Growing among the tall and short grasses of the prairie are many colorful wildflowers and weeds. The Native Americans who lived on the Great Plains before the coming of settlers from the East learned to use some of these plants as remedies, or cures, for common illnesses. This type of traditional medicine using plants is called folk medicine. Scientists have found that some traditional folk remedies have real medicinal value.
A common grasslands weed called fleabane was used by the people living on the prairie as an insect repellant. (The word bane means poison or killer. So fleabane is a ''flea killer.") Fleabane was also used to cure sore throats and to help heal minor cuts and bruises. Laboratory tests have confirmed that substances in fleabane promote healing and help protect against infection.
An herb called blue cohosh was used by Native American women as an aid in childbirth. Before giving birth, pregnant women drank a tea made from the plant's roots. Modern research has shown that a substance derived from blue cohosh stimulates contractions of the uterus, or birth canal, which could lead to a faster and easier birth.
There are many other examples of folk remedies that have only recently been found to have a scientific basis. These examples should remind us to use caution when we change the environment to suit our own needs. By destroying wilderness areas, we may unknowingly be destroying many beneficial organisms at the same time.
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Blue Cohosh |
