by Shannon Farlouis

Created on: June 19, 2010   Last Updated: June 21, 2010

To Native Americans herbal medicine and health means spiritual, mental, and physical healing. The Native American belief is that people must stay in harmony and balance with themselves, other people, the environment, and the Creator. To Native Americans, staying healthy means to obey tribal rituals. Their belief is that people should treat all life with respect. If they do not it will create an imbalance between the body, mind, and spirit, which in turn causes illnesses. They believe that bad spirits cause harm to the body. 

 Native Americans are often referred to as Indians. They have strong ties to the land on which they live. Today there are over 300 American Indian tribes that are recognized by the United States govenment. They have excelled at adapting to the climates at which they lived. They have also excelled at using natural resources. Most Native Americans have straight black hair, dark eyes, and the skin color of yellow brown to reddish brown.

Native American herbal medicine includes rituals and practices. Some of these practices include sweat baths. These baths are known to purify and heal the body, mind, and spirit. The Native Americans have always used herbs for treatment. They consider the tobacco plant as the most important and sacred plant used in healing. They smoke this plant pure and do not mix it with chemicals. Sage is another important plant to the Native Americans. Sage is believed to protect against evil and draw evil out of the body and soul. The Native Americans used sage for many health problems such as stomach disorders, kidney disease, liver disease, lung disease, allergies, colds, fever, skin disorders, and anxiety. Native Americans have used herbs in treating some of the oldest known diseases.

Native American tribes often share healing beliefs. Different tribes have different methods of practice. To date it is recognized in the United States that the the Indian Health Service is a health service and delivery system that treats more than two million American and Alaskan Natives. This is an agency of the United States Public Health Service that serves 550 Indian tribes. There are reports of Native American doctors who have cured many diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

Today, traditional Native American ceremonies are still practiced by many tribes. Tobacco, sweetgrass, and sage are still used. Fasting, singing and prayer are very common. Eagle feathers are used for religious or spiritual use.

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