In modern times, we like to think we have all the answers to the treatment of medical needs, but the reality is we, in some ways, are late-comers.

Native Americans used the plants around them to treat their illness and injury and did not have our “advancements,” but seemed to get along just fine; here are a few of the things they used, and how.

Wild Rose

Wild roses have a variety of survival uses; for one, they’re bursting with nutrients, and their fruit’s high Vitamin C content has been used to treat the common cold and flu. Wild rose petals can be made into a jam, and also help to alleviate a sore throat.

Native American tribes made tea out of the rose hips, which aided in kidney and bladder function, and the roots helped treat diarrhea.

Cattail

Cattails have a number of surprising uses; for example, the fuzz ( or “down”) from its flowers prevent diaper rash. It can also be mashed into a paste, which helps heal burns and sores. As for eating, cattail root is a great source of starch, and its protein-rich pollen can be used in baking.

Sumac

Sumac has numerous medicinal uses, such as relieving a sore throat, and relieving rash from poison ivy (its crushed leaves are used to make an ointment). It also helps lower cholesterol, soothes diarrhea, and can reduce fever when made into a tea.

Now, we understand that these plants are incredibly beneficial to your health – but, they also can’t be found everywhere in the world (after all, not everyone has cattails and sumac growing in their backyard).

However, we’ve found the next best thing to trying to grow your own cattails – it’s investing in a nutrition-packed medicinal garden that you can grow at home.

Modern medicine is great – through largely synthetic means, we can treat a host of illnesses and injury and new advancements seem to happen daily.

But before us, Native Americans had natural medicine down cold and their efforts often resulted in the same or similar results!

To learn more about Native American natural medicine, check out the Survival Frog!