American Indian Culture and Research Journal

Much of the literature dealing with American Indian medicine focuses upon its shamanistic aspects. Although ritual played an important part in American Indian curing procedure, there was extensive use of what has been called rational therapy. In the latter, indigenous botanical drugs played a major part, and this paper is concerned with that part. This reporter is a historian without medical expertise and, therefore, renders no judgment of his own on the efficacy of the remedies and treatments described.