| The tradition of herbal medicine has always been | | | | used because they resembled the causative |
| strong in North America, thanks to the pooling of | | | | agent of the disease or because they looked like |
| European and Native American skills during the | | | | the part of the body affected. This compares |
| 18th and 19th centuries. Friendly Native American | | | | with the medieval Western Doctrine of |
| tribes shared their profound knowledge of healing | | | | Signatures, where plants are named for their |
| with the first European settlers and introduced to | | | | resemblance to body parts and used in remedies |
| them countless hitherto unknown medicinal and | | | | for that part. We know more about Cherokee |
| culinary herbs. Many herbs are particularly useful | | | | medicine and herbal repertoire than any other |
| for women's problems, notably squaw vine and | | | | Native American traditions because their great |
| blue cohosh, both uterine tonics. | | | | chief Sequoia developed a form of written |
| The settlers in their turn brought with them the | | | | language that was used to record rituals, prayers, |
| seeds and roots of their most valuable herbs, | | | | and medicinal remedy recipes. The Cherokee |
| which took hold and flourished in their new | | | | believed that illness was caused by the spirits of |
| environment. The religious sect called the Shakers | | | | dead animals, revenging themselves on human |
| lived by agriculture and were also the first white | | | | hunters, or by malcontented spirits or ghosts. |
| Americans to grow and sell herbs in commercial | | | | Diseases were named for their causes not their |
| quantities. | | | | symptoms. Illnesses were cured by rubbing boiled |
| The Native Americans of Canada, the United | | | | herbs into the patient's skin or blowing dried herbs |
| States, and Mexico based their concept of natural | | | | over them through a cane pipe. Singing and ritual |
| medicine on the Great Spirit, and on the Medicine | | | | formulas were also important. |
| Wheel, within which we are all born and travel on | | | | Much of Native American healing centered around |
| life's journey. The Wheel is made up of the Four | | | | purification, not just of the body but also of the |
| Directions, each with its particular qualities and | | | | spirit. Heat was considered a great purifier, and |
| energies. Herbs are thought both to guide and to | | | | "hot" herbs were often administered to induce |
| assist in healing. | | | | violent vomiting. Sweating out toxins in the "sweat |
| The Native Americans of the northeast | | | | lodge ceremony" was central to curing disease |
| recognized herbs to cure sore eyes, skin | | | | and maintaining health, and also purified the body |
| problems, abdominal complaints, and lung | | | | in preparation for enlightenment. Fresh or dried |
| disorders, among other ailments. When they | | | | herbs were burned during the ceremony and the |
| gathered the woodland herbs in high summer, the | | | | smoke was considered to provide a link with the |
| medicine men would begin by offering tobacco to | | | | spirit world. Sage was a particularly important |
| the Four Directions of the Wheel and to the sky | | | | herb, and was believed to be especially sacred. |
| and earth. Herbs were gathered after ritual | | | | For modern Native Americans who live on |
| prayers and promises not to take more than was | | | | reservations, the use of herbs and other |
| needed. | | | | traditional methods of healing remains vitally |
| The Cherokee of the southeast recognized more | | | | important and is still preferred to conventional |
| than 100 types of medicinal herb. Some were | | | | medicine. |