What
the Medicine Men Knew
When Europeans first landed on the shores
of North America, they were greeted by Native Americans who were healthy
and strong, tall and straight-boned, and who generally lived to a ripe
old age. Curious and friendly, the Native Americans showed the newcomers
how to harvest wild foods and grow suitable crops,
and also demonstrated the medicinal use of herbs.
The North American indigenous medical traditions evolved into an effective system during its long history, estimated at between 12,000 and 40,000 years. So, herbally, we owe a huge debt to the Native American willingness to share knowledge of North American plants. Many of the herbs sitting on the shelves of natural food stores today were originally found in the medicinal arsenal of Native Americans, including black cohosh, echinacea, goldenseal, pleurisy root, sarsaparilla, red root, black walnut, gravel root and American ginseng.
Unique Healing Traditions
The number of Native tribes in the United States is estimated at about 500, and each possesses a unique set of healing traditions. While the term "Native American medicine" does not describe a homogenous system of healing, common, underlying principles can be discerned in many of these tribal traditions. Most often, these healing traditions and practices have been handed down in a rich oral tradition from practitioner to practitioner, rarely finding their way into written descriptions.
For instance, according to David Winston, a Cherokee medicine priest and herbalist living in New Jersey, "Cherokee medicine is based on connection-body, mind, spirit, family, community and God/Spirit. The Cherokee word for medicine, Nvowti, means `power.' Anything that has power-water, ceremony, songs, stories, herbs-is medicine."
©Energy Times 2003
and also demonstrated the medicinal use of herbs.
The North American indigenous medical traditions evolved into an effective system during its long history, estimated at between 12,000 and 40,000 years. So, herbally, we owe a huge debt to the Native American willingness to share knowledge of North American plants. Many of the herbs sitting on the shelves of natural food stores today were originally found in the medicinal arsenal of Native Americans, including black cohosh, echinacea, goldenseal, pleurisy root, sarsaparilla, red root, black walnut, gravel root and American ginseng.
Unique Healing Traditions
The number of Native tribes in the United States is estimated at about 500, and each possesses a unique set of healing traditions. While the term "Native American medicine" does not describe a homogenous system of healing, common, underlying principles can be discerned in many of these tribal traditions. Most often, these healing traditions and practices have been handed down in a rich oral tradition from practitioner to practitioner, rarely finding their way into written descriptions.
Native
American Herbs |
Here are
just a few of the herbs, and their traditional uses, that can
be found in your natural food store (from The Book of Herbal Wisdom by Matthew Wood, RH, North Atlantic Books) |
 |
Black
cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) eases menstrual problems, infertility,
cardiovascular disorders, spinal muscle tension, snakebite |
 |
Echinacea
(Echinacea angustifolia) supports the immune system; used to
treat infections, lymphatic congestion, acne, boils, septic
conditions, snakebite |
 |
Goldenseal
(Hydrastls canadensis) taken for digestive tract infections,
diarrhea, weak digestion, ulcers, reflux; used topically as
a wound healer |
 |
Gravel
root (Eupatorium purpureum) traditional treatment for urinary
tract problems, edema, gravel and sand in urine, weak bones |
 |
Pleurisy root (Asclepias tuberosa) eases chronic lung inflammation, fluid on the lungs, bronchial inflammation, pleurisy, fever |
 |
Red root (Ceanothus americanus) stops bleeding, swollen glands, lymphatic congestion, inflammation of the spleen, pelyic congestion, swollen sore throat, weak digestion |
For instance, according to David Winston, a Cherokee medicine priest and herbalist living in New Jersey, "Cherokee medicine is based on connection-body, mind, spirit, family, community and God/Spirit. The Cherokee word for medicine, Nvowti, means `power.' Anything that has power-water, ceremony, songs, stories, herbs-is medicine."
©Energy Times 2003