AMERICAN INDIAN REMEDIES
by MakaPuma

Arthritis--Mashed yucca root It is applied topically to the  afflicted area. Since yucca contains a substance similar to  cortisone, it reduces inflammation. The Cherokee Indians take the
powdered root of the Aralia racemosa ("spikenard"--- also called  "Indian root" and "life-of-man") as a tea for rheumatoid arthritis.

Backaches--A remedy used for muscle cramps is extract of witch-hazel bark. Witch-hazel extract is commonly used as an astringent. They mixed it with sunflower oil and rubbed it on their muscles until the pain went away. It stimulates blood circulation without causing irritation to the skin. The American Indians knew that the birch tree  had many medicinal uses. They gathered the leaves or the inner bark of the black birch. Black birch was also used by the American Indians as a diuretic and to expel intestinal worms.

Headaches--Natural aspirin (salicin) found in willow bark and used by  the ancient Greeks to alleviate pain. Interestingly, the bark of birch trees is also commonly used as a pain-reliever by American Indians.

Stop Smoking--Smoking began with the Indians. They smoked tobacco for ritual and spiritual purposes, not as an everyday habit. And because they added botanicals and flavored herbs to the tobacco in their pipes, they cut down on the nicotine content. The more you add to tobacco, the less nicotine it will have. Although you can buy herb cigarettes in some natural food stores, here are a few roll-your-own fillers for you to try: marjoram rosemary (used in tobacco mixtures for centuries in England), beech tree leaves (smoked by Germany during
WWI), corn silk, tonka beans, myrica gale (used by Norwegians), licorice, and sage.

Common Cold--The American Indians had already been using angelica to help cure bronchial ailments and common colds.. The plant contains pinene, which is an expectorant with antimicrobial properties. The hot infusion also induces sweating and eases colds. The Seminole, Mohawk, and Iroquois Indians all used sassafras roots to treat number of ailments, including the common cold. Not only does sassafras tea shorten the length of illness, but those who drink the tea on a regular basis develop a much higher resistance to future colds. It has antiseptic properties, and an infusion of the roots an bring down  fever. The Seminole Indians couldn't have told you why it worked, but  for a sore throat, they squeezed the juice from a grapefruit, gargled it, and drank whatever was left over. Modern-day nutritionist, of course, will tell you that it is vitamin C content of the fruit that helps relieve the throat pain. The common alder or black alder (Alnus glutinosa) is used by American Indians for mouth and throat infections.

Cuts, Bites, Burns, and Bruises--Echinacea, also called purple coneflower and Sampson root, was used by native American Indians to treat everything from snakebites to insect bites. The Indians knew that the plant's roots had wound-healing properties when applied to the skin. Echinacea is also an antiseptic and can be used to treat skin problems like boils and acne. The Indians used the juice of his plant on their hands, feet, and mouths to make them insensitive to heat. Another useful early American Indian remedy for bee stings and insect bites was fleshy leaves of plantain. The leaves contain mucilage, which soothes broken skin. Leaves can be crushed and applied directly to the skin to stop bleeding and pain. Both native American Indians and early white settlers rubbed pennyroyal leaves into their skin to repel insects. It works for flies, mosquitoes, gnats, ticks, and chiggers. Sprinkled around plants (indoor and out), pennyroyal will keep away pests. Pennyroyal is used in many commercial insect repellants. With its pleasant mint-like fragrance and effectiveness, it is a natural for the job.

Snakebites--The plant known as adder's tongue gets its name from its appearance is used topically. The leaves of this plant closely resemble the tongue of a snake. It grows throughout the northern and middle regions of the United States and was used by American Indians as a cure for snakebites. Warning: If eaten, this plant is highly toxic.

Bruises--Adder's tongue is used (as mentioned earlier) by American Indians as a remedy for snakebites. It is also useful in the treatment of bruises. You can bet that the Mohawk Indians, mighty hunters and warriors, suffered their share of bruises. The Mohawk treatment involved the bark and leaves of the witch-hazel tree. (topically) Slippery elm is a food and a medicine that comes from the red elm tree. The American Indians used it for a variety of ailments.  The soothing, healing properties come, in part, from the high mucilage  content. Licorice also can be used on blisters.

Aphrodisiacs--The berries of the saw palmetto were eaten by several American Indians tribes as a sexual invigorator.. The berries contain steroidal saponins that can be used to treat atrophy of the testes and  prostate inflammation. Some tribes discovered that women who ate the  berries firmed up their breasts. Saponins also stimulate production of milk.

Urinary-tract Infections--Corn Silk, which is a diuretic, has-been used by the American Indians for urinary problems.

Skin Beauty--American Indians medicine men have long used the root of the Oregon grape plant to cure a variety of skin conditions, as well as other ailments. Hair- Corn is one of the most abundant food crops in the world. It is not a natural breed of plant, but was cultivated by the native Americans, who crossbred several types of American grasses. Once developed, corn made up 80% of the Indians' daily diet. The Chickasaws, who inhabited various parts of North America, not only ate corn----they used corn oil as a remedy for dandruff.

Teeth--Native American Indians-- inspired by face-to-face contact with early white frontiersmen-- shared what they knew about breath fresheners. Like the Indians, people in Appalachia use birch for oral hygiene.

Warts--The North American yellow cedar is considered to be the "tree of life" by many American Indian tribes because of its many uses. An infusion can also be made from this plant and used as a wash for infectious skin diseases such as scabies and impetigo. If you add comfrey leaf and root to the wash, it will help prevent scarring. Comfrey contains soothing mucilage and allantoin, which promotes healing. Irritation- The Mohawk Indian tribe made a soothing eye bath from the extract of sassafras leaves. Sassafras is antiseptic and a pain reliever.

Nutrition--Native American Indians used a healing herb, chaparral,to curb the craving for alcohol and to detoxify the liver.