31 Long-Forgotten Native American Medicinal Cures

originally posted by: chiefsmom
a reply to: DAVID64
LOL yeah, but here in MI we don't have those growing in my yard.

@ misskat, don't be embarrassed! Great information! Thank you.

I am in southwestern MI, those plantains sprout up even in the most well kept yards. Especially, near the edgings of pavement! I have even seen them sprouting out of cracks in parking lots.

My husband was going to pull the wild black raspberry bush that grew up by our fence until I showed him all the benefits of keeping it. He can't stand the tea, but likes the fruit and vinegar I make for cooking.

We have a menagerie of 'weeds' since he used to feed bird seed in a feeder. Nature has a way of self-planting all of these goodies via birds.

Edit add: natural medicine is wonderful. Just make sure you realize it is medicine. If a doctor is needed, they DO need to know how much natural meds you have used, so they can care for you properly in an emergency. I found this out from using willow tea for my migraines/cramps. Many medicines that are prescribed could duplicate or worse cause a severe reaction. I am happy I have a physician that recognizes my need to avoid pharmaceuticals. She always explains how I can treat myself naturally and offers a prescription if I want a quicker fix. I like the freedom of choice. Sometimes the natural way can be disgusting...but I learn more about natural remedies in the event I can't get to a doctor.

You forgot a few old NDN cures...

Colicky baby? Dip a pacifier in Bourbon. Repeatedly administer.

Pneumonia, bronchitis, sniffles, TB, spanish flu??? Get one of grandpas tube socks and coat it with Turpentine and lard. Tie it around your neck. This one actually did make you breathe easier and strangely enough made the birds tweet real fast... or was that huffing gas for bronchitis? I dont recall...

Your kid too skinny and you think they have a tapeworm ( this was me)??? Put some kerosene and castor oil in some milk and make them drink it. Lord knows if there is anything in there itll come out one way or another.

Kerosene is a multipurpose cure.. so is gunpowder. If you have lice, ringworm, your horse has flies, seed ticks on your legs, chiggers in your crotch, poison ivy... make a paste of kerosene, gunpowder and lard.

Earache? warm ammonia in your ear.. AKA piss in a jar. But that was only for white people...

a reply to: [post=20042832]ccseagull[/p
Your such a sweetheart thank you.

Your kid too skinny and you think they have a tapeworm ( this was me)??? Put some kerosene and castor oil in some milk and make them drink it. Lord knows if there is anything in there itll come out one way or another

a reply to: Advantage

Actually, put the milk in a shallow dish and onto the person's chest, touching the chin to the bowl's rim. This is to be done at night.

WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH!

The tapeworm will work its way out of the intestine, through the throat and into the bowl, unable to resist the milk. Be prepared to assist the worm extraction, if necessary.

Only AFTER you have stablized the person and introduced the tapeworm to the garbage disposal, feel free to go throw up yourself.

My Gran used to tell me this remedy to get me to eat...and it worked!

Thanks for the link!! Another fine site for me Faves :-)

a reply to: Asktheanimals

I have several field guides including Petersons, its a great work, but the pics are too small to be useful for identification. Or maybe I just dont see so good. lol

So, my silly herb info is meant to help the people in my world to learn to identify the most common herbs in my location which is the pacific northwest.

I always encourage people to research and I tell them "When in doubt do without".

Colleges that offer ag or horticulture are usually happy to help you identify a plant in question.

Also, there are phone apps available that you can take a pic of a plant and it will identify it.

I know I could turn to doctor Google but what would be really helpful would be photos to go Alana with the info on each plant.
Thanks again for your thread.

Last year I had my husband driving me around so I could look for some lactuca serriola (prickly lettuce/opium lettuce). But it was a tad too late in the year.

Thanks for this thread, it's a great reminder of what nature offers us.

Yes, thank you for this thread which inspires me to take a refresher read on this fascinating subject.

One book I was fortunate to find is entitled "Indian Use of Plants for Crafts, Food. Medicine and Charms" and this book, or rather paper by Frances Densmore offers up a look back in time as to how native peoples, mostly the Chippewa, used plants for survival.

Perhaps of interest to some, the following are a few of the plants and trees found in the Minnesota, Wisconsin and into Canada (Fort Frances area) used medicinally by native peoples.

Here is an interesting excerpt that may serve to remind us that special instruction should be learned in using nature's medicines.

"In the old days the Indians had few diseases, and so there was not a demand for a large variety of medicines. A medicine man usually treated one special disease and treated it successfully. He did this in accordance with his dream. A medicine man would not try to dream of all the herbs and treat all diseases, for then he could not expect to succeed in all nor to fulfill properly the dream of any one herb or animal. He would depend on too many and fail in all."

hop hornbeam, ironwood - medicine - kidney trouble

prairie-clover - medicine - heart trouble

plantain - medicine - inflammation

balsam poplar - medicine - heart trouble

marshlocks - medicine - dysentery

wild cherry - medicine/food - digestive troubles

sumac - medicine - dysentery.