Tobacco – Officially called Nicotiana, there are over 60 species of tobacco, most of which are indigenous to Australia & America. The plants has long been important in Native American culture for social, religious, ceremonial purposes as well as in medicinal remedies. The leaves have long been used to treat pain, colic, kidney problems, dropsy, fever, colic, worms, convulsions, toothache, as an antidote for poison, skin conditions, boils, tuberculosis, vertigo, & to treat insect & snakebites.
Trichostema lanceolatum, used by natives of northern California as a cold & fever remedy, a pain reliever, & a flea repellent.
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Poultices of Umbellularia leaves were used to treat rheumatism & neuralgias. The Pomo & Yuki tribes of Mendocino County treated headaches by placing a single leaf in the nostril or bathing the head with a laurel leaf infusion.
Uva Ursi – Officially known as Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi, it is also known as Bearberry & Beargrape because bears like eating the fruit. It has been used medicinally since the 2C & Native Americans were known to have used it for bladder & urinary tract infections.
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Virginia iris – Cherokee & other tribes in the southeastern United States are known to have used Virginia iris for its medicinal properties. The root was pounded into a paste that was used as a salve for skin. An infusion made from the root was used to treat ailments of the liver, & a decoction of root was used to treat "yellowish urine." Virginia iris may have been one of the iris species used by the Seminole to treat "shock following alligator-bite."
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Western Skunk Cabbage – Officially known as Lysichiton Americanus, it is also called Yellow Skunk Cabbage or Swamp Lantern. Found in swamps & wet woods in the Pacific Northeast, it has a “skunky” odor that permeates the area where the plant grows. Native Americans used the plant as a medicine for burns & injuries, & to cure sores & swelling.
Wild Rose – Cherokee healers recommend a decoction of the roots for diarrhea.
White Pine – Known as Pinus Strobus officially, & commonly as Deal Pine & Soft Pine, it is native to North America from Grows from Newfoundland to Georgia mountains & central Iowa, west to northern Illinois. The inner bark, young shoots, twigs, pitch, & leaves have long been used by Native Americans in medicinal remedies to treat colds, cough, flu, pneumonia, fever, heartburn, headache, arthritis, neuritis, bronchitis, croup, laryngitis, & kidney problems. Some Native American tribes used the inner bark or the sap as a poultice for wounds & sores.
White Willow – Some Native American Indians burned willow stems & used the ashes to treat sore eyes.
The inner bark of willow trees has been used by Native American groups for health issues including headache, bleeding cuts, skin sores, fever, cough & hoarseness, menstrual cramping, stomach pain & diarrhea. The inner bark is most often made into tea & drank, though it is also made into a poultice to cover the skin over broken bones or used to wash skin & hair to promote skin repair & hair growth.
Tribe Uses
Keres Analgesic
Hualapai Antirheumatic
Alabama Antidiarrheal
Abnaki Cough Medicine
Navajo Ceremonial Medicine
Thompson Orthopedic Aid (i.e. broken bones), colds, coughs, laxative
Seminole Analgesic
The Thompson people would make a concoction of wood, willow, soapberry branches & "anything weeds" to treat broken bones. If they wanted to treat a cold, however, the Thompson people would make a decoction of red willow branches & wild rose roots.
Wild Black Cherry – The Mohegan tribe allowed the ripe wild black cherry to ferment naturally in a jar about a year than then drank the juice to cure dysentery & the Meskwaki tribe were known to have made a sedative tea of the root bark. Note that the leaves & seed are poisonous.
Wild Carrot – The Mohegan tribe were known to have steeped the blossoms in warm water to make a tea for diabetes.
Wild Ginger – Officially known as Asarum Canadense, it is also called Canada Wild Ginger & Canadian Snakeroot, it native to forests in eastern North America, from the Great Plains east to the Atlantic Coast, & from southeastern Canada south to the southeastern United States. Native Americans used the roots as a seasoning as well as a medicinal herb to treat dysentery, digestive problems, swollen breasts, cough, & colds, typhus, scarlet fever, nerves, sore throat, cramps, earache, headache, convulsions, asthma, tuberculosis, urinary disorders & venereal disease. They also used it as a stimulant & appetite enhancer.
Willow – Of the Salix family, there are about 400 species of these trees & shrubs. Native Americans across the American continent relied on it as a staple of their medical treatments. The Pomo tribe boiled the inner root bark to use in tea to induce sweating in cases of chills & fever. In the south, the Natchez prepared their fever remedies from the bark of the red willow, while the Alabama & Creek Indians plunged into willow root baths for the same purpose.
Witch Hazel – A proven astringent, it is produced from the leaves & bark of the North American Witch-hazel shrub, officially known as Hamamelis Virginiana. It grows naturally from Nova Scotia west to Ontario, Canada, & south to Florida & Texas in the United States & was widely used for medicinal purposes by American Indians. The Menominee of Wisconsin boiled the leaves & 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.
Wormwood – Officially called Artemisia Absinthium, it is also known as Absinthe & Green Ginger. The Yokia Indians were known to have used a tea of the boiled leaves of a local species of wormwood to cure bronchitis.
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Yellow Dock – Officially known as Rumex Crispus, this common weed of the Buckwheat family are originally introduced from Europe & are now naturalized throughout North America. Also known as Curly Dock, Sour Dock, & Narrow Dock, it was quickly adopted by Native Americans as a traditional medicine & food. Both the leaves & roots were used by different tribes throughout North America to treat constipation, purify the blood, ringworm, & for stomach aches. The Navajo used the root as a tonic, considering it a “life medicine” & Cherokee herbalists prescribed a warm wash made from the decoction of crushed roots for a disinfectant.
Yellow Root – Officially called Xanthorhiza Simplicissima, this woody stemmed plant is native to the eastern United States from Maine south to northern Florida & west to Ohio & eastern Texas. While Yellow Root is toxic in large doses, Native Americans made a tea of it for treatment for mouth problems, stomach ulcers, stomach ache & used it externally on sores, skin conditions, & swelling.
Yellow Spined Thistle – Officially called Cirsium Ochrocentrum, it is native to the central United States & has long been used by Native Americans in medicinal remedies. It was used in by the Zuni tribe as a contraceptive, & to treat syphilis & diabetes. The Kiowa also used the plant as wash for burns, sores, & other skin conditions.
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.
