The Cherokee Herbal - Native Plant Medicine from the Four Directions

Elecampane, black birch, comfrey, garlic, goldenseal, horseweed, Indian poke, milk thistle, oak, plantain, purple coneflower, rosemary, sage, vervain, witch hazel, and yellowroot Varicose veins Elecampane, hawthorn, horse balm, and horse chestnut “Weak males and females” (sexual strength) Alfalfa, basswood, elecampane, ginseng, holly, moon root, red root, rosin weed, senna, sassafras, saw palmetto, St. John’s wort, strawberries and blackberries, and Virginia snakeroot SOUTH MEDICINE Being the direction of innocence, in the South we celebrate childhood milestones, like rocks that cross the stream to the adult on the other side. Early behaviors and skills were observed as parents and extended family taught a child the way of right relationship with all things. South Medicine included the bull nettle necklace for teething and arrowwood for developing the skill of making arrows from stems. Safety was taught through experiences rather than with “do’s” and “don’ts.” I remember my grandfather teaching me by example that when a stick falls into the water, the rushing water takes it down stream. That was a traditional means of teaching me to be careful and not be like the stick floating down the river. He taught me that rocks are slippery when they are wet with water, and even more slippery with green algae on it. Knives were used under supervision, and the bow and arrow was for hunting instead of play. Safety and protection were first and foremost in learning life-survival skills. South Medicine was about learning something for the first time, or relearning it again with the understanding of a child. The South being connected with Mother Earth, choosing the right roots for cooking and the right greens for spring salad was an important lesson of the South and was learned by both boys and girls. Gathering food and Medicine was a learning opportunity rather than a

chore. Children learned of the Indian “Band-aid,” plantain leaf, for healing cuts and abrasions. Children learned about rashes, itch, and cough medicine from natural plants at an early age. We learned as children that catnip would be used as a salve or wash on us to repel insects and would be spread around the shoots of young plants with ashes to keep the little pests away from our future food products. We learned the old remedy of garlic as a “cure-all.” South Medicine includes plants for all of nature’s environmental exposures that affect the skin and the external parts of the body. The majority of plant applications in the South were for wounds and infected areas of the skin, insects bites and stings, snakebites, and poisons or toxins in nature that caused irritation and rashes. South Medicine included plant formulas and remedies for the bones, muscles, and joints. These were usually applied as poultices, oils, washes, and other topical pain relievers such as witch hazel that would be absorbed through the skin into the deeper tissue layers. Ceremonial medicine in the South focused on children and nature, with plants being helpers and protectors prepared as “special Medicine,” such as tobacco for offerings and sunflower as a sacred plant. The South Medicine focuses on maintaining harmony and balance with nature and our environment. It is about whole-body health. South Medicine teaches us to play more like a young child as we enjoy the simple nature of all things around us. Arthritis, neuritis, and neuralgia American spikenard (Indian root), arnica, camphor, cayenne, chamomile, cloves, common phacelia, dog fennel, dog hobble, flaming azalea, lobelia, mullein, pine, rue, slippery elm, and wintergreen Bursitis (tendons) Cayenne, devil’s claw, ginger, licorice, poke, and willow Boils

Aloe, American spikenard (Indian root), arnica, beet, bloodroot, bouncing bet, corn, chamomile, dog fennel, dogwood, flax, four-o’clock, gourd, jimson weed, oats, pepper grass, pine, poplar, pretty-by-night, purple coneflower, Solomon’s seal, speedwell, spikenard (spignet), sumac, thistle, turtlehead, violet, and yellowroot Bruises Aloe, arnica, basswood, bay tree, bilberry, comfrey, chamomile, dodder, jimson weed, leafcup, passionflower, St. John’s wort, and witch hazel Burns (and sunburn) Aloe, alumroot, balm-of-Gilead, bamboo-brier, chamomile, Christmas fern, comfrey, elderberry, jimson weed, lavender, leafcup, oak, passionflower, plantain, pumpkin, rosemary, spikenard (spignet), St. John’s wort, sumac, and witch hazel Dandruff, head or skin conditions, and lice Birch tree, evening primrose, flaxseed, larkspur (for lice), marsh mallow, nettle, pawpaw, pine, poplar, sage, shinleaf, slippery elm, soapwort, sycamore tree, sweetgum tree, and willow Foot (itch) Aloe, American spikenard (Indian root), arnica, comfrey, chamomile, garlic, goldenrod, goldenseal, pepper, ragweed, richweed, staggerbush, wintergreen, and witch hazel, and yellowroot Hair (condition and loss) Arnica, nettle, onion, and soapwort Hives Aloe, arnica, burdock, comfrey, chamomile, ginger, licorice, marsh mallow, nettle, poplar, saffron, witch hazel, yarrow, and yellowroot Insect bites and stings Aloe, arnica, broom sedge, comfrey, chamomile, elm tree, forget-me-not, hemlock tree, houseleek, horehound, goat’s beard, goldenrod, nettle, lavender, lobelia (Indian tobacco), marsh mallow, melissa balm, moss (reindeer moss), oak, plantain, pine, piney weed, poison ivy (special use),

poplar, purple coneflower, saw palmetto, shinleaf, spiderwort (dayflower), valerian, wild or sacred tobacco, witch hazel, and yellowroot Insect repellent Garlic, pennyroyal, and narrow leaf plantain (hosta plantain) Mouth (sores and herpes) Alder tree, aloe, chamomile, crowfoot, goldenseal, horehound, lemon balm, licorice, oak, pine, poplar, purple coneflower, and St. John’s wort Muscles (soreness and twitching) Aloe, American spikenard (Indian root), arnica, Carolina vetch, dogwood, hophornbeam, rosemary, rue, tickseed (devil’s shoestring), wintergreen, witch hazel, and willow Pain (external and with swelling) Aloe, American spikenard (Indian root), arnica, cayenne, evening primrose, Indian physic, lady’s thumb, rosemary, smartweed, St. John’s wort, willow, wintergreen, and dogwood bark internally Poison ivy, oak, sumac, and other Aloe, arnica, alder tree, beech tree, comfrey, chamomile, cucumber, horse gentian, jewelweed, oats, pennyroyal, plantain, pine, poplar, selfheal, shinleaf, witch hazel, and yellowroot Psoriasis Aloe, arnica, chickweed, comfrey, chamomile, dandelion, goldenseal, marsh mallow, poplar, pine, sarsaparilla, sassafras, self-heal, sorrel, yellow dock, witch hazel, and yellowroot Rheumatism (aches and pains) Aloe, American holly, American spikenard (Indian root), arnica, bittersweet, Christmas fern, dog fennel, dog hobble, flaming azalea, Indian poke, horse gentian, mountain laurel, rheumatism root, turk’s cap lily, and wood fern. See also arthritis entry, above. Skin (aging and spots) Aloe, American spikenard (Indian root), arnica, balm-of-Gilead,

cucumber, comfrey, chamomile, and licorice Skin (eczema, acne, and rash) Aloe, arnica, black elder, bloodroot, broom sedge, burdock, chamomile, chickweed, comfrey, cucumber, dandelion, dock or curled dock, evening primrose, figwort, flax, garlic, golden glow, goldenseal, ivy, juniperberries licorice, marsh mallow, mountain laurel, oats, pansy, pine, plantain, poplar, purple coneflower, sorrel, self-heal, soapwort, sorrel, slippery elm, speedwell, witch grass, yellow dock, wintergreen, and yellowroot Skin (cuts and wounds) Aloe, alumroot, balm-of-Gilead, balsam fir, birch tree, blood leather, buckeye, comfrey, chamomile, dogwood, figwort, garlic, goldenseal, highland fern, horse gentian, geranium, goldenrod, horehound, horsetail, Indian plantain, jimson weed, leafcup, lizard’s tail, maidenhair tree, melissa balm, mountain fern, pine, plantain, purple coneflower, rattlesnake fern, rosemary, rue, sage, self-heal, senega snakeroot, slippery elm, thyme, violet, Virginia snakeroot, water plantain, white oak, wild carrot, wild indigo, witch hazel, wood betony, woundwort, yarrow, and yellowroot Skin (fungal, infections, and ringworm) Aloe, arnica, bloodroot, cinnamon, comfrey, chamomile, garlic, geranium, goldenseal, laurel, lobelia (Indian tobacco), marigold, plantain, pine, poison ivy (for ringworm), poplar, ragweed, sarsaparilla, self-heal, slippery elm, soapwort, sorrel, wintergreen, witch hazel, yellow dock, and yellowroot Skin (inflamed areas and sores) Aloe, alumroot, arnica, bracken fern, buckeye, comfrey, crowfoot, dock (curled dock), chamomile, highland fern, horse chestnut, horse gentian, Indian fern, Indian root, poplar, swamp lily, twinleaf (rheumatism root), willow, and wintergreen Skin (itch, irritation, and abrasion) Aloe, alumroot, arnica, beech tree, broom sedge, buckeye, chickweed, comfrey, common sorrel, corn, chamomile, cucumber, devil’s claw, elm, figwort, flax, garlic, goldenrod, maple, marigold, marsh mallow, nettle (bull

nettle), ragweed, richweed, pennyroyal, pine, poison ivy (special use), poplar, self-heal, senega snakeroot, slippery elm, soapwort, sorrel, staggerbush, wintergreen, witch hazel, yellow dock, and yellowroot Skin (sores and difficult or old sores) Adam and Eve root (puttyroot), adder’s tongue (dog’s tooth violet), aloe, alumroot, arnica, balm-of-Gilead, balsam fir, basswood, bay tree, burdock, comfrey, coneflower, devil’s walkingstick, dock (curled dock), dogwood, dutchman’s breeches, elderberry, golden glow, goldenseal, goldthread, Indian fern, lady’s thumb, laurel, mallow, masterwort, nightshade, oak, pepper grass, pansy, pumpkin, puffball or devil’s snuffbox, purple coneflower, rattlesnake plantain (ratsbane), rhododendron, self-heal, senna, seven-bark shrub, shinleaf, Solomon’s seal, sorrel, sycamore tree, vervain (self-heal), violet (bird’s foot violet), walnut tree, water plantain, white oak, wild carrot, and willow “Special Medicine” “Sacred spirit water” was water from a creek where there was no blood shed. Sacred tobacco would be shared with a prayer-chant, then placed in a pottery bowl. Certain plant and bark juices associated with the Four Directions would be added, and the mixture would sit in the sun for four days. It would then be used on certain skin conditions and sores. Devil’s shoestring would be used for ceremony with ball players after a “cold plunge.” Wild or sacred tobacco was used for making offerings, gifting, and ceremony. Sage was used in ceremonial offerings; Indian tobacco would be used in old formulas for skin conditions, including joint pains. Swelling (feet and legs) Aloe, American spikenard (Indian root), arnica, couchgrass, devil’s claw, dutchman’s pipe, oak, wormwood, and yellowroot Varicose veins Aloe, bilberry, hawthorn berry, horse chestnut, nettle, thyme, sweet flag, wintergreen, and witch hazel Warts (genital) Arnica, bloodroot, black birch, dandelion, garlic, mayapple (Indian apple), milkweed, St. John’s wort, and white cedar

WEST MEDICINE The direction of West was traditionally considered the realm of challenge, competition, death, and all the things we have to deal with for physical survival. In essence, it is the direction of physical Medicine. The stories and myths tell of a time when the “Little People” met in council to decide how to revive the daughter of the Sun, who was bitten by a snake sent by the council to stop the Sun from bearing down so hard and hot on the people working in the planting fields. They were getting sick from the sun’s tremendous heat, and the earth was drying without rain. Their efforts resulted in the death of the Sun’s daughter. The decision was made in council to place the daughter in a pine box and take her to the “darkening land” where she could be revived if the spirit, or ghost, people touched sycamore rods that extended from the pine box. The belief was that the spirit people could give her life, thus appeasing the Sun. The long trip to the West, or the darkening land, was made with the daughter inside the pine box. As they reached the circle of the darkening land, they could see the spirit people dancing in a circle. The Little People moved the box so the sycamore rods could touch the spirits. As they entered the energy circle of the “spirit ones,” they heard some noise in the box. The Little People started their journey back to the direction of the Sun, which was slightly rising to take a peak at where the Little People were in their journey. As they continued their journey, they could hear some movement in the pine box, but they were told not to open the box until they were at their journey’s end in the East. The Little People carrying the pine box heard a voice, “Please let me out. I cannot breathe in here.” They remembered what they were told, but they were also afraid the daughter of the Sun would die again from not being able to breathe. They continued their journey East. Again, they heard the voice, “Please let me out, or just open the box enough so I can have a drink of water. I am very thirsty.” This

continued until they were very close to the East. Finally, the desperate voice sounded as though she was going to die, and they thought about having to make the long journey back to the darkening land of the West. They decided to open the box only slightly so she could breathe and have a drink of water. Suddenly, they heard a flutter, and a bird escaped from the pine box. All was well, because the special bird became the messenger between the people of Mother Earth and the Sun, who to this day continues the journey across the sky to visit with the grandmother who lives in the West. Some say the special bird is the ancestor of all birds, while others say it is the ancestor of the Great Eagle. Some elders say the birds are manifestations of the spirit inside all of us that guide us to be care-free or not too grounded. They say we learn that internally we need air and water to live, but our spirit needs love and freedom to survive. The lesson teaches us to reach high and even to fly in spirit; otherwise, we look to the plant helpers on Mother Earth to maintain physical balance in our lives, called West Medicine. The West Medicine, based on the myth or story with the plants as helpers for internal physical conditions and natural nutrition, related to physical health and wholeness. this was also a traditional guide to food as Medicine and a healthy balance of energy and internal harmony. One of the most important Medicine helpers that is not usually mentioned in the use of plants is water, which is considered a Medicine of the West. Tonics and drinks made from plant helpers became elixirs that were often called “Indian tonics” by non-Indians who were often called “snake-oil salesmen.” The remedies were usually sold for snakebites and elixirs to cure backaches and all the conditions common at that time, including fevers and infections. Ironically, there was a respect in those early years for Indian remedies based on formulas made from natural plants. What was usually lost in the translation was the total concept of Medicine that included sweats, ceremonies, family and tribal support, song chants, and all the things used for total wellness, harmony, and balance. West Medicine helpers

for the internal conditions to restore physical balance are as follows: Arthritis Angelica, black cohosh, devil’s claw, evening primrose, feverfew, flaxseed, ginger, nettle, purple coneflower or echinacea, rue, valerian, willow, yellow gentian, and yucca Appetite (improve for elders and “sick ones”) Anise, bilberry, blue-eyed grass, dogwood tree, fairywand or devil’s bit or blazing star, flax, garlic, gentian, ginseng, goldenseal or yellowroot, horseradish, maple tree, milk thistle, nettle, juniperberries, mugwort, twayblade, watercress, and yarrow Appetite (decrease appetite or weight loss) Corn silk, chickweed, dandelion, fennel, ginger, goldenseal or yellowroot, kelp, sassafras, and Venus looking glass Bladder Aloe, agrimony, bittersweet, black cohosh, castor bean, chamomile, chickweed, comfrey, dandelion, goldenrod, goldenseal, gooseberry, hawkweed or rabbit’s ear, Joe-pye weed or gravel root, oak tree, peppermint, purple coneflower or echinacea, and raspberry “Cleansing” (including laxatives) Aloe, alumroot, anise, asafoetida or ferula, asparagus, balsam tree, beans, beech tree, blackroot or culver’s root, bloodroot, buckthorn tree, blue flag, cabbage, caraway, carrot, castor bean, chickweed, dandelion, false aloe, fennel, flax, garlic, goosegrass, horehound, hydrangea, hyssop, lamb’s quarters, meadow rue, milk thistle, milkweed, pansy, purslane, ramps, rhubarb, sarsaparilla, sassafras, senna, Solomon’s seal, sorrel, twayblade, and witch grass Diabetes Aloe, bilberry, birch, bitter weed, calamus, garlic, ginseng, huckleberry, milk thistle, pumpkin seeds, oats, valerian, and yucca Diarrhea (including more severe cases of dysentery) Adder’s tongue or trout lily, alumroot, barberry, benne plant, birch, black

cherry, black cohosh, blue-eyed grass, caraway, catnip, chicory, cinquefoil, columbine, false aloe, foxglove, fox grape, geranium or American cranesbill, ginger, hemlock, hog peanut, Indian mouse ear, physic, pansy, parsley, pepper bush, peppermint, pipsissewa, raspberry, sage, self-heal, senna, shepherd’s purse, sorrel, southern harebell, sweet flag, trillium or Indian balm, Turk’s cap lily, white oak, wild rose, wild strawberry, wintergreen, witch hazel, and wood betony Diuretic Agrimony, angelica, beans, bearberry, blue flag, burdock, butterfly weed, celery, columbine, corn, cranberry or mountain cranberry, cucumber, dandelion, fairywand or devil’s bit or blazing star, Dutchman’s pipe, fennel, ginseng, goldenrod, hemlock, horsechestnut, horsetail, Joe-pye weed or gravel root, juniperberry, meadow rue or crowfoot, parsley, pipsissewa, poor robin’s plantain, raspberry, sarsaparilla, sassafras, saw palmetto, sorrel, trumpet vine or wild potato vine, white snakeroot, yarrow, and yellowroot Fever (related to internal problems and infections) Arrowhead, ash tree, barberry, basil, bayberry or wax myrtle, black cohosh, boneset or Indian sage, dogwood, and purple coneflower or echinacea Flatulence (carminative) Angelica, anise, basil, calamus root or sweet flag, caraway, catnip, chamomile or yellowroot, fennel, ginger, goldenrod, melissa balm, prickly ash, rosemary, sassafras, self-heal, thyme, and valerian Gallbladder (and stones) Agrimony, apple tree, birch tree, comfrey (caution), crabapple, dandelion, peppermint, purple coneflower or echinacea, raspberry, and yellow bedstraw Gastrointestinal Aloe, alder tree, anise, ash tree, balsam tree, birch Tree, black cohosh, blackgum tree, black walnut tree, cabbage, caraway, capsicum, catnip, cayenne or capsicum, cinquefoil, false aloe, fennel, garlic, ginger, gentian, goldenseal, hornbean, horse chestnut or buckeye, juniper

berries, knotweed, lavender, licorice, lousewort, meadowsweet, mulberry tree, onion, peppermint, persimmon tree, pine, potato vine or trumpet vine, purple coneflower or echinacea, red root, sage, savory, senna, slippery elm, sourwood, terrapin’s foot, thyme, tickseed, watercress, wood betony, and wormwood Gout Adder’s tongue or trout lily, American spikenard or Indian root, balsam tree, bearberry, birch tree, celery, cedar or white cedar, devil’s claw, bane, horsetail, nettle, purple coneflower or echinacea, soapwort, witchgrass, and yucca Indigestion Angelica, arbutus or terrapin’s foot, caraway, Carolina pinkroot, chamomile or goldenseal or yellowroot, chicory, colic root, fennel, ginger, lemon balm, licorice, marsh mallow, mugwort, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, savoy, white mustard, and wintergreen or teaberry Kidney (gravel/stones, infection, and pain) Aloe, arbutus or terrapin’s foot, asparagus, balsam tree, bearberry, beggar lice, birch tree, black cohosh, blue devil, bracken fern, capsicum, chaparral, chicory, comfrey, corn silk, cucumber, fairywand or devil’s bit or blazing star, fleabane, frostweed, galax, garlic, goldenrod, goldenseal, hops, horehound, hydrangea, loosestrife, marsh mallow, oak tree, parsley, persimmon tree, pipsissewa, pitcher plant, poke or pokeweed, poor Robin’s plantain, poplar tree, purple coneflower or echinacea, queen of the meadow, raspberry, rhubarb, sarsaparilla, sassafras, shepherd’s purse, skullcap, slippery elm, sorrel, speedwell, terrapin’s foot, twayblade, valerian, watermelon, white snakeroot, wild plum, wild strawberry, wild yam, wintergreen, witchgrass, and wood betony, yarrow, yellow dock, and yellowroot Laxative (see Cleansing) Liver Alumroot, ash tree, barberry, blackroot or culver’s root, buckthorn tree, cabbage, comfrey (caution), dandelion, fairywand or devil’s bit or blazing star, garlic, ginseng, milk thistle, purple coneflower or echinacea, and

virginia creeper Low Blood Sugar Bilberry Nausea Catnip, ginger, and goldenseal Pain American spikenard or Indian root, angelica, birch tree, black birch tree, black cohosh, butterfly weed, button snakeroot or devil’s bit or blazing star, catnip, celery, comfrey, dogwood, elder tree, garlic, gentian, hops, parsnip, purple coneflower or echinacea, skullcap, valerian, and willow Prostate Cayenne, ginseng, goldenseal, kelp, and pumpkin “Special Medicine” Indian pipe, lady’s slipper, lobelia, purge root, stinging nettle, pitcher plant, tansy, yaupon, yellow-eyed grass, and yucca (Venus flytrap was included, but it is not mentioned in this text because it was considered sacred to the elders) “Spring Tonic” (old Cherokee formula) Ash tree, black elder, calamus or sweet flag, dandelion, ivy, nettle, sassafras, watercress, witchgrass, and others not included in text because they were considered sacred by the elders STD or Sexually Transmitted Diseases Black cohosh, blackgum tree, and purple coneflower or echinacea Stimulate (metabolism and system) Birch, blue flag, cayenne or capsicum, elder, garlic, ginger, ginseng, Joepye weed or gravel root, juniperberry, mullein, nettle, pricklyash, sassafras, sweet flag, white snakeroot, and wormwood Stomach and Bowel (cramps and calming) Agrimony, aloe, angelica, anise, asafoetida or ferula, belladonna,

bittersweet, black cohosh, black snakeroot, blue cohosh, bracken fern, burdock, butterfly weed, calamus or sweet flag, Canadian snakeroot, caraway, capsicum, catnip, chamomile, comfrey (caution), cowslip, galax, gallof-the-Earth or lion’s foot, garlic, ginger, gentian, hairy beardtongue or broom sedge, hops, Indian turnip or Jack-in-the-pulpit, lady’s slipper, lousewort, melissa balm, mint, oats, pipsissewa, purple coneflower or echinacea, sassafras, sedge, self-heal, senna, seven-bark shrub, skullcap, stinging nettle, thyme, watercress, wild potato or wild jalap, wood betony, and yellowroot Thyroid Black cohosh, kelp, and skullcap “Tonic” (general health) Alder tree, arnica, blackberry, chamomile, colic root, comfrey, dandelion, garlic, Joe-pye weed or gravel root, maple tree, masterwort, melissa balm, persimmon tree, ramps, raspberry, sarsaparilla, strawberry, thyme, walnut, wild black cherry tree, wild oats, and yellow gentian (there were others, but they were considered sacred by the elders) “Tonic” (strength and endurance) Angelica, carrot, ginger, ginseng, piney weed, sarsaparilla, St. John’s wort, yellow gentian, and wild carrot (there were others not included in this text because they were considered sacred by the elders) Ulcers Capsicum, comfrey, goldenseal or yellowroot, knotgrass, nettle, oak, speedwell, and valerian Urinary and Bladder (infection, “gravel, ” and pain) Asparagus, barberry, bearberry, black cohosh, blue devil, corn, cranberry, cucumber, devil’s shoestring, Dutchman’s pipe, garlic, goat’s beard, hearts-a-bustin’, hops, hophornbean, Joe-pye weed or gravel root, juniper berry, ladies’ tresses, parsley, persimmon tree, pipissewa, purple coneflower or echinacea, queen of the meadow, raspberry, red root, sage, shepherd’s purse, smartweed, sorrel, trumpet vine or wild potato vine, twayblade, twinleaf or yellowroot, white snakeroot, wild cherry, wild oats, wild strawberry, sweet shrub, and yarrow

Worms (and parasites) Agrimony, alder tree, alumroot, asafoetida or ferula, balsam fir, bayberry or wax myrtle, blackgum tree, blackroot or culver’s root, bracken fern, broadleaf plantain, capsicum, Carolina pinkroot, castor bean, common rue, coralbread, devil’s shoestring, false aloe, Fraser fir, garlic, ginger, Indian pink, lady’s slipper, loblolly pine tree, male fern, maple tree, pine tree, pinkroot, pumpkin, purple coneflower or echinacea, rattlesnake plantain, purslane, ragweed, red root, senna, serviceberry tree, spleenwort, sweet fern, thyme, turtlehead, twinleaf or yellowroot, wild cherry, wild ginger, wild rose, wood betony, and wormseed NORTH MEDICINE The Medicine of the North is related to one of our basic needs for survival, which is air. Our relationship with the plants and trees is the focus of this Medicine with the balance of air associated with the exchange of air, or oxygen, breathed in by humans with the release of carbon dioxide. The trees and plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, which we need to breathe and survive. While this was innately understood by earlier Indians, thanks was given for every plant and tree used for any purpose in ceremony and in daily life. Formulas and remedies using plants in North Medicine relate to breathing and conditions affecting physical and mental balance. Conditions relating to the head such as headaches and calming were the focus of North Medicine. Cherokee elders shared with me stories and myths considered sacred for plant formulas used to influence others that included the senses such as smell and sight. This reminded me so much of mental conditioning, which could be considered positive or negative, depending on what you want to accomplish. As an example, a cold remedy using garlic can be a terrible-tasting liquid, or it can include wild cherry bark and honey that has a pleasant aroma and taste to it. If a child is to be conditioned to not like the elixir, but know it is “good Medicine,” then the child will not want it unless he is really sick. Of course, the opposite can be true as well. Some of the

old formulas are considered potions to bring about special powers for “keeping a clear head for hunting or for games of competition.” The use of natural plants by American Indians and Alaska Natives for North Medicine is still considered very effective for coughs, colds, and upper respiratory conditions. The same is true for fever remedies and conditions such as earache, eye irritation, and anxiety or depression problems. As an elder said, “Native Americans were once poked fun at for plant remedies, but just see how many of those plants are being synthesized today by non-Indians who have discovered something sold on the open market or as a prescription that is the same thing our ancestors used for survival.” The Medicine “helpers” for the North are as follows: Anxiety Catnip, celery, chamomile or yellowroot, clover, dandelion, gooseberry, heather, hops, Indian hemp or dropsy weed, jasmine, oats, periwinkle, lavender, motherwort, passionflower, skullcap, valerian, and vervain Asthma Anise, arrowroot, bitterweed, blackthorn, blue vervain, burdock, capsicum, coltsfoot, cotton, “co-we” (coffee), crested field fern, dandelion, evening primrose, eyebright, ferula, fireweed, foxglove, garlic, horehound, hyssop, licorice, lobelia or Indian tobacco, lungwort, ivy, maidenhair fern, mullein, rosemary, yarrow, and yellow dock Bronchial/Bronchitis Anise, coltsfoot, elecampane, echinacea, fennel, flax, horehound, hyssop, marsh mallow, mullein, peppermint, plantain, sundew, and thyme Coughs Anise, black cohosh, coltsfoot, comfrey, elecampane, ginseng, knotgrass, licorice, lobelia, lungwort, mullein, plantain, sage, spotted cranebill, thyme, wild cherry, and witchgrass Colds Boneset, coltsfoot, echinacea, elderberry, evening primrose, garlic,

ginger, knotgrass, lemon balm, lungwort, mullein, peppermint, plantain, speedwell, St. Johns wort, witchgrass, and yarrow Colds (children) Coltsfoot, horehound, peppermint, and wild cherry Colds (flu) Anise, boneset, coltsfoot, comfrey, echinacea, elderberry, ginger, goldenseal (yellowroot), licorice, nettle, pleurisy root, slippery elm, spotted cranesbill, valerian, and willow bark or dogwood Cold sores Goldenseal (yellowroot), lemon balm, and licorice Depression or “feeling low” Lavender, oats, passionflower, and vervain Earache Echinacea, garlic, ginger, lemon balm, licorice, yellow dock, and yarrow Eye soreness and irritation Bilberry, eyebright, goldenseal (yellowroot), marigold, and rosemary Eye (sties) Berberine, eyebright, mullein, and yarrow Fever Ginseng, elderberry, feverfew, sassafras, vervain, wild ginger, willow bark, and yellow gentian Gum soreness Capsicum, dandelion, milk thistle, and willow Headache Capsicum, catnip, feverfew, ginger, passionflower, peppermint, thyme, valerian, willow bark or dogwood, and wood betony Laryngitis Coltsfoot, licorice, mullein, willow bark, and wild cherry

Motion sickness Fennel, ginger, and peppermint Mouthwash Cloves, goldthread, oak, rosemary, spotted cranesbill, and sage Nervousness Hops, mistletoe, and passionflower Respiratory complaints Comfrey, mullein, marsh mallow, and saw palmetto Rest and calm Anise, catnip, dill, evening primrose, fennel, melissa balm, hops, lavender, passionflower, peppermint, skullcap, St. Johns wort, and valerian Sinus conditions Capsicum, echinacea, goldenseal, and willow Sore throat Capsicum, comfrey, echinacea, ginger, goldenseal (yellowroot), licorice, marsh mallow, mullein, plantain, wild cherry, and willow Toothache Blue flag (snake lily), clove, and garlic

Bibliography Chiltoskey, Mary. Interviews from 1960–1966. Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wildflowers. New York: Facts on File, 1993. Duke, James A. The Green Pharmacy. Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale Press, 1997. ______. Handbook of Northeastern Indian Medicinal Plants. Lincoln, Mass.: Quarterman Publications, 1986. Doane, Nancy Locke. Indian Doctor Book. Charlotte, N.C.: Aerial Photography Services, 1983. Elliott, Douglas B. Wild Roots: A Forager’s Guide to the Edible and Medicinal Roots, Tubers, Corms, and Rhizomes of North America. Rochester, Vt.: Healing Arts Press, 1995. Evans, E. Raymond, Clive Kileff, and Karen Shelly. Herbal Medicine: A Living Force in the Appalachians. Readings and Perspectives in Medicine, Booklet Number 4, 1982. Medical History Program and the Trent Collection, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. Fetrow, Charles W., and Juan R. Avila. The Complete Guide to Herbal Medicines. Springhouse, Pa.: Springhouse Corp., 2000. Foreman, Richard. The Cherokee Physician: Indian Guide to Health. 1857. Reprinted, Norman, Okla.: Hooper Printing Company, 1979.

Gabriel, Ingrid. Herb Identifier and Handbook. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., 1975. Garrett, J. T., and Michael Garrett. Medicine of the Cherokee: The Way of Right Relationship. Santa Fe, N.M.: Bear & Company, 1996. Hamel, Paul B., and Mary U. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants. Sylva, N.C.: Herald Publishing Co., 1975. Hoffmann, David. The New Holistic Herbal. Rockport, Mass.: Element Books, 1992. Hutchens, Alma R. Indian Herbalogy of North America. Boston: Shambhala, 1991. Hutson, Robert W., William F. Hutson, and Aaron J. Sharp. Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers. Northbrook, Ill.: Windy Pines Publishing, 1995. Krochmal, Arnold, and Connie Krochmal. A Guide to the Medicinal Plants of the United States. New York: Quadrangle, 1973. Lust, John. The Herb Book. New York: Bantam Books, 1974. Meyer, Joseph E. The Herbalist. Glenwood, Ill.: Meyerbooks, 1981. Mooney, James. Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee. Nashville, Tenn.: Charles Elder, Bookseller, 1972. PDR for Herbal Medicines. Montvale, N.J.: Medical Economics Company, 2001. Reader’s Digest. Magic and Medicine of Plants. Pleasantville, N.Y.: Reader’s Digest Association, 1986. Vogel, Virgil J. American Indian Medicine. Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1970.

Join United Plant Savers Become an Advocate for the Plants United Plant Savers (UpS) is a nonprofit, grassroots organization dedicated to the conservation and cultivation of at-risk native medicinal plants. As an organization for herbalists and people who love plants, our purpose is to ensure the future of our rich diversity of medicinal species. Formed in the spirit of hope by a group of herbalists committed to protecting and preserving at-risk species and to raising public awareness, United Plant Savers reflects the great diversity of American herbalism. Our membership includes wildcrafters, seed collectors, herbal product manufacturers, growers, botanists, educators, practictioners, and plant lovers from all walks of life. We recognize that environmentally responsible cultivation, land stewardship, habitat protection, and sustainable wild harvesting are of critical imprortance to ensure an abundant renewable supply of medicinal plants for future generations. We invite you to join United Plant Savers. For more information, please write to UpS, P.O. Box 98, East Barre, VT, 05649.

About the Author J. T. Garrett, Ed. D., and his son, Michael Garrett, Ph.D., are members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee from North Carolina. As students and teachers of Indian Medicine, they draw on the ancient wisdom teachings of their Medicine Elders on the Cherokee Reservation in the Great Smoky Mountains. The Garretts have developed ways to present the "old teachings" to effectively guide people today to appreciate and understand living the "Medicine Way."

About Inner Traditions • Bear & Company Founded in 1975, Inner Traditions is a leading publisher of books on indigenous cultures, perennial philosophy, visionary art, spiritual traditions of the East and West, sexuality, holistic health and healing, self-development, as well as recordings of ethnic music and accompaniments for meditation. In July 2000, Bear & Company joined with Inner Traditions and moved from Santa Fe, New Mexico, where it was founded in 1980, to Rochester, Vermont. Together Inner Traditions • Bear & Company have eleven imprints: Inner Traditions, Bear & Company, Healing Arts Press, Destiny Books, Park Street Press, Bindu Books, Bear Cub Books, Destiny Recordings, Destiny Audio Editions, Inner Traditions en Español, and Inner Traditions India. For more information or to browse through our more than one thousand titles in print, visit www.InnerTraditions.com.

BOOKS OF RELATED INTEREST MEDICINE OF THE CHEROKEE The Way of Right Relationship by J. T. Garrett and Michael Tlanusta Garrett WALKING ON THE WIND Cherokee Teachings for Harmony and Balance by Michael Garrett THE CHEROKEE FULL CIRCLE A Practical Guide to Ceremonies and Traditions by J. T. Garrett and Michael Tlanusta Garrett MEDITATIONS WITH THE CHEROKEE Prayers, Songs, and Stories of Healing and Harmony by J. T. Garrett COYOTE HEALING Miracles in Native Medicine by Lewis Mehl-Madrona, M.D., Ph.D. THE MAN WHO KNEW THE MEDICINE The Teachings of Bill Eagle Feather by Henry Niese LEGENDS AND PROPHECIES OF THE QUERO APACHE Tales for Healing and Renewal by Maria Yracébûrû

SACRED EARTH The Spiritual Landscape of Native America by Arthur Versluis Inner Traditions • Bear & Company P.O. Box 388 Rochester, VT 05767 1-800-246-8648 www.InnerTraditions.com Or contact your local bookseller

Bear & Company One Park Street Rochester, Vermont 05767 www.InnerTraditions.com Bear & Company is a division of Inner Traditions International Copyright © 2003 by J. T. Garrett All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Garrett, J. T., 1942– The Cherokee herbal : native plant medicine from the four directions / J. T. Garrett. p. cm. eISBN-13: 978-1-59143-952-3 1. Materia medica, Vegetable—United States. 2. Cherokee Indians —Medicine. I. Title. RS171.G375 2003 615’.321’0899755—dc21 2003040388

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