite.
Sore
Throat
Elm
Bark Tea
Widely used to reduce inflammation.
Stomach Ache
Golden Seal Many tribes drank a tea made
from the leaves of this plant.
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.
Wild Iris This plant was used as a tea and mash for sore mouths.
Toothache
Prickly
Ash The root
and leaves were pounded into a wet mash and applied on the gums to
deaden nerves and reduce inflammation.
Vomiting
Beech Bark Tea Used wherever this tree grew, a
tea was a sure tonic for vomiting.
Warts
Milk Weed Used by many nations, the white
milk sap was used as a poultice.
| THE ORIGIN OF MEDICINE | INDIAN REMEDIES |
| HERBS AND PREGNANCY | CHEROKEE PLANT LORE |
| BEAR'S ONE TIME CURE | POISON PLANTS |
Credits
given at the end of the Herbal Medicine section