Native American Medicine by Tamra Orr

Author:Tamra Orr
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Native American Medicine
ISBN: 9781422288603
Publisher: National Highlights Inc
Published: 2014-03-11T04:00:00+00:00

Native Americans believed that there were natural remedies for all illnesses. They used plants, berries like the elderberries pictured above, and herbs for their healing properties.

4 Using the Earth’s Gifts

For basic illnesses or injuries that didn’t involve the supernatural world, Native Americans used a wide variety of plants and herbs. Why did they do this? A Cherokee legend probably explains it best. In the old days, so the story goes, all the animals, birds, fishes, and insects could talk to each other. They lived in peace and friendship with the humans for a long time. Then, as the number of humans began to quickly grow, the animals began to run out of room to live. Men invented weapons and killed the animals for skins and food, so the animals decided to protect themselves by introducing diseases to people. The deer chose rheumatism, and the fish and reptiles chose loss of appetite. The plant world felt sorry for men, so every tree, bush, and plant, including the grass and the moss, agreed to furnish a remedy for each of the diseases. They said, “I shall appear to help man when he calls upon me in his need.” This is how the plant world provided the antidote to the illnesses brought on by the vengeful animals. The legend states, “When the doctor is in doubt what treatment to apply for the relief of a patient, the spirit of the plant suggests to him the proper remedy.”

Have you ever looked at the plants and flowers growing in your yard and wondered what they would be like to eat? Some taste good, and some don’t; some might help you with a health problem, and others might make you extremely sick. Never try a plant in your yard without checking it out with your parents or another adult first, because some simple leaves and beautiful flowers can also be dangerous—even poisonous. Because Native Americans lived in nature, they knew a great deal about the plant world around them and how to best use each one. They learned which ones to use mostly through trial and error, and then handed down the information from generation to generation. Sometimes, they would watch sick animals to see what plants they ate. They also spent a great deal of time scouring the forest for unusual plants. To find out if an herb was helpful or not or if it needed to be diluted, some of the Native Americans would test them on themselves first to see what happened.

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