NDN remedies

[Okwes]

NDN remedies shown below are but a few examples of
the thousands used by indigenous peoples for ailments
of every description. Thousands of years spent
gaining intimate knowledge of plants, minerals and
their varied uses has given the world a vast
pharmacopoeia of medicinal remedies and cures for many
common ailments. NDN contributions to
pharmacological medicine is unmatched anywhere in the
world.

The list below intended for example purposes only and
should not be used to medically treat ailments. In
most instances, plants must be prepared using exacting
methods. If used otherwise, the results may
ineffectual if not dangerous or life threatening.

Asthma
Skunk Cabbage Used by the Winnebago and Dakota
tribes to stimulate the removal of phlegm. The
rootstock was official in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia from
1820 to 1882 when it was used in respiratory and
nervous disorders and in rheumatism and dropsy.

Mullein Introduced by Europeans. The Menominees
smoked the pulverized, dried root for respiratory
complaints while the Forest Potawatomis, the Mohegans,
and the Penobscots smoked the dried leaves to relieve
asthma. The Catawba Indians used a sweetened syrup
from the boiled root, which they gave to their
children for coughs. Smoke and steam from the leaves
of the mint were also used by many tribes.

Backache
Arnica The Catawba Indians used a tea of arnica roots
for treating back pains. Arnica can be dangerous if
taken internally and may cause severe and even fatal
poisoning. Also used as a wash to treat sprains and
bruises.

Gentian The Catawba Indians steeped the roots in
hot water and applied the fluid on aching backs.

Horsemint The Catawba tribe crushed and steeped
fresh horsemint leaves in cold water and drank the
infusion to allay back pain. Other tribes used
horsemint for fever, inflammation, and chills.

Blood Remedy
Sassafras A tonic was prepared using the leaves and
bark. Often other plants such as onion and willow
bark was added.

Boils
Grape and Peach Leaves Southern nations applied a
poultice of the ground leaves to the area and changed
the bandage several times a day.

Bronchitis
Creosote Bush A tea of the leaves was used for
bronchial and other respiratory problems.

Pleurisy Root The Natchez drank a tea of the boiled
roots as a remedy for pneumonia and was later used to
promote the expulsion of phlegm.

Wormwood The Yokia Indians of Mendocino County used
a tea of the boiled leaves of a local species of
wormwood to cure bronchitis.

Broken Bones
Bone Set Pulverized into a wet mash poultice next to
the skin prior to affected area being wrapped in clay
over the poultice and changed daily. Saplings were
used to reduce mobility.

Burns
Yellow-Spined Thistle The Kiowa Indians boiled
yellow-spined thistle blossoms and applied the
resulting liquid to burns and skin sores.

Oak Bark The inner bark was boiled and as the water
cooled, the top layer was skimmed off and applied
directly to the burn without a bandage.

Chills
Snake Root The root was pealed, boiled and the ground
for use as a tea.

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. Wild
ginger was also used by the Iroquois and other
nations.

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

Constipation
Seed Bladder Nuts The nuts were ground into a flour
and mixed with fruit.

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 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 Indians 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 liquid as a cough
remedy.

Chestnut The inner bark was used like white pine and
wild cherry.

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
Black Cherry 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.

Fevers
Dogwood The Delaware Indians, who called the tree
Hat-ta-wa-no--<WBR>min-schi, boiled the inner bark in
using the tea to reduce fevers.

Willow The Pomo tribe boiled the inner root bark,
then drank strong doses of the resulting tea to induce
sweating in cases of chills and fever. In the south,
the Natchez prepared their fever remedies from the
bark of the red willow, while the Alabama and Creek
Indians plunged into willow root baths for the same
purpose.

Feverwort The Cherokees drank a decoction of the
coarse, leafy, perennial herb to cure fevers.

Headache
Pennyroyal The Onondagas steeped pennyroyal leaves
and drank the tea to cure headaches.

Willow Bark Many tribes knew the inner bark of the
willow ground into powder and mixed with water
relieved headaches. It was also used for potential
heart attacks.

Heart and Circulatory Problems
Green Hellebore The Cherokee used the green
hellebore to relive body pains.

American Hemp and Dogbane Used by the Prairie
Potawatomis as a heart medicine, the fruit was boiled
when it was still green, and the resulting decoction
drunk. It was also used for kidney problems and for
dropsy.

Hemorrhoids
White Oak The Menominee tribe treated piles by
squirting an infusion of the scraped inner bark of oak
into the rectum with a syringe made from an animal
bladder and the hollow bone of a bird.

#2

Hiccups
Wild Cherry Tea Used in case of chronic hiccups, the
liquid was gulped down repeatedly for several hours.

Inflammations and Swellings
Witch Hazel The Menominees of Wisconsin boiled the
leaves and rubbed the liquid on the legs of tribesmen
who were participating in sporting games. A decoction
of the boiled twigs was used to cure aching backs,
while steam derived by placing the twigs in water with
hot rocks was a favorite Potawatomi treatment for
muscle aches.

Influenza
Native Hemlock (as opposed Poison Hemlock of Socrates
fame). The Menominees prepared a tea if the inner
bark and drank it to relieve cold symptoms. A similar
tea was used by the Forest Potawatomis to induce
sweating and relieve colds and feverish conditions.

Insect Bites and Stings
Fendler Bladderpod The Navajos made a tea and used
it to treat spider bites.

Purple Coneflower The Plains Indians used this as a
universal application for the bites and stings of all
crawling, flying, or leaping bugs. Between June and
September, the bristly stemmed plant, which grows in
dry, open woods and on prairies, bears a striking
purplish flower.

Stiff Goldenrod The Meskwaki Indians of Minnesota
ground the flowers into a lotion and applied it to bee
stings.

Trumpet Honeysuckle The leaves were ground by
chewing and then applied to bees stings.

Wild Onion and Garlic The Dakotas and Winnebagos
applied the crushed bulbs of wild onions and garlics.

Saltbush The Navajos chewed the stems and placed the
pulpy mash on areas of swelling caused by ant, bee and
wasp bites. The Zunis applied the dried, powdered
roots and flowers mixed with saliva to ant bites.

Broom Snakeweed The Navajos chewed the stem and
applied the resin to insect bites and stings of all
kinds.

Tobacco A favorite remedy for bee stings was the
application of wet tobacco leaves.

Mullein A poultice of the wet puffy mullein seed
pods was used by many nations.

Clay The purple, yellow and blue clay surrounding
crystals was sifted to remove tiny crystals and ground
into a powder, made wet into a paste and applied as a
poultice.

Insect Repellents and Insecticides
Goldenseal The Cherokee pounded the large rootstock
with bear fat and smeared it on their bodies as an
insect repellent. It was also used as a tonic,
stimulant, and astringent.

Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy Leaves The moist leaves were heated by
steam for several hours and rubbed into the skin,
especially to areas surrounding the afflicted spots.
While this method did not provide much relief from
itching, it did build an immediate immunity to the
surrounding skin and future contact.

[Okwes]

Rheumatism
Pokeweed Indians of Virginia drank a tea of the
boiled berries to cure rheumatism. The dried root was
also used to allay inflammation.

Bloodroot A favorite rheumatism remedy among the
Indians of the Mississippi region - the Rappahannocks
of Virginia drank a tea of the root.

Sedatives
Wild Black Cherry The Meskwaki tribe made a sedative
tea of the root bark.

Hops The Mohegans prepared a sedative medicine from
the conelike strobiles and sometimes heated the
blossoms and applied them for toothache. The Dakota
tribe used a tea of the steeped strobiles to relieve
pains of the digestive organs, and the Menominee tribe
regarded a related species of hops as a panacea.

Wild Lettuce.
Indigenous to North American, it was used for sedative
purposes, especially in nervous complaints.

Snake Bite
Red Elm After removing as much venom as possible,
Indians used the ground inner bark and young early
spring leaves as a poultice applied directly to the
bite.

Sore Throat
Elm Bark Tea Widely used to reduce inflammation.

Stomach Ache
Golden Seal Many tribes drank a tea made from the
leaves of this plant.

Thrush
Geranium The Cherokee boiled geranium root together
with wild grape, and with the liquid, rinsed the
mouths of children affected with thrush.

Persimmon The Catawba stripped the bark from the
tree and boiled it in water, using the resulting dark
liquid as a mouth rinse.

Wild Iris This plant was used as a tea and mash for
sore mouths.

Toothache
Prickly Ash The root and leaves were pounded into a
wet mash and applied on the gums to deaden nerves and
reduce inflammation.

Vomiting
Beech Bark Tea Used wherever this tree grew, a tea
was a sure tonic for vomiting.

Warts
Milk Weed Used by many nations, the white milk sap
was used as a poultice.

HERBS, PREGNANCY and CHILDBIRTH

To Speed Childbirth:
Partridgeberry The Cherokee used a tea of the boiled
leaves. Frequent doses of the tea were taken in the
few weeks preceding the expected date of delivery.

Blue Cohosh To promote a rapid delivery, an infusion
of the root in warm water was drunk as a tea for
several weeks prior to the expected delivery date.

To Speed Delivery of the Placenta:
American Licorice A tea was made from the boiled
roots.

Broom Snakeweed Navajo women drank a tea of the
whole plant to promote the expulsion of the placenta.

To Stop Post-Partum Hemorrhage:
Buckwheat Hopi women were given an infusion of the
entire buckwheat plant to stop bleeding.

Black Western Chokecherry Arikara women were given a
drink of the berry juice to stop bleeding.

Smooth Upland Sumac The Omahas boiled the smooth
upland sumac fruits and applied the liquid as an
external wash to stop bleeding.

To Relieve the Pain of Childbirth:
Wild Black Cherry Cherokee women were given a tea of
the inner bark to relieve pain in the early stages.

Cotton The Alabama and Koasati tribes made a tea of
the roots of the plant to relieve the pains of labor.

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

Clay The purple, yellow and blue clay surrounding
crystals was sifted to remove tiny crystals and ground
into a powder, made wet into a paste and rolled into
small marble-size balls. One clay ball was consumed
each day of pregnancy to promote good health.

CAUTION!
If you are pregnant, the herbs listed below have the
potential to cause uterine contractions:

Black Cohosh Fenugreek Parsley
Black Walnut Ginger Peppermint
Blessed Thistle Ginseng Red Clover
Catnip Goldenseal Rhubarb Root
Cat's Claw Horsetail Rosemary
Cascara Segrada Jumper Sarsaparilla
Damiana Lavender Thyme
Devil's Claw Licorice Uva Ursi
Dong Quai Lobelia White Willow
Fennel Myrrh Wood Betony

Good Pregnancy Herbs
Rasbery Leaf Strengthens uterine muscles. Soothes
upset stomach and alleviates mild morning sickness.
It increases breast milk and after birth, it slows
bleeding and helps the uterus to gain tone. Contains
easily digested calcium, magnesium and iron.

Nettle Leaves A powerhouse of nutrition, with iron
and calcium. It has folic acid that is so important
during pregnancy. Can strengthen veins, kidneys and
adrenals. It can also help to increase breast milk.

Oatstraw Provides a relaxing sleep after nervous
exhaustion.

Dandelion Root Tea Improves digestion, relieves
constipation and water retention. High in calcium and
iron. A good diuretic that does not deplete
potassium. Good for the liver.

Pregnancy Tea and Baths
Sweet Dreams Tea Mix equal parts of rose buds,
muswort, sweet melilot and peppermint.

Baby Bath for Mom Lavender, peppermint, strawberry
leaf, raspberry leaf, orange petals, orange peel,
lemon grass, chamomile, rosemary, sage, celandine,
rosehips and rose buds. Mix equal parts in a large
bowl, add water, heat and let cool. Strain off and
pour liquid into a storage container. You may also
add individual herbs to bath water or purchase
products at a health food store with these
ingredients.

Sore Feet Bath Comfrey, rosemary, goldenseal,
marigold, chamomile, and tea tree oil. Prepare same
as above.

CHEROKEE PLANT LORE 3
By James Mooney

The Cherokee have always been an agricultural people
and their old country is a region of luxuriant flora,
with tall trees and tangled undergrowth on the slopes
and ridges, and myriad bright-tinted blossoms and
sweet wild fruits along the running streams.

The vegetable kingdom consequently holds a far more
important place in the mythology and ceremonial of the
tribe than it does among the Indians of the treeless
plains and arid sage deserts of the West, most of the
beliefs and customs in this connection centering
around the practice of medicine, as expounded by the
priests and doctors in every settlement.

In general it is held that the plant world is friendly
to the human species, and constantly at the willing
service of the doctors to counteract the jealous
hostility of the animals. The sacred formulas contain
many curious instructions for the gathering and
preparation of the medicinal roots and barks, which
are selected chiefly in accordance with the theory of
correspondences. The Indians are close observers, and
some of their plant names are peculiarly apt.

Thus the mistletoe, which never grows alone, but is
found always with its roots fixed in the bark of some
supporting tree or shrub from which it draws its
sustenance, is called by a name which signifies "4 it
is married" .

The violet is still called by a plural name,
dinda'skwate'dinda'skwate'<WBR>sk�, "they pull each o
showing that the Cherokee children have discovered a
game not unknown among our own. The bear-grass
, with its long, slender leaves like
diminutive blades of corn, is called s�likw�'y�,
"greensnake,"greensnake,<WBR>" and the larger grass k
tears, on account of its glossy, rounded grains, which
the Indian children use for necklaces, is called
sel-uts�' "the mother of corn."

The black-eyed Susan of our children is
the "deer-eye" of the Cherokee, and our
lady-slipper is their "partridge
moccasin" .

The May-apple (Podophyllum)The May-apple (Podophyllum
top, is calledu'niskwetu'top, is calledu'niskw
hat," while the white puff fall fungus is
n�kw�s�'-usdi' "the little star," and the common rock
lichen bears the musical, if rather unpoetic, name of
uts�le'ta, "pot scrapings."

Some plants are named from their real or supposed
place in the animal economy, as the wild rose,
tsist-uni'gist�tsist-uni'gist�<WBR>, "the rabbits
the seed berries--and the shield fern (Aspidum),
y�n-utse'st�, "the bear lies on it." Others, again,
are named from their domestic or ceremonial uses, as
the fleabane (Erigeron canadense), called
atsil'-s��`t�, "fire maker," because its dried stalk
was anciently employed in producing fire by friction,
and the bugle weed (Lycopus virginicus), known as
aniwani'sk�, "talkers," because the chewed root, given
to children to swallow, or rubbed upon their lips, is
supposed to endow them with the gift of eloquence.

Some few, in addition to the ordinary term in use
among the common people, have a sacred or symbolic
name, used only by the priests and doctors in the
prayer formulas. Thus ginseng, or "sang," as it is
more often called by the white mountaineers, is known
to the laity �'tal�-g�l�', the mountain climber," but
is addressed in the formulas as Y��w� Usdi', "Little
Man," hileselu (corn) is invoked under the name of
Agawe'la, "The Old Woman."

One or two plant names have their origin in myths, as,
for instance, that of Prosartes lanuginosa, which
bears the curious name of wal�s'-un�l'st�bears th
fight with it," from a story that in the long
ago--h�lahi'yu-ago--h�lahi'yu-<WBR>-two quarrelsome
duel, using its stalks as lances. In the locative form
this was the name of a former Cherokee settlement in
Georgia, called by the whites Fighting-town, from a
misapprehension of the meaning of the word. Of the
white clover, the Cherokee say that "it follows the
white man."

The division of trees into evergreen and deciduous is
accounted for by a myth, related elsewhere, according
to which the loss of their leaves in winter time is a
punishment visited upon the latter for their failure
to endure an ordeal to the end.

With the Cherokee, as with nearly all other tribes
east and west, the cedar is held sacred above other
trees. The reasons for this reverence are easily
found in its ever-living green, its balsamic
fragrance, and the beautiful color of its fine-grained
wood, unwarping and practically undecaying. The small
green twigs are thrown upon the fire as incense in
certain ceremonies, particularly to counteract the
effect of asgina dreams, as it is believed that the
anisgi'na or malevolent ghosts can not endure the
smell; but the wood itself is considered too sacred to
be used as fuel. In the war dance, the scalp trophies,
stretched on small hoops, were hung upon a cedar
sapling trimmed and decorated for the occasion.

According to a myth the red color comes originally
from the blood of a wicked magician, whose severed
head was hung at the top of a tall cedar. The story
is now almost forgotten, but it was probably nearly
identical with one still existing among the Yuchi,
former neighbors of the Cherokee.

According to the Yuchi myth, a malevolent magician
disturbed the daily course of the sun until at last
two brave warriors sought him out and killed him in
his cave. They cut off his head and brought it home
with them to show to the people, but it continued
still alive. To make it die they were advised to tie
it in the topmost branches of a tree. This they did,
trying one tree after another, but each morning the
head was found at the foot of the tree and still
alive. At last they tied it in a cedar, and there the
head remained until it was dead. While the blood
slowly trickling down along the trunk gave the wood
its red color, and henceforth the cedar was a
"medicine" tree.

The linn or basswood is believed never to be
struck by lightning. and the hunter caught in one of
the frequent thunderstorms of the southern mountains
always seeks its shelter. From its stringy bark are
twisted the hunting belts worn about the waist.

Sour wood is used by the hunters for
barbecue sticks to roast meat before the fire, on
account of the acid flavor of the wood, which they
believe to be thus communicated to the meat. Spoons
and combs are also carved from the wood, but it is
never burned, from all idea that lye made from the
ashes will bring sickness to those who use it in
preparing their food. It is said also that if one
should sleep beside a fire containing sour wood
sticks, the sour wood "will barbecue him" which may
possibly mean that he will have hot or feverish pains
thereafter.

[Okwes]

The laurel in its two varieties, large and small is
much used for
spoons and combson account of its close grain, as
also in medicine, but is never burned, as it is
believed that this would bring on cold weather and
would furthermore destroy the medicinal virtues of the
whole species. The reason given is that the leaves,
when burning, make a hissing sound suggestive of
winter winds and falling snow. When the doctor is
making up a compound in which any part of the laurel
is an ingredient, great precautions are taken to
prevent any of the leaves or twigs being swept into
the fire, as this would render the decoction
worthless.

Sassafras is not used as fuel among the Cherokee, as
also among their white neighbors perhaps for the
practical reason that it is apt to pop out of the fire
when heated and might thus set the house on fire.

Pounded walnut bark is thrown into small streams to
stupefy the fish, so that they may be easily dipped
out in baskets as they float on the surface of the
water. Should a pregnant woman wade into the stream
at the time, its effect is nullified, unless she has
first taken the precaution to tie a strip of the bark
about her toe.

A fire of post-oak and the wood of the tel�n'l�t� or
summer grape is believed to bring a
spell of warm weather even in the coldest winter
season.

Mysterious properties attach to the wood of a tree
which has been struck by lightning, especially when
the tree itself still lives, and such wood enters
largely into the secret compounds of the conjurers.
An ordinary person of the laity will not touch it, for
fear of having cracks come upon his hands and feet,
nor is it burned for fuel, for fear that lye made from
the ashes will cause consumption. In preparing
ballplayers, for the contest, the medicine-man
sometimes burns splinters of it to coal, which he
gives to the players to paint themselves with in order
that they may be able to strike their opponents with
all the force of a thunderbolt.

Bark or wood from a tree struck by lightning, but
still green, is beaten up and put into the water in
which seeds are soaked before planting, to insure a
good crop, but, on the other and, any lightning-struck
wood thrown into the field will cause the crop to
wither, and it is believed to have a bad effect even
to go into the field immediately after having been
near such a tree.

Among all vegetables the one which holds first place
in the household economy and ceremonial observance of
the tribe is selu, "corn," invoked in the sacred
formulas under the name of Agawe'la, "The Old Woman,"
in allusion to its mythic origin from the blood of an
old woman killed by her disobedient sons, "Kana't� and
Selu". In former times the annual thanksgiving
ceremony of the Green-corn dance, preliminary to
eating the first new corn, was the most solemn tribal
function, a propitiation and expiation for the sins of
the past year, an amnesty for public criminals, and a
prayer for happiness and prosperity for the year to
come.

Only those who had properly prepared themselves by
prayer, fasting, and purification were allowed to take
part in this ceremony, and no one dared to taste the
new corn until then. Seven ears from the last year's
crop were always put carefully aside, in order to
attract the corn until the new crop was ripened and it
was time for the dance, when they were eaten with the
rest. In eating the first new corn after the Green
Corn dance, care was observed not to blow upon it to
cool it, for fear of causing a wind storm to beat down
the standing crop in the field.

Much ceremony accompanied the planting and tending of
the crop. Seven grains, the sacred number, were put
into each hill, and these were not afterward thinned
out. After the last working of the crop, the priest
and an assistant-generally the owner of the field-went
into the field and built a small enclosure
in the center. Then entering it, they
seated themselves upon the ground, with heads bent
down, and while the assistant kept perfect silence
the priest, with rattle in band, sang songs of
invocation to the spirit of the corn. Soon, according
to the orthodox belief, a loud rustling would be heard
outside, which they would know was caused by the "Old
Woman" bringing the corn into the field, but neither
must look up until the song was finished.

This ceremony was repeated on four successive nights,
after which no one entered the field or seven other
nights, when the priest himself went in, and, if all
the sacred regulations had been properly observed, was
rewarded by finding young ears upon the stalks. The
corn ceremonies could be performed by the owner of the
field himself, provided he was willing to pay a
sufficient fee to the priest in order to learn the
songs and ritual. Care was always taken to keep a
clean trail from the field to the house, so that the
corn might be encouraged to stay at home and not go
wandering elsewhere. Most of these customs have now
fallen into disuse excepting among the old people, by
many of whom they are still religiously observed.

Another curious ceremony, of which even the memory is
now almost forgotten, was enacted after the first
working of the corn, when the, owner or priest stood
in succession at each of the four corners of the field
and wept and wailed loudly. Even the priests are now
unable to give a reason for this performance, which
may have been a lament for the bloody death of Selu,
as the women of Byblos were wont to weep for Adonis.

Next to corn, the bean is the most important
food plant of the Cherokee and other southern Indians,
with whom it is probably native, but there does not
appear to be much special ceremony or folklore in
connection with it. Beans which crack open in cooking
are sometimes rubbed by mothers on the lips of their
children in order to make them look smiling and
good-tempered. The association of ideas seems to be
the same as that which in Ireland causes a fat mealy
potato, which cracks open in boiling, to be called a
"laughing" potato.

Melons and squashes must not be counted or examined
too closely, while still growing upon the vine, or
they will cease to thrive; neither must one step over
the vine, or it will wither before the fruit ripens.
One who has eaten a May-apple must not come near the
vines under any circumstances, as this plant withers
and dries up very quickly, and its presence would make
the melons wither in the same way.

Tobacco was used as a sacred incense or as the
guarantee of a solemn oath in nearly every important
function--in binding the warrior to take up the
hatchet against the enemy, in ratifying the treaty of
peace, in confirming sales or other engagements, in
seeking omens for the hunter, in driving away witches
or evil spirits, and in regular medical practice. It
was either smoked in the pipe or sprinkled upon the
fire, never rolled into cigarettes, as among the
tribes of the Southwest, neither was it ever smoked
for the mere pleasure of the sensation.

Of late years white neighbors have taught the Indians
to chew it, but the habit is not aboriginal. It is
called ts�l�, a name which has lost its meaning in the
Cherokee language, but is explained from the cognate
Tuscarora, in which charh�', "tobacco," can still be
analyzed as "fire to hold in the mouth," showing that
the use is as old as the knowledge of the plant.

The tobacco originally in use among the Cherokee,
Iroquois, and other eastern tribes was not the common
tobacco of commerce , which has
been introduced from the West Indies, but the
Nicotiana rustica, or wild tobacco, now distinguished
by the Cherokee as ts�l-ag�y��'l�, "old tobacco," and
by the Iroquois as "real tobacco." Its various uses in
ritual and medicine are better described under other
headings.

The cardinal flower , mullein,
and one or two related species are called "like
tobacco," on account of their general resemblance to
it in appearance, but they were never used in the same
way.

The poisonous wild parsnip bears an
unpleasant reputation on account of its frequent use
in evil spells, especially those intended to destroy
the life of the victim. In one of these conjurations
seven pieces of the root are laid upon one hand and
rubbed gently with the other, the omen being taken
from the position of the pieces when the hand is
removed. It is said also that poisoners mix it
secretly with the food of their intended victim, when,
if he eats, he soon becomes drowsy, and, unless kept
in motion until the effect wears off, falls asleep,
never to wake again. Suicides are said to eat it to
procure death.

Before starting on a journey a small piece of the root
is sometimes chewed and blown upon the body to prevent
sickness, but the remedy is almost as bad as the
disease, for the snakes are said to resent the
offensive smell by biting the one who carries it. In
spite of its poisonous qualities, a decoction of the
root is much used for steaming patients in the sweat
bath, the idea seeming to be that the smell drives
away the disease spirits.

The poison oak or poison ivy , so
abundant in the damp eastern forests, is feared as
much by Indians as by whites. When obliged to approach
it or work in its vicinity, the Cherokee strives to
conciliate it by addressing it as "My friend"
(hi'g�nali�). If poisoned by it, he rubs upon the
affected part the beaten flesh of a crawfish.

One variety of brier is called di`n�'sk�,
"the breeder," from a belief that a thorn of it, if
allowed to remain in the flesh, will breed others in a
day or two.

Ginseng, which is sold in large quantities to the
local traders, as well as used in the native medical
practice, is called �tal�-g�l�', "the mountain
climber," but is addressed by the priests as Y��w�
Usdi', "Little Man," or Y��w� Usdi'ga Ada'wehi'yu,
"Little Man, Most Powerful Magician," the Cherokee
sacred term, like the Chinese name, having its origin
from the frequent resemblance of the root in shape to
the body of a man.

The beliefs and ceremonies in connection with its
gathering and preparation are very numerous. The
doctor speaks constantly of it as of a sentient being,
and it is believed to be able to make itself invisible
to those unworthy to gather it. In hunting it, the
first three plants found are passed by. The fourth is
taken, after a preliminary prayer, in which the doctor
addresses it as the "Great Ada'weh�," and humbly asks
permission to take a small piece of its flesh. On
digging it from the ground, he drops into the hole a
bead and covers it over, leaving it there, by way of
payment to the plant spirit. After that he takes them
as they come without further ceremony.

The catgut or devil's shoestring is called
distai'y�, "they are tough," in allusion to its
stringy roots, from which Cherokee women prepare a
decoction with which to wash their hair in order to
impart to it the strength and toughness of the plant,
while a preparation of the leaves is used by
ballplayers to wash themselves in order to toughen
their limbs. To enable them to spring quickly to
their feet if thrown to the ground, the players bathe
their limbs also with a decoction of the small rush
which they say, always recovers its
erect position, no matter how often trampled down.

The white seeds of the viper's bugloss were formerly
used in many important
ceremonies of which the purpose was to look into the
future, but have now been superseded by the ordinary
glass beads of the traders. The culver root
(Leptandra) is used in love conjurations, the omen
being taken from the motion of the root when held in
the hand.

The campion , locally known as
"rattle snake's master," is called ganidaw�'sk�, "it
disjoints itself," because the dried stalk is said to
break off by joints, beginning at the top. As among
the white mountaineers, the juice is held to be a
sovereign remedy for snake bites, and it is even
believed that the deadliest snake will flee from one
who carries a small portion of the root in his mouth.

Almost all varieties of burs, from the Spanish needle
tip to the cocklebur and Jimsonweed, are classed
together under the generic name of u'nistil��'ist�t
which may be freely rendered as "stickers." From
their habit of holding fast to whatever object they
may happen to touch they are believed to have an
occult power for improving the memory and inducing
stability of character. Very soon after a child is
born, one of the smaller species, preferably the
Lespedeza repens, is beaten up and a portion is put
into a bowl of water taken from a fall or cataract,
where the stream makes a constant noise. This is given
to the child to drink on four successive days, with
the intention of making him quick to learn and retain
in memory anything once heard.

The noise of the cataract from which the water is
taken is believed to be the voice of Y��w� G�nahi'ta,
the "Long Man," or river god, teaching lessons which
the child may understand, while the stream itself is
revered for its power to seize and hold anything cast
upon its surface. A somewhat similar ceremony is
sometimes used for adults, but in this case the matter
is altogether more difficult, as there are tabus for
four or seven days, and the mind must be kept fixed
upon the purpose of the rite throughout the whole
period, while if the subject so far forgets himself as
to lose his temper in that time he will remain of a
quarrelsome disposition forever after.

A flowering vine, known as nuniyu'st�, "potato-like,A
which grows in cultivated fields, and has a tuberous
root somewhat resembling a potato, is used in hunting
conjurations. The bruised root, from which a milky
juice oozes, is rubbed upon the deer bleat,
a`w�'-ahyeli'a`w�'-ahyeli'<WBR>sk� with which the hunt
bleating of the fawn, under the idea that the doe,
hearing it, will think that her offspring desires to
suck, and will therefore come the sooner.

The putty-root,
which is of an oily, mucilaginous nature, is carried
by the deer hunter, who, on shooting a deer, puts a
small piece of the chewed root into the wound,
expecting as a necessary result to find the animal
unusually fat when skinned. Infants which seem to
pine and grow thin are bathed with a decoction of the
same root in order to fatten them.

The root of the plant known as Venus' flytrap, which
has the remarkable property of
catching and digesting insects which alight upon it,
is chewed by the fisherman and spit upon the bait
that no fish may escape him, and the plant is tied
upon the fish trap or the same purpose.

The root of a plant called unatl��we' hit�, having
spirals, is used in conjurations designed to
predispose strangers in favor of the subject. The
priest "takes it to water"says certain prayers
over it while standing close to the running stream,
then chews a small piece and rubs and blows it upon
the body and arms of the patient, who is supposed to
be about to start upon a journey, or to take part in a
council, with the result that all who meet him or
listen to his words are at once pleased with his
manner and appearance, and disposed to give every
assistance to his projects.

From Mooney's "Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred
Formulas of the Cherokee"

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