Medicinal plants of North America

Abstract: Native American people developed a sophisticated plant-based medical system in the ten milennia before the European conquest of America. Many of the plants they used are familiar medicinal species, and have taken a role in modern medicinal treatments. Many others, even though not commonly in use at present, are interesting plants worthy of close study. The intellectual process by which non-literate peoples systematized such a mass of useful knowledge is still unclear. Some of the clues they used to find useful plants may be visible in the study of the Aggregate of their knowledge. This paper reviews recent research in this area.

Keyword(s): Native American traditional medicine

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