About This Tradition

Indigenous plant medicine in North America is not a single tradition. The Cherokee, Ojibwe, Lakota, Haudenosaunee, Navajo, Apache, Chinook, and hundreds of other nations each developed distinct approaches to plant medicine shaped by the ecosystems they lived within. What they share is extensive botanical knowledge accumulated over thousands of years of close observation, a practice of whole-plant use, and an understanding that plant harvesting carries obligations to the land and future harvests.

Much of what is documented came through the work of 19th and early 20th century ethnobotanists, including Melvin Gilmore (whose 1919 study of Plains tribes remains a reference) and Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany database, which currently catalogs over 44,000 plant uses across 291 Native American groups. These records are invaluable but incomplete: they capture what was shared with outsiders at a specific historical moment, not the full depth of each tradition.

Several plants that are now globally traded commodities began as Native American medicines. Echinacea was used by at least 14 nations across the Great Plains for infections, wounds, and pain. Goldenseal was used by the Cherokee for digestive complaints, skin conditions, and eye infections. Black cohosh was used by the Algonquin and Iroquois for menstrual and menopausal complaints. Slippery elm bark was used by the Iroquois and Ojibwe as a food and medicine. The 19th century American Eclectic physicians learned many of these applications from Indigenous practitioners and systematized them into a school of medicine that influenced Western herbalism as it is practiced today.

Key Principles

• Whole-plant use: Roots, bark, leaves, flowers, berries, and seeds may each be used differently. Many traditions specify which part of a plant to use and at what time of year to harvest it.
• Seasonal harvesting: Plants are gathered at specific times of year when their medicinal constituents are at peak concentration. Roots are often harvested in fall when the plant's energy has returned to the root. Flowers are gathered at peak bloom.
• Reciprocity: Harvesting practices in most Native American traditions include leaving a portion of the stand, giving thanks, and taking only what is needed. This is a practical principle that prevents overharvesting, not only a cultural one.
• Nation-specific knowledge: Uses documented for one nation do not necessarily apply to others. Echinacea use among Plains nations differs from how Pacific Northwest nations used local immune herbs.
• Oral transmission: Plant knowledge was historically passed through family lineages and apprenticeships, not written texts. Much was lost during the 19th and 20th centuries and is now being actively recovered and protected by Indigenous communities.

Herbs in This Tradition

23 herbs in this database are associated with Native American plant medicine traditions.

Immune and Infection Support

• Echinacea: Used by at least 14 Plains nations including the Cheyenne, Comanche, and Dakota. Traditionally used for infections, toothache, pain, and wounds. One of the most extensively studied herbs in modern phytochemistry; alkylamides and polysaccharides are its primary active compounds.
• Goldenseal: Used by the Cherokee for digestive complaints, skin conditions, and as an eyewash for eye infections. Berberine is its primary active compound, with documented antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity. Currently overharvested; ethically sourced or organically cultivated goldenseal is strongly preferred.
• Oregon Grape: Root used by Pacific Northwest nations including the Lkwungen and Lummi for digestive conditions, infections, and as a bitter tonic. Contains berberine like goldenseal; used as a sustainable alternative where goldenseal is overharvested.

Respiratory Support

• Mullein: Leaf used by numerous nations including the Mohegan and Potawatomi for chest complaints, bronchitis, and asthma. Smoked or used as a tea. Also used by the Navajo for coughs and respiratory infections.
• Pleurisy Root: Used by numerous nations including the Cherokee, Omaha, and Ponca specifically for pleurisy and chest pain. Also used as a diaphoretic for fevers. The Eclectic physicians adopted this use directly from Indigenous practitioners.
• Slippery Elm: Inner bark used by the Iroquois and Ojibwe as a nutritive food and medicine for sore throats, digestive inflammation, and wounds. One of the best-documented Native American medicinal plants; mucilage content is well established.
• Chaparral: Used by Southwestern nations including the Pima and Papago for respiratory conditions, joint pain, and wounds. The creosote bush is one of the oldest living plant species in North America. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) is its primary antioxidant compound.

Women's Health

• Black Cohosh: Used by the Algonquin and Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) for menstrual irregularities, menopausal symptoms, and as a uterine tonic during labor. Now one of the most researched herbs for menopausal hot flashes, with triterpene glycosides as its primary identified active compounds.
• Raspberry Leaf: Leaf used by numerous nations as a uterine tonic and for menstrual cramping. Tannin-rich astringent also used for diarrhea and sore throats.
• Red Clover: Used by the Cherokee and other nations for respiratory complaints and as a nutritive herb. Isoflavone content now makes it a focus of menopausal symptom research.
• Wild Yam: Used by the Cherokee and Mesoamerican nations for menstrual cramps and digestive colic. Diosgenin content was later used as a starting material for the first synthesized progesterone (1943), though wild yam itself does not convert to progesterone in the body.

Wound Healing and Topical Use

• Plantain: Broad-leaf plantain used across numerous nations as a drawing poultice for wounds, insect stings, and splinters. Also used internally for coughs and digestive inflammation. So widely adopted by Indigenous communities after European introduction that it became known as "white man's footprint."
• Yarrow: Used by over 50 Native American groups; the Navajo, Cherokee, and Ojibwe all have documented uses for wound healing, fever reduction, and menstrual support. One of the most universally used plants in the ethnobotanical record.
• Sage: Multiple sage species used across the continent. White sage (Salvia apiana) used ceremonially and medicinally by California nations. Common sage used for oral health, fevers, and digestive complaints. Note: white sage is currently overharvested; use cultivated sources.

Nervous System and Sedative

• California Poppy: Used by California nations including the Costanoan (Ohlone) for toothache pain and as a sedative. Contains californidine and eschscholtzine, which are not opioid compounds, unlike the Asian opium poppy.
• Passionflower: Used by the Cherokee for anxiety, boils, and as a general tonic. Also used by Aztec peoples in Mexico. Now well-studied for its calming effects; chrysin and flavonoid content are the primary researched compounds.
• Skullcap: Used by the Cherokee for nervousness and menstrual disorders; also by the Iroquois. Baicalin is its primary identified nervine compound.
• Damiana: Used by Indigenous peoples of the American Southwest and Mexico for anxiety, sexual debility, and as a tonic. Damianin and flavonoids are its primary compounds.

Digestive and Systemic

• Elder: Berry and flower used by numerous nations including the Iroquois and Cherokee for fever, cold symptoms, and respiratory infections. Among the most widely distributed medicinal plants in the ethnobotanical record.
• Sarsaparilla: Root used by Indigenous peoples of Central America and the American Southwest for skin conditions, joint pain, and as a blood-purifying herb. Saponin content contributes to its anti-inflammatory action.
• Saw Palmetto: Berry used by Seminole and other Southeastern nations as a food and tonic for reproductive and urinary health. Now one of the most studied herbs for benign prostatic hyperplasia.
• Cayenne Pepper: Used by Indigenous peoples across North and Central America as food, medicine, and in topical preparations for pain. Capsaicin is its primary active compound; depletes substance P at nerve endings to reduce pain signals.
• American Ginseng: Used by the Cherokee and other Eastern nations for fatigue, debility, and as a tonic. Ginsenoside profile differs from Asian ginseng and is considered more cooling. Now endangered from overharvesting; use cultivated sources.

Common Preparations in This Tradition

• Decoction: Roots, bark, and berries simmered in water. The standard preparation for hard plant material across most nations.
• Infusion: Leaves and flowers steeped in hot water. Used for more delicate plant parts and aromatic herbs.
• Poultice: Fresh or dried plant material mashed and applied directly to wounds, insect stings, or inflamed skin. Plantain, yarrow, and mullein are among the most commonly described poultice plants.
• Smoke inhalation: Dried herbs burned and inhaled for respiratory conditions. Mullein is the most documented example in the ethnobotanical record.
• Bark preparations: Inner bark of trees including slippery elm and wild cherry stripped, dried, and prepared as tea or gruel. Particularly important as a food-medicine during winter or illness.

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