Herbs Used by Native Americans in Healing

Different Native American tribes or nations use various herbs as medicine. When combined, these cures amount to hundreds of plants. Native American medicine uses herbs and herbal remedies to bring the mind, body and spirit back into balance, thus healing the whole person.

To Native Americans, the health of the mind is an integral part of physical health. To regain mental balance, Native Americans burn certain herbs in a smudge, a bundle of dried herbs tied together. You can purify your environment with fragrant herbs the same way.

First, you'll need a smudge stick. Commercially available smudge sticks are usually made of sage. They may be sold by retailers that also carry incense and herbal supplements.

If you have the herbs, make your own smudge stick. Select any of the following herbs: cedar, juniper, mesquite, pinion, red willow, sage or sweet grass. Dried herbs are easier to light and are preferred for this purpose. Use a stem or a piece of string to tie the sprigs together at one end. Then light the other end of the bundle and let it burn for a few seconds. Blow the flame out and place your smudge stick in a fire-safe container. Let it smoke as you would an incense stick.

Purging the body of toxins is particularly important in traditional Native American medicine, because only a clean system is thought to function well and filter environmental impurities effectively. Sometimes, Native Americans use herbs to promote sweating and to cleanse the glands. Other times, herbal preparations go into enemas or are taken as laxatives to rid the colon of excess waste.

For a simple daily cleanse, drink a cup of herbal tea. Herbs such as burdock, chicory, dandelion, licorice, sarsaparilla and yellow dock are used to detoxify your body in Native American tradition. You can usually find them dried at shops that sell herbal supplements. A few stores carry them packaged in boxes of tea bags.

If you buy the herbs in bulk, start with one teaspoon of dried herb per cup of hot water, letting them steep for at least five minutes. With subsequent cups, adjust the ratio of herb to the water to suit your taste.

In Native American culture, a cure occurs not only because of the body's and the medicine's power to heal, but also because a higher entity, the spirit, is guiding the healing process. To keep the soul strong, Native Americans use herbs in religious ceremonies for spiritual purification. Tobacco is one such herb. It is smoked through pipes in very small amounts during prayer. Other herbs used in these sacred ceremonies are sage, gentian, myrtle, magnolia and slippery elm.

A commercial peace-pipe blend uses a mixture of nine different Native American herbs: Indian tobacco, mullein leaf, hops flower, passion flower, lemon balm, wild dagga, damiana, peppermint and spearmint. Put the mixture in a pipe, light it and smoke it for a relaxing experience.

Before taking herbs or preparing your own herbal formulas, remember that some plants can cause serious side effects or aggravate an existing health problem. Some herbs are even poisonous. Seek guidance from an herbalist and, if you're pregnant, avoid herbal remedies altogether unless your doctor approves it.