The Native American peoples of the United States developed an extensive body of knowledge on the use of herbs for physical and emotional healing, along with home remedies. Many tribes also used alternative methods of using herbs and home remedies, such as sweat lodges and traditional healers, who treated the whole person, rather than the symptoms of illness. Whole Health MD states that Native Americans developed the traditional uses for seven of the top 10 herbal remedies used in the U.S. in 2005, along with some popular over-the-counter medicines.
Willow Tree
Native Americans used willow bark to reduce fevers and for its antiseptic properties, according to University of Illinois. Native Americans boiled the bark in water for 30 minutes to obtain the active ingredients from the willow bark. The University of Michigan states that among the Cherokee, Creek, Houma, and Seminole the most commonly used method for treatment of fevers and headaches was as a tea that affected people drank. Some tribes used both the bark and the root.
Acetylsalicylic acid, the primary chemical in the bark of willow trees is the main constituent of one of the first popular nonprescription remedies for headaches and fevers--aspirin. At the turn of the 20th century, German scientists discovered a method for synthesizing acetylsalicylic acid and began marketing the modern version as a pain reliever and fever reducer. Like aspirin, willow bark is also antipyretic, making it an effective fever reducer and anti-inflammatory.
Echinacea
Dental problems afflicted Native Americans, just like any other people. Healthy.net reports that echinacea was a toothache and oral sores remedy commonly used by several Native American tribes, including the Comanche, Crow and Cheyenne. The Sioux used it to treat tonsillitis, while the Choctaws treated coughs with it. Current uses for echinacea include prevention and treatment of colds and other respiratory illnesses. American Family Physician reports that echinacea is one of the top three herbal medications in the United States, used as mainly as an immune system booster and for natural treatment of colds.
Cascara Bark
The University of Illinois identifies cascara as an important Native American remedy for stomach problems. The traditional uses included upset stomach and constipation. Native Americans boiled the bark of the plant in water and drank it. The main constituent of cascara—anthroquinone—is a laxative that clears the large intestines. Parke-Davis began marketing a cascara pharmaceutical preparation in 1877. Today, it is still available over-the-counter in the form of pills, liquids and powders. Drugs states that long-term use of cascara can cause diarrhea, leading to potassium loss.
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