Native American Herbal Remedies

There is a renewed interest in herbal remedies lately. Rather than depend on modern medicine to cure them, many people are looking for a natural way to cure diseases and conditions. The Chinese are well known for their work with herbs to cure people. But, did you know that the Native Americans were also very interested in herbs and natural cures?

There are many different Native American herbal remedies used over the years. The Winnebago and Dakota tribes were using skunk cabbage as far back as the early 1800s to help remove phlegm caused by asthma. It was also used to help cure respiratory and nervous disorders. The Catawba tribe would boil the root of mullein to make a sweet syrup, which they gave to their children to prevent coughs. Many tribes used boneset for colds. The Menominees and Mohegans used it to reduce fever caused the infection. The Alabamas believed boneset tea would ease stomachaches. The Creeks used it for general body pain.

Backaches were a common problem the Native Americans experienced. Because of this, they invented several Native American herbal remedies. One was Arnica. However, the Dispensary of the United States later said this root could be dangerous if taken internally. The Catawba Indians would soak the gentian root in hot water and apply that to the backs of sufferers to help relieve the pain. They also used horsemint as one of their Native American herbal remedies. They soaked these leaves in cold water and drank the liquid for back pain.

There were many Native American herbal remedies for diarrhea. The Indians in northern California used blackcherry, while the Menominees boiled the bark of the dogwood tree. The Iroquois and Penobscots boiled the bark of the white oak as a remedy for diahhrea and the Catawbas drank a tea made of star grass.

If you experience frequent acid reflux, look into some of these herbal remedies. Leaving it untreated can be detrimental to your health.

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