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Sage – Technically known as Salvia Officinalis, this small evergreen shrub is also known as garden sage & common sage. Sage is held sacred by many Native Americans because of it’s effective purifying energies.
Sage is a small evergreen shrub used to treat inflammation, bacterial or viral infection & chronic illness. The following table examines why various tribes use sage.
Tribe Uses
Cahuilla Colds, shampoo, deodorant, cleanse hunting equipment of bad luck
Costanoan Eye cleanser, fevers
Dakota (Oglala) Disinfectant, stomach ache
Diegueno Colds, poison oak treatment, general strengthening
Eskimo Inflammation
Mahuna Heal damage from birth
Tübatulabal Consumed seeds as food
Saltbush – Officially known as Atriplex, there are several hundred species, also known as Orache. It includes many desert & seashore plants which are extremely tolerant of salt content in the ground. Their name derives from the fact that they retain salt in their leaves. Various species have long been used for a variety of health conditions, including pain, sores, spider & insect bites, rashes, stomach ache & more. It has also been used to purify water. The Hopi were known to burn & inhale the smoke for epilepsy & also used it in kiva fires for ceremonial medicine; the Paiute to boil the leave which they used for sore muscles & aches & a poultice was applied to the chest for colds. In addition to using for insect bites, the Navajo were known to have used the leaves for pain, cough, gastrointestinal problems, & as a toothache remedy.
Salvia apiana, several tribes used the seed for removing foreign objects from the eye. A tea from the roots was used by the Cahuilla women for healing & strength after childbirth. The leaves are also burnt by many Native American tribes, with the smoke used in different purification rituals.
Salvia mellifera, the leaves & stems of the plant were made by the Chumash into a strong sun tea. This was rubbed on the painful area or used to soak one's feet.
Sasaparilla – Scientifically called Smilax Regelii & Smilax Aspera, this perennial trailing vine with prickly stems is native to Central America & is most commonly known for its use in soft drinks. It’s been used throughout the world for many centuries & in the 1400’s, it was introduced into European medicine by contact with the indigenous tribes in South America. It has several beneficial uses in medicinal remedies including treatment for syphilis, to aid digestion, pain, blood cleansing, arthritis, colds, impotence, gonorrhea, rheumatism, wounds, fever, cough, hypertension, skin diseases, leprosy, & cancer. Like many other herbs, it has anti-oxidant properties. The Penobscot were known to have used pulverized dried sarsaparilla roots in combination with Sweetflag as a cough remedy.
Sassafras – Officially known as Sassafras Albidum, these small trees or shrubs native to the eastern North America From Maine to Ontario, south to Florida & Texas. Sassafras was used extensively for food & medicine by Native Americans long before European settlers arrived & its bark became one of the first exports of the New World. In early American folklore, explorers & settlers associated the pleasant aroma of the tree with healing & protection from evil influences, & extracts of the bark & roots soon became a panacea elixir sought by Europeans. Over the years, it has been used to treat measles, chicken pox, colds, flu, fever, as a blood purifier, & as a remedy.
Savory – Known officially as Satureja, Savory is a genus of aromatic plants of the Mint family, related to rosemary & thyme. There are about 30 species called savories, going by several names including Mountain Savory, Summer Savory, & Winter Savory. Summer savory, which is more highly prized as a spice & as a folk medicine, has long been believed to act as an aphrodisiac. It also has a number of uses in medicinal remedies including aiding the system, & to treat flatulence, diarrhea, cough, & colic. Having warming effects it was also used on the chest for congestion.
Saw Palmetto – Scientifically known as Serenoa Serrulata, this small palm grows throughout southeastern parts of North America, & its berries have long been prized by people as well as wildlife. Native Americans have been using saw palmettos for a wide range of purposes including food; the leaves used to weave baskets & ceremonial dance fans. The heartwood of the palms have been used for traditional medicinal purposes as well as pounded into flour. It has been used in remedies for diarrhea, abdominal pain, to aid digestion, cough, respiratory congestion, inflammation, prostate health, sexual vigor, & to stimulate appetite.
Senegalia greggii, the fresh pods were eaten unripe by the Chemehuevi, Pima, & the Cahuilla. The Cahuilla dried the pods then ground it for mush & cakes, the Havasupai ground it to make bread flour, & the Seri ground it to meal to mix with water & sea lion oil for porridge. The Diegueno used it as food for domesticated animals. The Pima piled dried bushes for a brush fence, & used the branches for cradle frames too. The branches were used to dislodge saguaro fruits from the body.
Skullcap – Officially called Scutellaria Lateriflora, this perennial herb in the mint family is native to North America & grows throughout Canada & the Northern United States. Also known as Blue Skullcap, Hoodwort, Virginian Skullcap, & Mad Dog, it was traditionally cultivated & used by Native American women for menstrual cycles, to stimulate the reproductive system. Some tribes used the herb in purification ceremonies. The Iroquois used an infusion of the root to keep the throat clear, while other tribes used some species as bitter tonics for the kidneys. It has also been found to relieve stress, support the nervous system, for insomnia, tension, & restlessness. A powerful medicinal herb, it is an anti-inflammatory, abortifacient, has been used as a sedative, for the treatment of epilepsy, hysteria, anxiety, throat infections, headache, pain, anxiety, convulsions, & more. Pregnant women should not take Skullcap.
Slippery Elm – Technically called Ulmus Rubra, the Slippery Elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America, from southeast North Dakota, east to southern Quebec, south to northernmost Florida, & west to eastern Texas. The tree had many traditional uses by Native Americans including using the inner bark fiber for thread, bow strings, ropes, clothing & more; the wood was used for numerous purposes, & the bark & leaves in washes & teas for medical purposes. Treatments included digestive disorders, gastrointestinal conditions, sore throats, ulcers, gout, arthritis, stomach ache, intestinal worms, cough, & bronchitis, & other respiratory irritations. Whole bark was also used as an abortifacient, but, sometimes had serious consequences, including the death of the mother. Washes were used to treat skin conditions, vaginitis, hemorrhoids, toothaches, & spider bites.
Stevia – A genus of about 240 species of herbs & shrubs in the sunflower family, it is native to subtropical & tropical regions from western North America to South America. The species, Stevia Rebaudiana, commonly known as Sweetleaf & Sugarleaf, has long been used as a sweetener, as well as in treating heartburn, obesity, flatulence, diabetes, & hypertension.
Stiff Goldenrod – Officially called Oligoneuron Rigidum, & also known as Prairie Goldenrod Rigid Goldenrod. The leaves & blossoms have been found to be an effective antiseptic, astringent & to stop bleeding. It has long been a valuable remedy in the treatment of all kinds of hemorrhages. Often the flowers were ground into a lotion & used by Native Americans to treat bee stings.
Stoneseed – Technically known as Lithospermum Officinale, this genus of plants belonging to the Boraginaceae family is also commonly known as Gromwell. The mature seeds have long been ground into a powder & used to treat bladder stones, arthritis, as a sedative. Many Native Americans, such as the Shoshoni, also used its roots as a contraceptive. A syrup made from a decoction of the root & stems was also used in the treatment of eruptive diseases such as smallpox, measles & itch.
Sumac – Scientifically called Rhus Glabra, this shrub is native to North America found in all 48 mainl& states of USA & in southern Canada. Also called Dwarf Sumac, Mountain Sumac, Scarlet Sumac, Smooth Sumac, Upland Sumac, White Shoemake, Vinegar-tree, & Red Sumac, it was used extensively by Native Americans for food & medicine. Young shoots, roots & fruit were eaten raw. The fruit was also cooked or tribes believed that Sumac could foretell the weather & the changing of the seasons, so it was held as a sacred plant. An infusion of the bark or roots was used as an antiseptic, astringent, diuretic, & for the treatment of colds, diarrhea, fever, to increase the flow of breast milk, sore mouths & throats, & inflammation of the bladder & painful urination. An infusion of the leaves was used for asthma, diarrhea, & stomach aches. A poultice of the leaves & berries was used to treat skin rashes, burns, poison ivy, & skin eruptions. The powdered bark was often made into an antiseptic salve & the leaves were chewed for sore gums & rubbed on sore lips. The berries have been chewed as a remedy for bed-wetting. An infusion of the blossoms used as an eye wash for sore eyes. The milky latex from the plant is used as a salve on sores. Mild decoctions from the bark was also used as a gargle for sore throats.
Sweetflag – Officially known as Acorus Calamus, this plant, native to Southern Asia, is has long since been introduced to most parts of the world. Also called Calamus, Sweet Sedge & Myrtle Flag, it has a very long history of medicinal use in many herbal traditions. The root has been used to treat flatulence, colds, cough, heart disease, bowel problems, colic, cholera, menstrual problems, dropsy, headache, sore throat, spasms, toothache, & swelling. It has also been used externally to treat skin eruptions, rheumatic pain, & arthritis. Some Native American tribes considered the root a panacea; others thought it had mystic powers.
Disclaimer: These herbs have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. Plants listed here must not be used to diagnose, treat, or heal medical conditions. Many are poisonous.
