C
Calamus Root – See Sweetflag
Cardinal Flower – Formally called Lobelia Cardinalis, this plant with bright red flowers is native to the Americas, from southeastern Canada south through the eastern & southwestern United States, Mexico & Central America. Native Americans used the root to heal intestinal ailments, worms, epilepsy, typhoid, cramps, & syphilis. Leaf tea was used for cold, bronchial problems, croup, nosebleed, fever,headache, & rheumatism. A poultice of the roots has been used on hard to heal sores & applied to the head to relieve the pain of headache. The Penobscot tribe smoked the dried leaves as a substitute for tobacco.
Cascara Sagrada – Officially called Rhamnus Purshiana, it comes from a species of Buckthorn tree native to western North America from southern British Columbia south to central California, & inland to western Montana. Also known as Cascara Buckthorn, Chitticum Bark, Sacred Bark, & Bearberry, dried & aged bark is used primarily for bowel problems. It has powerful laxative effect & is believed to improve the muscle tone of the colon walls. The dried bark can be made into tea, although it tastes bitter.
Cattail – Officially called Typha, there are about 11 species mostly found in wetland habitats of the Northern Hemisphere. It is also commonly known by several names including Bullrush, Reedmace, Punks, & Corndog Grass. These were often used to make a nutritious & energy-rich food source which was processed into flour. Pollen was also collected from mature male flowers & used as a flour supplement or thickener. In Native American herbal medicine, various species were used in poultices applied to burns,wounds infection, sprains, boils, & swelling. Internally, it was used for abdominal cramps, kidney stones,whooping cough, cysts, gonorrhea, & diarrhea. Specifically, the Apache used the pollen in a number of remedies; the Dakota, Ponca, & Pawnee used it for dressing burns & scalds; the Algonquin to treat infection, the Cahuilla for bleeding wounds. The Cheyenne were also known to have used leaves in their Sun Dance ceremony.
Cat’s Claw – Officially known as Uncaria Tomentosa, it is also sometimes called Cat’s Nail. A tropical vine that grows in the rainforest & jungles of South America & Asia, it has been used for medicinal purposes for more than two thousand years as a general health tonic, contraceptive, anti-inflammatory agent, gastrointestinal & urinary tract problems, diarrhea, rheumatic disorders, respiratory problems, acne, &, diabetes.
Cayenne – Formally known as Capsicum, it is also commonly known as Chili Pepper, Hot Pepper, Red Pepper, Tabasco Pepper, Pimiento, Mexican Chili, & many other local names. It is native to the Americas, where they have been cultivated for thousands of years by the people in the tropical regions & are now cultivated worldwide. Used as both a food & for medicinal purposes, it was best known for treatment of circulatory & digestive problems. Other conditions it was used for was rheumatism, arthritis, chronic nerve pain, shingles,diabetes, stomach ailments, heart disease, varicose veins, headache, menstrual cramps, & asthma. It was also used as a gargle for throat irritation. Externally, it was applied to wounds to increase blood flow & numb the pain.
Chokecherry – Officially known as Prunus Virginiana, it is also called Western Chokecherry, Black Chokecherry, & Wild Cherry. Varieties can be found all over the United States & Canada. Numerous tribes including the Mohawk, Huron, Miami, Delaware, Cree, Ojibwe, Penobscot, Iroquois, Chippewa, & others have long used the tree as a source of food & medicine. In early American medicine, it was considered one of the most important native drugs, ranked along with Sassafras. The berries were collected & dried for later consumption & the bark of the tree was used in the treatment of small pox, scurvy, soreness of the chest & throat, lung hemorrhages, cough, colds, inflammation of the bowel, diarrhea, stomach cramps, cholera, digestive problems, gangrenous wounds, sores, pains, severe burns & wounds. When Europeans arrived in America, they learned from the Indians about the health properties of chokeberry & began to use it to treat cough, colds, consumption, & malaria, burns & wounds.
Coltsfoot – Scientifically known as Tussilago Farfara, this dandelion looking plant has been used medicinally throughout the world for thousands of years. Pedanius Dioscorides, a Greek physician & pharmacologist, who lived from 40-90 AD, recommended it for cough & asthma. Known by several other names, including British Tobacco, Bullsfoot, Butterbur, Coughwort, Flower Velure, Horsehoof, & others, it was native to several locations in Europe & Asia. It was introduced to the Americas by early colonists & now grows in North America, from Kentucky & Tennessee northward to Ontario & Quebec in Canada; as well as west of the Mississippi River in the Minnesota & Washington. Its leaves were usually smoked for cough, bronchitis, whooping cough, & other respiratory disorders. Crushed leaves were also used in teas & tonics for flu, pleurisy, sore throat, inflammation, fever, diarrhea, & indigestion.Crushed leaves & flowers were also used externally for various skin disorders, insect bites, inflammation, burns, skin ulcers, & sores.
Cotton – Of the genus Gossypium, cotton is native to tropical & subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, Africa, & India. Roots, leaves, & seeds have been used in the treatment of urinary problems, to aid the contraction of the uterus after child birth, excessive bleeding during menstruation, for healing wounds & burns, dysentery, & diarrhea. The Alabama & Koasati tribes made a tea of the roots of the plant to relieve the pains of labor.
Creosote Bush – Officially, the plant is called Larrea Tridentata & many refer to it as “chaparral” as a medicinal herb. It is prominent in the deserts of the south & western U.S. A tea of the leaves was made by Native Americans of the Southwest & used as a treatment for respiratory problems, sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, chicken pox, dysmenorrhea, & snakebite.
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.
Calypso (orchid), used by the Nlaka'pamux of British Columbia used it as a treatment for mild epilepsy.
Ceanothus integerrimus, the branches of which were used among the Indigenous peoples of California in treating women after childbirth.
Ceanothus velutinus, used by certain Plateau tribes to create herbal tea to induce sweating as a treatment for colds, fevers, & influenza. Leaves were also used when rinsing to help prevent dandruff.
C. velutinus was known as "red root" by many Native American tribes due to the color of the inner root bark, & was used as a medicine for treating lymphatic disorders, ovarian cysts, fibroid tumors, & tonsillitis.
Chimaphila umbellata, used by some Plateau tribes in an herbal tea to treat tuberculosis.
Claytonia virginica (Virginia spring-beauty), used medicinally by the Iroquois, who would give a cold infusion or decoction of the powdered roots to children suffering from convulsions. They would also eat the raw roots, believing that they permanently prevented conception. They would also eat the roots, as would the Algonquin people, who cooked them like potatoes.
Cleome serrulata, used by tribes in the southwest to make an infusion to treat stomach illnesses & fevers.
Commelina dianthifolia, infusion of plant used by Keres as a strengthener for weakened tuberculosis patients.
Cornus sericea, used by Plateau tribes to treat colds by eating the berries. Also used to slow bleeding.
