Wound Treatments by Dr.

[Guest guest]

Wound Treatments

Perhaps due to their vigorous life styles the Indian early became quite expert in the treatment of wounds. Many herbs with antiseptic properties were discovered. Dr. Stone, who was impressed with the Indians' ability to withstand serious wounds, wrote:

Suffice it, that all military and medical observers who came in contact with the Indians agree that they recovered more rapidly than the white from most wounds, and many recovered from wounds which would have been fatal to the white man. Bourke reports that cases of two Indians who were discharged from a military that they might die among their people, yet made rapid recoveries as soon as their own medicine-men began their treatment. At a time when gunshot wounds of the bladder were invariably fatal to the white, the Indians seemed to suffer this accident with impunity. Loskiel examined a man whose face had been torn away, his rib cage crushed, limbs ripped and the abdomen disemboweled by a bear, yet had been able to crawl four miles to his village and in six months had completely recovered, except for extensive scarring. Such records could be continued almost indefinitely as all observers were so impressed by this ability to survive terrific wounds-hundreds have been

reported.

In their treatment of wounds the Indians were adept, keeping the injured area scrupulously clean, changing the dressings often, and easing the suffering of the patient. Some of the most commonly used herbs for the treatment of wounds are as follows:

Anemone or Wind Flower roots have been found to possess such powerful healing quality that they were also used for lockjaw. This plant was combined with Arnica flowers, two heaping teaspoons to a cup of boiling water, were applied as a cold salve.

Anemone was one of the most highly prized wound medicines of the Omaha and the Ponca tribes. A wash was prepared from the pounded boiled root and applied externally to the point of injury. Anemonin, which is found in many related species of anemone, is clinically asserted to be a potent antiseptic substance.

Two heaping teaspoons of Arnica flowers to a cup of boiling water were steeped and then applied cold as a salve for bruises and wounds.

The large woody alumroot (Heuchera americans) or American sanicle was powdered by the Meskwakis and other tribes and applied to cuts, wounds, and skin sores that would not heal. The dried rhizomes and roots were used for the same purposes by the whites when these plant parts were officially accepted in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia between 1880 and 1882.

Blue Flag (Iris versicolor) was one of the most popular of all American Indian medicines. The Penobscots valued it for treating most ailments, while other tribes assigned more specific roles to this herb. To relieve the swelling and pain associated with sores and bruises, the root was boiled in water and then pounded between stones. The pulped root mass was applied in a wet dressing and the affected part rinsed, with the water in which the root was boiled. The Tadoussac tribe of Quebec combined the whole crushed plant with flour and applied the mixture as a poultice for bodily pain.

Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum) bark used by the Indians and later by the white medical profession in 1892 was stated to be a powerful stimulant to heal wounds.

Chia seed made into a poultice and applied to a wound was latter considered by mountain men and miners as the finest poultice for gunshot wounds. The blue variety of corn meal was also used as a mush applied hourly to bullet wounds.

Club moss (Lycopodium clavatum), which has no flowers. produces yellow spores which were dusted on wounds or inhaled to stop nosebleed by the Blackfoot and Potawatomi tribes. This plant was official in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia from 1863 to 1947.

The Indians who lived on Great Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron applied the dried, powdered root of the Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) on bleeding blood vessels to promote coagulation. Experiments have shown that it causes an increase in the clotting of blood, due primarily to the tannin contained in geranium. This plant is not to be confused with Ranunculus bulbosus as both have the common name of Crowfoot.

The pulverized fresh roots of the Oregon ash (Fraxinus oregona) were used to treat the wounds suffered as a result of a clash between a bear and an Indian as related in the following story:

One old Indian related a story about a bear fight which he had seen his father, a very powerful man, engage in when he was a boy. His only weapon consisted of a stick of mountain mahogany, about seven feet long, which had a large knob on one end and a sharpened point at the other. He placed the child in a tree for safety. As the enraged bear made a dash at the Indian, he, jumping skillfully to one side, hit the animal a terrible blow on the legs as it passed. Again and again, as the bear dashed forward, it was struck on the legs until it was nearly disabled. when it was speedily dispatched with the sharp end of the club.

The Yokia tribe pulverized the fresh roots of the Oregon Ash as a poultice to cure all serious wounds.

In a nomadic life of hunting and fighting, the stopping of the blood flow from wounds was of vital importance and for centuries the Indians had experimented with possible coagulants. Red Root (Ceanothus americanus) was valuable in stopping excessive bleeding. Tobacco, nettles, willow, plantain and wintergreen were also used. When a cut or wound would not stop bleeding a very effective coagulant that would stop the bleeding almost immediately was the powdered root of 's-seal (Polygonatum commutatum) dusted into the gaping wound. As mentioned in previous newsletters, cayenne (capsicum) is excellent for stopping bleeding. Probably the most generally used herb to stop the blood flow was yarrow, being used for everything from a pricked finger to a spear-torn thigh, the settlers came to call the yarrow by the nickname of "Nosebleed". The Ute tribe, who had a reputation of being some of the best warriors of the plateau-dwelling Indians, called yarrow "wound

medicine"; after pulverizing the plant they applied it to cuts, bruises, and other minor injuries. This herb was also used on cuts by the Micmac and Illinois tribes, while the Winnebagos steeped the plant in hot water and used the wash to bathe bruises. The Indians of British Columbia prepared a powder for dusting on skin sores by roasting the leaves or stems until they were dry enough to be pulverized between stones.

While on the subject of yarrow as an excellent wound medication let's consider some of the other uses to which the Indians would use this valuable herb. For burns, the Zuni Indians ground the entire plant, steeped it in cold water, and used the liquid to bring about a cooling sensation. For earache the Winnebagos steeped the whole yarrow plant and poured the resulting liquid into the ear.

A warm infusion of yarrow was an anti-hysteric and stimulant. A cold infusion of the tops was a tonic especially for convalescents. The warm tea eased chills and fevers, colic, gout and helped the liver to function better. The leaves were boiled and the tea drunk for diarrhea. In New Mexico the Indians chew the leaves, fresh or dry, with a little salt as a stomachic. Dry flowers swallowed with water twice daily were said to dissipate a cough. A tea was used for headache and as a blood builder after childbirth. The root was chewed for colds. and the green leaves were chewed for toothache.

A poultice of the entire plant was put on sprains and broken bones, parts afflicted with rheumatism, burns, rashes, itches and eczema. The strained tea was a good eyewash. Yarrow oil was used as abortive. Yarrow has the ability to keep up a patients strength and act as a blood cleanser and at the same time opening the pores to permit free perspiration to get rid of unwanted waste and relieving the kidneys.

Dr. has this to say a about yarrow:

Yarrow when administered hot and copiously will raise the heat of the body, equalize the circulation, and produce perspiration. It opens the pores freely with its relaxing action upon the skin, and it purifies the blood of morbid waste material. Yarrow regulates the functions of the liver, and it is especially beneficial in its influence on secretions throughout the entire alimentary canal; it tones the mucous membrane of the stomach and bowels, and is healing to the glandular system. Yarrow will never weaken a patient, because of its tonic action.

Suzi

Senior Moderator

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.

http://suziesgoats.wholefoodfarmacy.com/

Celebrate 's 10th Birthday! Netrospective: 100 Moments of the Web