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Our pioneer ancestors were pretty much on their own when it came to medical care. In the absence of doctors herbal medicines and folk remedies served their needs. This use can often be seen in the very names of some of these plants, such as "pleurisy root", "toothache tree", and "Beth's Root" (aka birth root"). Even today there are proponents of folk medicines who suggest the use of various plants to cure "what ails you". Not surprisingly, there's often some basis for such claims:
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A list of plants used as medicines developed by Harding seems as good as any to give an idea of the range of plants that have been used for medical purposes, and can be found at: MySource:Harding, 1908. To be sure, the therapeutic benefits of some of the plants on Hardings list (e.g., watermelon) are not obvious, and some seem to be downright dangerous (e.g, Jimson weed). It is not our purpose here to develope a pharmacopia of herbal medicines. Such can be found elsewhere (The Wikipedia is a good starting place), but in some cases there are reasons to look more closely at individual plants, either because they became economically important in Southwest Virginia, or because historical documentaiton exists to show their therapeutic use. We will also include here other folk remedies (such as the use of "bear grease" for snakebites), as documentation comes to hand to support them.
Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa): Used to treat menopausal symptoms. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis): Native Americans and early settlers used bloodroot to treat snakebite, coughs and as a medicine for sick mules.
[edit] LinksIllicit Trade in native plants in the Great Smoky Mountains Ginseng, Black Cohosh, Goldenseal] |