Introduction to Native American Herbalism

In this video Matthew Wood discusses some general concepts of Native American herbalism and then talks about the many snake roots used by Indians. This is the first in a series about spirit animals and their plant medicines.

Via Plant Wisdom:

Matthew Wood talks about the traditional Native Americans approach plant medicine and healing.

Being forest dwellers, Midwestern and Eastern native people developed special expertise in the use of roots and barks.

Wood is the author of:

– Seven Herbs, Plants as Teachers (1987)

– Vitalism, The History of Herbalism, Homeopathy, and Flower Essences, originally entitled The Magical Staff (1993)

– The Book of Herbal Wisdom (1998)

– The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism (2004)

– The Earthwise Herbal, A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants (2008)

– The Earthwise Herbal, A Complete Guide to New World Medicinal Plants (2009)

– The Earthwise Herbal Repository: The Definitive Practitioner’s Guide (with David Ryan) (2016)

Native Americans developed an incredibly sophisticated system of herbal medicine.

This knowledge kept many settlers alive and allowed native people to survive in the face of countless hardships.

Matthew Wood talks about this tradition and how it differs from the herb tradition of the west.

You can read more about Matthew Wood and his work here.

– Ken McCarthy
PlantWisdom.org