Native American Herbal Remedies

Colds

Boneset. Boneset tea was one of the most frequently used home remedies during the last century. The Menominees used it to reduce fever; the Alabamas, to relive stomachache; the Creeks, for body pain; the Iroquois and the Mohegans, for fever and colds.  

Colic

Catnip. The Mohegans made a tea of catnip leaves for infant colic.  

CONTRACEPTIVES
 
Ragleaf Bahia. The Navajos, who called the Ragleaf bahia herb twisted medicine, drank a tea of the roots boiled in water for thirty minutes for contraception purposes.

Indian Paintbrush. Hopi women drank a tea of the whole Indian paintbrush to "Dry up the menstrual flow."

Blue Cohosh. Chippewa women drank a strong decoction of the powdered blue cohosh root to promote parturition and menstruation.

Dogbane. Generally used by many tribes, a tea from the boiled roots of the plant was drunk once a week.

Milkweed. Navajo women drank a tea prepared of the whole plant after childbirth.

American Mistletoe Indians of Mendocino County drank a tea of the leaves to induce abortion or to prevent conception.

Antelope Sage. To prevent conception, Navajo women drank one cup of a decoction of boiled antelope sage root during menstruation.

Stoneseed. Shoshoni women of Nevada reportedly drank a cold water infusion of stoneseed roots everyday for six months to ensure permanent sterility.

Coughs

Aspen. The Cree Indians used an infusion of the inner bark as a remedy for coughs. 

Wild Cherry. The Flambeau Ojibwa prepared a tea of the bark of wild cherry for coughs and colds, while other tribes used a bark for diarrhea or for lung troubles. 

White Pine. The inner bark was used by Indian people as a tea for colds and coughs. 

Sarsaparilla. The Penobscots pulverized dried sarsaparilla roots and combined them with sweet flag roots in warm water and used the dark liquid as a cough remedy.  

Diabetes

Wild Carrot. The Mohegans steeped the blossoms of this wild species in warm water when they were in full bloom and took the drink for diabetes. 

Devil’s Club. The Indians of British Columbia utilized a tea of the root bark to offset the effects of diabetes.  

Diarrhea

Blackcherry. A tea of blackberry roots was the most frequently used remedy for diarrhea among Indians of northern California.

Wild Black Cherry. The Mohegans allowed the ripe wild black cherry to ferment naturally in a jar about one year than then drank the juice to cure dysentery. 

Dogwood. The Menominees boiled the inner bark of the dogwood and passed the warm solution into the rectum with a rectal syringe made from the bladder of a small mammal and the hollow bone of a bird.

Geranium. Chippewa and Ottawa tribes boiled the entire geranium plant and drank the tea for diarrhea. 

White Oak. Iroquois and Penobscots boiled the bark of the white oak and drank the liquid for bleeding piles and diarrhea. 

Black Raspberry. The Pawnee, Omaha, and Dakota tribes boiled the root bark of black raspberry for dysentery. 

Star Grass. Catawbas drank a tea of star grass leaves for dysentery.  

Digestive Disorders

Dandelion. A tea of the roots was drunk for heartburn by the Pillager Ojibwas. Mohegans drank a tea of the leaves for a tonic.

Yellow Root. A tea from the root was used by the Catawbas and the Cherokee as a stomach ache remedy.

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