Native American Herbal Remedies

[Guest guest]

[sPAM] Native American Herbal Remedies

Native American Herbal Remedies Asthma Skunk Cabbage. Used by the Winnebago and Dakota tribes to stimulatethe removal of phlegm in asthma. The rootstock wasofficial in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1882when it was used in respiratory and nervous disordersand in rheumatism and dropsy. Mullein. Introduced by Europeans. The Menominees smoked thepulverized, dried root for respiratory complaintswhile the Forest Potawatomis, the Mohegans, and thePenobscots smoked the dried leaves to relieve asthma.The Catawba Indians used a sweetened syrup from theboiled root, which they gave to their children forcoughs. Backache Arnica. The Catawba Indians used a tea of arnica roots fortreating back pains. The Dispensary of the UnitedStates (22nd edition) states this drug can bedangerous if taken internally and that it has causedsevere and even fatal poisoning. Also used as a washto treat sprains and bruises. Gentian. The Catawba Indians steeped the roots in hot water andapplied the hot fluid on aching backs. Horsemint. The Catawba tribe crushed and steeped fresh horsemintleaves in cold water and drank the infusion to allayback pain. Other tribes used horsemint for fever,inflammation, and chills. Bronchitis Creosote Bush. A tea of the leaves was used for bronchial and otherrespiratory problems. Pleurisy Root. The Natchez drank a tea of the boiled roots as aremedy for pneumonia and was later used to promote theexpulsion of phlegm, Wormwood. The Yokia Indians of Mendocino County used a tea ofthe boiled leaves of a local species of wormwood tocure bronchitis. Burns Yellow-Spined Thistle. The Kiowa Indians boiled yellow-spined thistleblossoms and applied the resulting liquid to burns andskin sores. ChildbirthTo Speed Childbirth: Partridgeberry. The Cherokee used a tea of the boiled leaves. Frequentdoses of the tea were taken in the few weeks precedingthe expected date of delivery. Blue Cohosh. To promote a rapid delivery, an infusion of the rootin warm water was drunk as a tea for several weeksprior to the expected delivery date. To Speed Deliveryof the Placenta: American Licorice. A tea was made from the boiled roots. Broom Snakeweed. Navajo women drank a tea of the whole plant to promotethe expulsion of the placenta. To Stop Post-PartumHemorrhage: Buckwheat. Hopi women were given an infusion of the entirebuckwheat plant to stop bleeding. Black Western Chokecherry. Arikara women were given a drink of the berry juice tostop bleeding. Smooth Upland Sumac. The Omahas boiled the smooth upland sumac fruits andapplied the liquid as an external wash to stopbleeding. To relieve the Pain of Childbirth: Wild Black Cherry. Cherokee women were given a tea of the inner bark torelieve pain in the early stages. Cotton. The Alabama and Koasati tribes made a tea of the rootsof the plant to relieve the pains of labor. Colds Boneset. Boneset tea was one of the most frequently used homeremedies during the last century. The Menominees usedit to reduce fever; the Alabamas, to relivestomachache; the Creeks, for body pain; the Iroquoisand the Mohegans, for fever and colds. Colic Catnip. The Mohegans made a tea of catnip leaves for infantcolic. Contraceptives Ragleaf Bahia. The Navajos, who called the Ragleaf bahia herb twistedmedicine, drank a tea of the roots boiled in water forthirty minutes for contraception purposes. Indian Paintbrush. Hopi women drank a tea of the whole Indian paintbrushto "Dry up the menstrual flow." Blue Cohosh. Chippewa women drank a strong decoction of thepowdered blue cohosh root to promote parturition andmenstruation. Dogbane. Generally used by many tribes, a tea from the boiledroots of the plant was drunk once a week. Milkweed. Navajo women drank a tea prepared of the whole plantafter childbirth. American Mistletoe. Indians of Mendocino County drank a tea of the leavesto induce abortion or to prevent conception. Antelope Sage. To prevent conception, Navajo women drank one cup of adecoction of boiled antelope sage root duringmenstruation. Stoneseed. Shoshoni women of Nevada reportedly drank a cold waterinfusion of stoneseed roots everyday for six months toensure permanent sterility. Coughs Aspen. The Cree Indians used an infusion of the inner bark asa remedy for coughs. Wild Cherry. The Flambeau Ojibwa prepared a tea of the bark of wildcherry for coughs and colds, while other tribes used abark for diarrhea or for lung troubles. White Pine. The inner bark was used by Indian people as a tea forcolds and coughs. Sarsaparilla. The Penobscots pulverized dried sarsaparilla roots andcombined them with sweet flag roots in warm water andused the dark liquid as a cough remedy. Diabetes Wild Carrot. The Mohegans steeped the blossoms of this wild speciesin warm water when they were in full bloom and tookthe drink for diabetes. Devil's Club. The Indians of British Columbia utilized a tea of theroot bark to offset the effects of diabetes. Diarrhea Blackcherry. A tea of blackberry roots was the most frequently usedremedy for diarrhea among Indians of northernCalifornia. Wild Black Cherry. The Mohegans allowed the ripe wild black cherry toferment naturally in a jar about one year than thendrank the juice to cure dysentery. Dogwood. The Menominees boiled the inner bark of the dogwoodand passed the warm solution into the rectum with arectal syringe made from the bladder of a small mammaland the hollow bone of a bird. Geranium. Chippewa and Ottawa tribes boiled the entire geraniumplant and drank the tea for diarrhea. White Oak. Iroquois and Penobscots boiled the bark of the whiteoak and drank the liquid for bleeding piles anddiarrhea. Black Raspberry. The Pawnee, Omaha, and Dakota tribes boiled the rootbark of black raspberry for dysentery. Star Grass. Catawbas drank a tea of star grass leaves fordysentery. Digestive Disorders Dandelion. A tea of the roots was drunk for heartburn by thePillager Ojibwas. Mohegans drank a tea of the leavesfor a tonic. Yellow Root. A tea from the root was used by the Catawbas and theCherokee as a stomach ache remedy. Fevers Dogwood. The Delaware Indians, who called the treeHat-ta-wa-no- min-schi, boiled the inner bark inwater, using the tea to reduce fevers. Willow. The Pomo tribe boiled the inner root bark, then drankstrong doses of the resulting tea to induce sweatingin cases of chills and fever. In the south, theNatchez prepared their fever remedies from the bark ofthe red willow, while the Alabama and Creek Indiansplunged 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 thetea to cure headaches. Heart and Circulatory Problems Green Hellebore. The Cherokee used the green hellebore to relive bodypains. American Hemp and Dogbane. Used by the Prairie Potawatomis as a heart medicine,the fruit was boiled when it was still green, and theresulting decoction drunk. It was also used for kidneyproblems and for dropsy. Hemorrhoids White Oak. The Menominee tribe treated piles by squirting aninfusion of the scraped inner bark of oak into therectum with a syringe made from an animal bladder andthe hollow bone of a bird. Inflammations and SwellingsWitch Hazel. The Menominees of Wisconsin boiled the leaves andrubbed the liquid on the legs of tribesmen who wereparticipating in sporting games. A decoction of theboiled twigs was used to cure aching backs, whilesteam derived by placing the twigs in water with hotrocks was a favorite Potawatomi treatment for muscleaches. Influenza Native Hemlock (as opposed Poison Hemlock of Socratesfame). The Menominees prepared a tea if the inner bark anddrank it to relieve cold symptoms. A similar tea wasused by the Forest Potawatomis to induce sweating andrelieve colds and feverish conditions. Insect Bitesand Stings Fendler Bladderpod. The Navajos made a tea and used it to treat spiderbites. Purple Coneflower. The Plains Indians used this as a universalapplication for the bites and stings of all crawling,flying, or leaping bugs. Between June and September,the bristly stemmed plant, which grows in dry, openwoods and on prairies, bears a striking purplishflower. Stiff Goldenrod. The Meskwaki Indians of Minnesota ground the flowersinto a lotion and applied it to bee stings. Trumpet Honeysuckle. The leaves were ground by chewing and then applied tobees stings. Wild Onion and Garlic. The Dakotas and Winnebagos applied the crushed bulbsof wild onions and garlics. Saltbush. The Navajos chewed the stems and placed the pulpy mashon areas of swelling caused by ant, bee and waspbites. The Zunis applied the dried, powdered roots andflowers mixed with saliva to ant bites. Broom Snakeweed. The Navajos chewed the stem and applied the resin toinsect bites and stings of all kinds. Tobacco. A favorite remedy for bee stings was the applicationof wet tobacco leaves. Insect Repellents andInsecticides Goldenseal. The Cherokee pounded the large rootstock with bear fatand smeared it on their bodies as an insect repellent.It was also used as a tonic, stimulant, andastringent. Rheumatism Pokeweed. Indians of Virginia drank a tea of the boiled berriesto cure rheumatism. The dried root was also used toallay inflammation. Bloodroot. A favorite rheumatism remedy among the Indians of theMississippi region - the Rappahannocks of Virginiadrank a tea of the root. Sedatives Wild Black Cherry. The Meskwaki tribe made a sedative tea of the rootbark. Hops. The Mohegans prepared a sedative medicine from theconelike strobiles and sometimes heated the blossomsand applied them for toothache. The Dakota tribe useda tea of the steeped strobiles to relieve pains of thedigestive organs, and the Menominee tribe regarded arelated species of hops as a panacea. Wild Lettuce. Indigenous to North American, it was used for sedativepurposes, especially in nervous complaints. Thrush Geranium. The Cherokee boiled geranium root together with wildgrape, and with the liquid, rinsed the mouths ofchildren affected with thrush. Persimmon. The Catawba stripped the bark from the tree and boiledit in water, using the resulting dark liquid as amouth rinse.

Sources: Millspaugh, F. AmericanMedicinal Plants. NY: Dover Publications, 1974.Mooney, . Myths of the Cherokee and SacredFormulas of the Cherokees. Nashville TN: andRandy Elders, Publishers, 1982.Weiner, . Earth Medicine Earth Food. NY:Fawcett Columbine, 1980.Spiritual freedom is my birthright. I am a free thinker. I am able to rise above mentalprejudices and stereotypes of others. I am a free thinker. Nobody and nothing can manipulateme or deceive me. I am a free thinker. I freely choose truth and love. Today, I embrace a greater degree of spiritualfreedom. ____________________________________________________________________________________Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile./;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ