Healing Plants Garden
For generations, Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands gathered wild plants; leaves; roots; flowers; and fruits, not only for food, but for medicine as well. Many modern pharmaceuticals are based upon the same ingredients found in herbs and plants that have been used by Native Americans for centuries. Although these plants would traditionally be gathered in the wild, our Healing Plants Garden features descriptions of the uses of different parts of the plants and contains...
- Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) - poulticed root bark used to reduce inflammation.
- Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) - root tea used to treat colds. External wash used to treat snake bites and sores.
- Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) - leaf tea was used to induce sweating. Leaves were poulticed onto tumors.
- Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) - though alien, leaf and root tea was used for centuries as a soothing tonic.
- Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) - root tea used as a laxative. Milky latex used on warts.
- False Solomon's Seal (Smilacina racemosa) - root tea used as a stomach tonic. Root smoke used to quiet a crying child.
- Jack-In-The-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) - dry, aged root used to treat coughs and to build blood.
- Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberous) - leaf and stalk tea and whole flowers used for rheumatism.
- Lobelia (Lobelia inflata) - whole plant used to induce vomiting.
- Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) - root used to cleanse the system. Fruits are edible.
- Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) - leaf tea used to induce sweating and to promote appetite. Also used to treat colds.
- Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) - extracts from all parts of the plant are used to boost the immune system.
- St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) - fresh flower tea used on sores and bruises.
- Trillium (Trillium erectum) - whole plant was poulticed for tumors, inflammation, ulcers and snake bites. Root tea was used to aid in childbirth.
- Violet (Viola sp.) - root tea was used to treat bladder pain. Roots and leaves were poulticed for skin abrasions.
- White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) - root tea used to relieve labor pain.
- Whorled Loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia) - stem and leaf tea was used to relieve kidney and bowel ailments.
- Wild Ginger (Asarum sp.) - root tea was highly valued to treat indigestion, heart conditions, nervous conditions and sore throats.
- Wild Mint (Mentha canadensis) - leaf tea used for sore throats, indigestion and headaches.
- Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) - tea made from dry flowering plants was an expectorant used for cold and flu symptoms.
- ...and more!
