HEALING SECRETS OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS HEALING SECRETS OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS Herbs, Remedies and Practices that Restore the Body, Refresh the Mind and Rebuild the Spirit PORTER SHIMER Copyright © 2004 Black Dog & Leventhal Text copyright © 1999 Publishing Properties, LLC First Published in 1999 as NATIVE AMERICAN HEALING SECRETS By Publishing Properties, LLC, Owings Mills, Maryland. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be produced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without the written permission of the copyright holder. Published by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc. 151 West 19th Street New York, NY 10011 Distributed by Workman Publishing Company 225 Varick Street New York, NY 10014 Cover and intertior design by Shelia Hart Design, Inc. ISBN: 1-57912-393-7 EISBN: 978-1-60376287-8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication data available on file. CONTENTS Introduction: Doctors of the Earth Chapter One: The Healing Spirit Health as a Family Affair Healing with Kindness Spirituality and Prayer: The Power of Faith Dream Therapy: Using the Mind to Heal Shamans: The Makers of Miracles Death: The Ultimate Life Experience Chapter Two: The Native American Spa The Healing Power of Heat Health at Your Fingertips: The Power of Massage Healthy Visions: Seeing Yourself Well The Healing Power of Sound and Movement Native American Nutrition Chapter Three: The Native American Pharmacy The Healing Herbs They Trusted Most: Aloe Bearberry Black Cohosh Black Haw Corn Dandelion Echinacea Fennel Garlic Ginseng Goldenrod Goldenseal Gravelroot Hawthorn Hops Horsetail Juniper Lady’s Slipper Licorice Magnolia Milkweed Mullein Nettle Oak Oats Oregon Grape Peppermint Pine Plantain Purslane Raspberry Sage Sassafras Squaw Weed Valerian Violet Watercress White Poplar Wild Rose Willow Wormwood Yarrow Chapter Four: Making It Work for You Preparing Herbs Herbal Remedies and Your Child Gathering Herbs Drying and Storing Herbs Remedies for Common Ailments: Acne Anxiety Arthritis Asthma Back Pain Bad Breath Bruises Burns Colic Colds Constipation Coughs Depression Diarrhea Earache Fatigue Fever Flatulence Gum Disease Headaches Hemorrhoids High Blood Pressure Indigestion Inflammation Insect Bites Insomnia Itchy Skin Memory Loss Menopausal Problems Menstrual Pain Nausea and Vomiting Prostate Enlargement Skin Conditions Sore Throat Sprains Varicose Veins Wrinkles Yeast Infections Afterword Appendix I: Native American Sacred Places Appendix II: Herbal Shopping Guide Appendix III: Internet Resources Bibliography INTRODUCTION DOCTORS OF THE EARTH Every day we’re surrounded by powerful remedies that go unnoticed. For example, when we start paying attention, we can find hundreds of different “weeds”—in fields, along roadways and railroad tracks, or even in our own backyards—that are capable of performing wonders for our health. For the first inhabitants of this continent, the Native Americans, nature was their pharmacy. They were on a first-name basis with hundreds of healing plants, grasses, and herbs. Native Americans also recognized the healing powers within their own bodies and treated them with great respect. They felt that the power to heal was a gift entrusted to them by the Creator and believed that human power and strength came from Mother Earth and all living things. There’s no question that advances in medical science have had a tremendous impact on our lives. People are living longer, healthier lives than ever before. However, some of the benefits of modern medicines may be offset by their costs. Modern drugs are expensive, not just in dollars, but possibly in terms of our long-term health. That’s because, as effective as drugs can be, most work by forcing the body to respond in certain ways, rather than by calling upon the body’s own natural healing powers. Using drugs can put the body in a passive, dependent, and ultimately weakened state. Consider what happens when you have an infection. The modern approach is to take an antibiotic, which kills the bacteria that is making you sick. In the short run this is a sensible solution, but the body is exposed to billions of bacteria every day. In the long term, it’s a losing battle. Antibiotics, although vital for fighting some infections, are only a temporary defense. They don’t help the body strengthen its own defenses and resist future infections. Native healers took an entirely different approach. The best remedies, in their view, were those that empowered the body to take care of itself, rather than merely providing temporary support. They also deeply believed in a spiritual component to healing—that prayer, visualization, and a variety of healing ceremonies strengthened the body as well as the mind and emotions, making