A Manual of Cherokee Herbal Remedies: History, Information, Identification, Medicinal Healing
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 396 878 RC 020 612 AUTHOR Schafer, Patricia D. TITLE A Manual of Cherokee Herbal Remedies: History, Information, Identification, Medicinal Healing. PUB DATE Mar 93 NOTE 292p.; Master's Thesis, Indiana State University. PUB TYPE Dissertations/Theses Masters Theses (042) Guides General (050) EDRS MF01/PC12 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *American Indian Culture; American Indian History; Botany; *Cherokee (Tribe); Curriculum Guides; Environmental Education; Higher Education; Instructional Materials; Lesson Plans; *Pharmacy; *Plant Identification; *Plants (Botany); Science Curriculum; Secondary Education IDENTIFIERS *Herbal Medicine; Herbs; Indiana (Southwest); Medicine Men; *Wildflowers ABSTRACT This thesis reports on the research of 25 plants, used as herbal remedies since the 1800s by the author's Native American ancestors (the Day family) and the Cherokee tribe. The plants were identified in four state parks in southwestern Indiana Information sources included the research literature, articles on Cherokee herbal remedies, and interviews with Cherokee elders and medicine men. The purpose of the project was to develop a Cherokee herbal manual and curriculum guide related to plant identification and the herbal remedies made from these plants. Following an introduction to the purpose and methodology of the study, a literature review covers such topics as traditions, plant healing properties, the use of plants by early settlers and Native Americans, written records, plant medicinal myths, plant selection methods, the role of the medicine man, and Cherokee history and traditions. The third chapter includes information on plant identification, history, Cherokee uses, Day family uses, medical research, and sources consulted. Plants researched include black cohosh, bloodroot, boneset, common or great burdock, catnip, comfrey, dandelion, garlic, goldenseal, mayapple, milkweed, mistletoe, partidgeberry, pennyroyal, senna, skullcap, snakeroot, spikenard, St. Johns wort, common bearberry, white willow, wild black cherry, witch hazel, yarrow, and yellow root. The fourth chapter presents a curriculum guide for a 2-day workshop on plant identification, conservation, history, Cherokee uses, and current developments in herbal medicinal uses. The curriculum includes information on course evaluation; six lesson plans including objectives, equipment, materials, and procedures; and instructional materials needed for program implementation. The manual also includes charts related to plant identification, harvesting, and uses; preparation and storage of remedies; and terminology. Contains 105 references. (LP) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** A MANUAL OF CHEROKEE HERBAL REMEDIES: HISTORY, INFORMATION, IDENTIFICATION, MEDICINAL HEALING A Master's Thesis Presented to U.S. DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATION Offrce of Educahonat Research and improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION The School of Graduate Studies CENTER (ERIC) O Th document has been reproduced as received from the person or organuabon OtOnitifQ 4 Department of Health Studies 0 Minor changes have been made to dhorove reproducbon qualIty Indiana State University Points of vraw ocomons stated in INS doc u. ment do not necessaray represent ofbcI OE RI posibon or pohcy Terre Haute, Indiana PERMISSION TO REPRODUCEAND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Yc&rici 1) In Partial Fulfillment ,S.c)ifScy TO THE EDUCATIONALRESOURCES of the Requirements for the Class INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Health 629 by Patricia D. Schafer March 1993 Running Head: CHEROKEE HERBAL REMEDIES BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 Herbal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT0 The author would like to gratefully acknowledge and give thanks to Dr. Frank Bell, who advised, supported, and gave suggestions for this manual. Also, thanks to Dr. Portia Plummer, Chairperson, for her support and enthusiasm, and for being on my committee. A special thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Bernard Marley for their help, support, and friendship during the writing of this project. A special note of thanks to Mrs. Paula Pendergrass and Dr. Margaret Earl Harper for their expertise in proofreading for errors in all phases of the paper. I am Also grateful to Mrs. Etta Lou Sellars for her encouragement and behind-the-scenes contributions. Thanks also to Dr. Barbara Crowder for her help with developing the plant drawing overheads, Pat Swails for computer technology, and Lori Douglas for typing manual. Not least, my heart-felt thanks goes to Dr. Mike Atkinson, who also served on my committee, and to Dr. Alma Shufflebarger and Mr. Gary Harper, for their help in collecting, reviewing, and studying the different plants found in Southwestern Indiana. Finally, to my friends, Nancy and Mike Kieffer, Cindy and Randy Beard and Karen and Bob 3 Y= Herbal ii McCloud I am grateful for their kindness, backing and friendship. 4 Herbal iii DEDICATED TO MY DAUGHTERS Jennifer Jo Meyer and Amy Kay Meyer It was their grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents who inspired the writing of this manual. Without their love, help, understanding, and backing, I could not have completed it. TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE Acknowledgements Dedication iii Abstract iv Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION 2 Statement of the Problem 3 Purpose of Study 3 Importance of Study 4 Delimitations 5 Assumptions 6 Hypothesis 6 Definition of Terms 7 Methodology 8 Available Research 9 Chapter 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 11 Major Traditions 11 Plant Healing Properties 11 Early Settlers; Native Americans 12 Written Records . 13 Reference Sources 13 Plant Medicinal Myth 13 "Doctrine of Signatures" 13 Plant Selection Methods 14 Spiritual Harvesting 14 Gathering, Storing, Preparing 15 Medicinal Treatment 15 Spiritual Guidance 18 Native American Medicine Man 19 Medicinal Plant Ceremonies 20 Cherokee History and Traditions 21 Trail of Tears 22 Chapter 3. PLANT IDENTIFICATION, HISTORY, CHEROKEE USES, DAY FAMILY REMEDIES, MEDICAL RESEARCH, PLANT PICTURES, AND SOURCES CONSULTED 25 Plant Discussion 26 Black Cohosh or Squawroot 29 Bloodroot 34 Boneset or Thoroughwort 39 Common or Great Burdock 44 Catnip 49 Comfrey 54 Dandelion 59 Garlic 65 Goldenseal 71 Mayapple 76 Milkweed, Common 82 Mistletoe 87 7 Partridgeberry or Squaw Vine 92 Pennyroyal 96 Senna, American Wild 102 Skullcap 106 Snakeroot 111 Spikenard 116 St. Johns Wort 121 Uva Ursi or Common Bearberry 127 White Willow 132 Wild Black Cherry 137 Witch Hazel 143 Yarrow 148 Yellow Root 154 Conclusion 158 Chapter 4. CHEROKEE HERBAL REMEDIES CURRICULUM GUIDE Curriculum Guide 163 Course Text 165 Evaluation 166 Lesson Plan Session One 169 Lesson Plan Session Two 175 Lesson Plan Session Three 182 Lesson Plan Session Four 186 Lesson Plan Session Five 190 Lesson Plan Session Six 194 Herbal vi Student Check Sheet 197 Mixers and Energizers 199 Herbal Word Search 201 Herbal Password 202 Blackboard Herbal Baseball 204 First Aid Review Sheet 214 Field Experience Materials 222 Common Poisonous Plants 224 Snakes 225 BIBLIOGRAPHY 226 APPENDIXES 238 Research Plant Source 239 Cherokee Nation Plant Source 240 CHARTS 242 Plant Identification 243 Environment and Area Where Located 247 Herbal History 250 When Gathered or Harvested 255 Cherokee Uses 257 Day Family Remedies 260 Preparation and Storage of Remedies 263 Medical Terms and Healing Plants 266 Botanical Names Alphabetized 270 Common Name Alphabetized 272 Terminology 274 10 Herbal iv ABSTRACT Research of twenty-five plants, used as herbal remedies by the author's ancestors, especially her great grandfather, grandfather, and the Cherokees in the 1800's to the present, and found in the four state parks in southwestern Indiana, were identified, studied, and reviewed. Interviews were conducted with elders and medicine men of the Cherokee Nations. A checklist of twenty-five herbs was used to identify whether or not the Cherokees had currently been implementing any of these treatments. Chronicles of current medical research have been studied to ascertain if any of these uses have been being medically researched today. A manual has been developed which covered herbal background history, Cherokee uses, treatment values, plant identifications, current research experiments, and medicinal healing. A curriculum guide, plant identification chart, and overhead projector sheets of the plants have also been made using the information from the manual. These materials have had possibilities for use in a college health course, a workshop on medicinal uses of plants 11 Herbal vi and herbs, or a class for studying the culture and plant usage of the Cherokee Nations. Herbal 1 INTRODUCTION Herbal 2 INTRODUCTION Medical treatment using herbs has been recognized as being older than man's intelligence. Such herbal treatment has been seen in animals' instinctive use of plants to help cure certain ailments. For example, a dog hunted a special grass to eat when it has become ill, a mother bear has dressed a wound on her cub with leaves, and a horse lacking vitamins and minerals has eaten certain plants and bark from trees (Weiner, 1972). Today people have continued to use herbs with medicinal chemicals daily, usually without realizing the values of such plants. Herbal tea, a popular drink, has contained fluoride, a chemical used in preventing tooth decay. Coca-Cola was originally based on an herbal remedy used for headaches. Aspirin was created from two plants: white willow