The Botanical Lore Of The California Indians - free ebook by John Bruno Romero

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The Botanical Lore Of The California Indians

John Bruno Romero

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The BOTANICAL LORE of the CALIFORNIA INDIANS with Side Lights on Historical Incidents in California

The BOTANICAL LORE of the CALIFORNIA INDIANS with Side Lights on Historical Incidents in California

by JOHN BRUNO ROMERO “HA-HA-ST OF TAWEE” VANTAGE PRESS, INC., NEW YORK COPYRIGHT, 1954, BY JOHN BRUNO ROMERO Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 54-8325 MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA To My Uncle Chief William Pablo of Mahum and Guana-pia-pa...

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Preface

Preface

Of all the books written concerning the Indians of North America, I don’t know of one which treats of the Indians’ great knowledge of medicine, the vast store which was theirs of plants and herbs which possessed curative and healing qualities, many of them far superior, even today, to the medicine used by the white physician. There is a reason. In some instances the white man did not get the correct information from his Indian brother due to the latter’s inability to make himself understood—this

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The Story of the Indians of the Pacific Southwest

The Story of the Indians of the Pacific Southwest

A gruesome, terrible year, the year of 1825! The fatal year when thousands of Indians of the Pacific Southwest were destroyed by that merciless, frightful scourge, smallpox. And the tradition of its ravages is kept alive even today among the descendants of the few who escaped death. The tribal herb doctors at that time were wholly unprepared to combat this disease which wrought such fearful havoc. Sweeping along the entire Pacific Coast, it exacted a heavy toll of human lives, so heavy, in fact,

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Stomach disorders, worms, dysentery, diarrhea, etc.

Stomach disorders, worms, dysentery, diarrhea, etc.

Commonly known as Blue Star Flower Grass. Found widely distributed along the rich southern slopes of the lower coastal ranges. Effective in the treatment of functional affections of the stomach. In the form of tea, the entire plant was used to eradicate all kinds of stomach worms. Flowering season from March to April. Known also as Monkey Flower, a plant not indigenous to any particular soil, grows abundantly in California in the lower coastal ranges, and also in the upper regions. Leaves, flowe

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Painful congestion of the stomach.

Painful congestion of the stomach.

American Common Mallow, compounded with blossoms of California Wild Rose, or the seed. American California Wild Rose. This beautiful wild rose-bush inhabits the coastal ranges, and may be found far inland along open spaces in heavy woodland abounding in rather rich and mulchy soil. Used in cases of stomach fevers, the ripe seed is given in the form of tea to relieve the stomach clogged with food as well as in so-called cases of painful congestion. Skirting for its habitat the high mountain lands

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Fevers and constipation of the stomach.

Fevers and constipation of the stomach.

Its habitat is confined to a few localities in San Diego County, the coastal regions in Santa Barbara, Orange County, and in San Bernardino along the southern border of the Mojave Desert. It was used in the form of an infusion in cases of constipation caused by fever of the stomach....

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Fevers.

Fevers.

American Juniper Berry. Its habitat extends from our high mountain ranges in northern San Diego County to Monterey County. The berries have a short season, ripening in these regions from late in July until early in September. They were used for making tea or simply chewed in cases of La Grippe fevers. They may be gathered, dried, and stored for future use....

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Lung fevers.

Lung fevers.

American Wild Peony. It inhabits shady canyons growing only on deep, rich, decomposed mulch. The blossoms are of deep red color, and the blooming season lasts from May until June. Its roots bear a strong resemblance to young sweet potatoes and were gathered to be used in the form of tea for complicated lung fevers. The tea has a decidedly bitter taste....

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Stomach fevers.

Stomach fevers.

American Wild Vervain. Inhabits the lower coastal ranges and pasture lands. Its blooming period is from late in May until July. This plant is remarkable for bearing three different colored blossoms—in some localities white, in others, pink, and then again, blue—all this owing to the mineral soil formation. The root is used for complicated stomach fevers....

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Fevers.

Fevers.

Grows along rivers and lake borders. This plant, being of a semiaquatic nature, resembles some of our wild orchids and blooms but a short season. The entire plant is used in cases of fevers complicated with headaches....

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Eruptive Fevers.

Eruptive Fevers.

American Elderberry. Indigenous to the coastal regions. The yellow blossoms were extensively used by all Indian tribes only in cases of measles. American Four O’clock. The root of this plant served the same purpose as American Elderberry. Its habitat is Santa Barbara County, Calif., and it is not found anywhere else in a wild state. There are no records that it was used for other eruptive fevers such as smallpox, scarlet fever, etc. These were introduced into this country later on by white Europ

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Plant poisoning.

Plant poisoning.

Grows in alkaline soils and its blooming season is from August to September. The plant was used a great deal in cases of itching skin eruption caused by poison oak, and is a cure for such disorders. (American Gum Plant) Botanical Serum. This is the poison oak itself, of which the roots, during the dormant period, are cut and properly dried. When taken in the form of tea in a quantity of not more than four ounces, it will render a person immune against any further poisoning. This is a bona fide I

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Ulcers and diseases of the skin and feet.

Ulcers and diseases of the skin and feet.

American Cotton Weed. Its habitat is all along the Southern California hill slopes, and the beautiful pearly flowers are used for ulcers and sores of the feet which fail to respond to treatment by other medicaments. The blossoms must be boiled. The liquid obtained is used to bathe the feet, and all parts of the skin affected. A very effective cure. The blossoms are also ground into a powder and applied to the part affected....

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Burns.

Burns.

American Western Goldenrod. Its habitat is the river and creek bottom lands. Quite common in California, this plant has great healing power, especially in cases of old raw burns that have failed to heal properly, as well as major rotten ulcers. The leaves of the plant may be boiled and the liquid used to bathe the affected parts; while the pulp, as a poultice, is to be placed upon the burns and ulcers to promote disinfection and to hasten a rapid growth of new healthy flesh. Solidago nemoralis h

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Fistulas and running sores.

Fistulas and running sores.

American Wild Fuchsia. A native of the coastal ranges, northward from San Diego County to Monterey, Calif., this dark-green shrub is very attractive to the eye. It bears an array of deep-red blossoms, well-formed in clusters, at the very tip of long slender branches. It was used as a poultice and a wash for fistulas and deep, pus-running ulcers....

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Eruptive scalp diseases.

Eruptive scalp diseases.

A native of California, it is quite common on our inland fields. It is used for minor skin eruptions and scalp diseases. Used as a wash only. It blooms from early May to July. American Common Ragweed. Grows in abundance in swamps and along waterways. There are two distinct species of this worthy plant, the dwarf variety and the gigantic kind. Either may be used for the same purpose as mentioned for Euphorbia . In full bloom from July to September....

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How to retain the natural color of the hair.

How to retain the natural color of the hair.

American Common Sage. Habitat, the California desert. For a good many years this plant has been used to restore the color of hair, but the method used and practiced is far from that of our people, the Indians. And this can be traced back to the misunderstanding of the people who first introduced this use of sage for that purpose. Of course, washing the hair with it as a scalp treatment will do no harm, because the plant itself has soothing and healing qualities; but to maintain the natural color

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Women’s diseases.

Women’s diseases.

Habitat, the coastal regions. The infusion made from this plant was used a great deal in cases of vaginal trouble. Blooming period from March to May. (American Wormwood) American White Salvia, playing a very important part in healing internally and removing particles of the afterbirth. The infusion from the roots was given to the patient to drink regularly in place of water. American Creosote Bush. Its habitat covers the entire length and breadth of the Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, and

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Flesh-wounds, knife-cuts, etc.

Flesh-wounds, knife-cuts, etc.

American Swamp Root. Habitat, swamps. This plant is plentiful in California—the territory where it grows wild could be measured in thousands of acres. When cut, dried, and powdered, it can be used for the disinfection of knife-cut wounds, and to draw and promote the growth of healthy flesh. (Spanish Yerba Mansa ) Habitat, low, sandy loam soils. For above-mentioned purposes this plant is very valuable from a medicinal standpoint, as it makes all wounds respond quickly to healing, when used as a w

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Healing.

Healing.

American Plantain. Its habitat is swamps and localities where there is abundant moisture. The plant, like many others, was used to dislodge and draw deeply embedded poisonous thorns and splinters from the flesh. The operation was quite simple. It consisted of applying a light coating of suet on one of the leaves, this was covered with another leaf and then placed, tied down firmly, over the thorn or splinter to be removed. It usually requires about 10 hours for the thorn to appear at the surface

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Coughs, colds and sore throat.

Coughs, colds and sore throat.

American Wild Rhubarb. Thrives in dead, sandy soils, and is very common throughout Southern California. The roots are long and bear a close resemblance to sweet potatoes. The infusion made from it has an acrid taste, and, when used as a gargle several times in cases of cough and sore throat, it will be found to give complete relief. The plant blooms in June and July. American California Wild Cherry. At home in the high mountain ranges. An infusion of the bark in spring or summer while the sap is

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Old dry coughs.

Old dry coughs.

American Black Sage. This plant is one of the most valuable of all for the cure of deep dry coughs of long standing, which have settled in the bronchial tubes. This does not mean coughs of two or three weeks’ duration, but those which have existed for a period of from four to six months and which have, therefore, reached a chronic, dangerous stage. The infusion was made full strength and given to the patient in small doses, hot—never cold—in the daytime, and one extra big dose before retiring...

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Blood hemorrhages of the lungs.

Blood hemorrhages of the lungs.

American Hay-Scented Wild Fern. Its habitat lies in the high California mountain ranges. We are now coming to the tuberculosis line. Hemorrhages of the lungs, and common diseases which prevail to a great extent among people who, through neglect and irregular habits, intensify coughs and colds. It was nothing to an Indian to overcome these maladies of the lungs, which in his case were usually due to accidental injury. This wild fern bears oil nodules on the crown of the root system and they are a

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Coughs and asthma.

Coughs and asthma.

Commonly known as Yerba Santa , this plant proved to be possessed of great medicinal merits, and was very soon adopted by the mission friars for its outstanding qualities in the cure of coughs, asthma, rheumatism and pneumonia, being rightly considered as far superior in this respect to any of the other medicines brought by them from Europe. In fact, so great was the medicinal usefulness of these plants and hundreds of others known to the Indians, that they soon became the objects of study and i

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Cathartics.

Cathartics.

American Bottle-Weed. Its habitat lies in the volcanic regions of the Mojave Desert. This plant is rather peculiar in its growth, thriving on poisonous volcanic soils, where no other form of plant life can exist. The Indians of the desert regions used the plant as a physic, and it outranks Rhamnus californica in this respect. The mission friars overlooked this plant for the reason that none of them ventured that far into the desert, valuing their lives above everything else. The infusion obtaine

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Kidneys.

Kidneys.

Its habitat is confined to swampy lands. This plant is very fond of water, and attains a very vigorous growth under these conditions. Due to its aquatic nature, the plant, when fully matured, was gathered, shade-dried and an infusion made which was used solely in the treatment of prostate gland trouble. (American Horsetail) Its habitat is the desert lands of California, northwestern Arizona, and Nevada. This evergreen, shrubby plant was held in high esteem by all the Indians, and a good supply o

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Blood pressure, sunstroke.

Blood pressure, sunstroke.

This plant is an inhabitant of the Mojave Desert. There are two different varieties, one of them being quite common on arid lands and side hills along our coastal highways. The other is the best, however, and, as a blood tonic, compares very favorably in medicinal worth with all others recommended. The latter was used by the Indian for special cases of high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries. It was generally used by Indian runners, and taken before and after a long-distance run over r

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Sedatives.

Sedatives.

American Speedwell. American Garden Spearmint. Habitat, the lower marshy coastal regions. American Mountain False Pennyroyal. Both Ilysanthus (above) and Mentha Canadensis inhabit the high mid-coastal ranges and are frequently found lining the borders of mountain streams in beautiful settings of wild ferns. (American Mint) Mint Family. A rare plant and found only in a few localities on the mid-coastal ranges, as in Orange County, San Juan Capistrano, at Hot Springs, situated on the southern slop

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Catarrh of the head and nasal chambers.

Catarrh of the head and nasal chambers.

American Sycamore. It is an inhabitant of the California mountain ranges. The underside of its leaves bears a very fine yellowish moss, which the beautiful little hummingbirds like to use for building their tiny nests. In fact, they prefer it to any other material on account of its extreme softness. These leaves are valuable as an effective cure for old chronic cases of catarrh, when the catarrh has passed into internal ulcers, which continually discharge material of an offensive odor. The moss

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Toothache and pyorrhea.

Toothache and pyorrhea.

American Yarrow. This plant bears a strong resemblance to the Wood Betony, which is poisonous, and both may, in their wild state, be found side by side in the same locality. It is indigenous to the mid-coastal range woodlands. Persons suffering from a severe toothache can cut the tips of the leaves of Achillea millefolium , roll them into a small pellet and insert it into the cavity of the aching tooth. You will be surprised how quickly the pain disappears. This inhabitant of the Mojave Desert,

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Fever and chills.

Fever and chills.

American Malva rosa . This rose tree has to some extent been the subject of discussion among some of our botanical explorers and the result was always one of indecision. Now let us look back a few years before the founding of the California Missions, and thus settle the dispute for all time. Twelve miles eastward of the Santa Barbara Mission is a small village by the name of Carpenteria, and at one time, this village was one of the largest Indian settlements in existence. Before the arrival of t

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Fractures.

Fractures.

American Elm. We have seen that the beautiful elm was used by choice as a light, soft boat-building material. It played also a very useful and important part in the adjustment and healing of broken and fractured arms or legs. The work was very simple and effective. The patient was placed in bed, or what was known in those days as the un-wet , meaning bearskin mattress, to lie down and rest till the Indian runners returned from the forest with the stripped bark of the elm, which was very carefull

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Blood specific, purifier and tonic.

Blood specific, purifier and tonic.

American Desert Candlewood. Spanish, Ocotillo . This plant’s habitat is the southeastern wings of the Mojave Desert, and the locality best suited to its growth is Borrego Valley at the northern border of San Diego County. This great valley, at one time very rich and fertile, was used by the Indian tribes of Chief Hobo-yak of Ca-we for the raising of considerable livestock. This particular spot commanded an extensive view of the desert territory, as well as the mountain peaks surrounding it. From

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Blood tonic.

Blood tonic.

American Willow Tree. This is a common inhabitant of most of our swamps and rivers and is occasionally met with far inland. Like the elm tree, it is very fond of water, and both species may be found growing together in the desert or dry mountain gorges. We should, therefore, always look for such places when in want of water—for it is sure to be close to the surface and can be had by digging a few feet underground. The Indians, when traveling across country, always stopped at such places where th

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Antidote.

Antidote.

Habitat, rich northern mountain slopes. It grows mostly in underbrush, but is sometimes found on cleared land. It was gathered, dried and then ground in the rock mortar to a very fine powder, for use when our people exchanged poisoned arrows for bullets on the field of battle. Our poisoned arrows were more effective than bullets, as a scratch would send an enemy to eternal rest. Today we still use this plant in the treatment of trachoma, and rattlesnake, black-widow and scorpion bites. (American

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Poison.

Poison.

American Golden Poppy. The true native flower of our western domain—the flower of the beautiful, rich golden color. However, being a poisonous plant, the poppy fields were of no use to the good morals and medical practice of the Indian doctors in the days gone by. But the notorious witch-doctor, having more of the devil in him than of anything else, made general use of this plant to compound some of his poisonous medicines in his irregular and evil practice. This may be strange to learn, but we

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Hair tonic, hair and scalp diseases.

Hair tonic, hair and scalp diseases.

American Creosote Bush. I have mentioned the use of this shrubby bush in the beginning for another disease. It was used by the Indians for various maladies which I shall describe toward the end of the book. The plant was one of the principal herbs used to eradicate dandruff and the infusion, when used as a hair-wash once a week for a period of about two months, will be found enough to rid a person of dandruff thoroughly. Its one drawback, if any, is that it will make the hair coarse, although on

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Ringworms and scalp germs of the hair roots.

Ringworms and scalp germs of the hair roots.

American Thorny Cucumber. This beautiful vine is very common through the lower and upper coastal ranges. Wherever you may go you will see the thorny cucumber. It is very bitter to the taste and the seeds are very pretty, running into the various shades of white, yellow, gray, black, olive-green, brown, and red. In the ’90s the white people discovered that they could be worked into portieres, hanging ornaments, etc., as they looked so beautiful and the fad became so strong that young and old woul

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The soap of the Indian.

The soap of the Indian.

American Wild Gourd. This plant, inhabiting the arid soils of the coastal plains, is very hardy and at its best in worthless ground unsuitable for agricultural purposes. Thanks to Mother Nature, by thriving in otherwise dead soils, it was assured of continuous preservation. The Indians regarded it highly as being useful in what washing they had to do toward keeping their buckskin clothes and blankets clean. Very soon after the vandals from Spain invaded our country, they adopted this plant in pl

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Protection against lightning.

Protection against lightning.

The California Lilac—Spanish Chaparral —an inhabitant of the mountain ranges, blooms like the common lilac and is very beautiful. Attracting every nature lover, this gigantic shrub is possessed of a strange power, which up to the present has escaped attention, due to its having been kept secret among the Indians for centuries. As I am writing Indian legends through botany, I, for the first time, shall reveal the virtues of this shrub and it should prove of the greatest interest to those engaged

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Antivenin for rattlesnake and tarantula bites.

Antivenin for rattlesnake and tarantula bites.

American Jimson Weed. This plant is an inhabitant of the California coastal region and is not particular as to the nature of the soil or its fertility, but thrives anywhere. This tuberous, bushy plant is highly narcotic and when the leaves are properly cured they can be used either in the form of tea or smoked, but withal, very sparingly, since an overdose may very likely cause one to be committed to an insane asylum, as it is a rank poison and its effect may even land one in an undertaker’s mor

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Weather observation, travel and fishing aids, aqueous plants.

Weather observation, travel and fishing aids, aqueous plants.

American Water-Barrel Cactus. An inhabitant of the arid Pacific southwestern deserts. Like all Indians in their boyhood days I was also warned of the great perils threatening human beings in the desert, and in order to meet any emergency which might arise, we received much instruction for the time to come when this was absolutely necessary for our safety. The schooling given us consisted chiefly of weather observation, how to detect the approach of severe desert storms from the very beginning of

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General medication.

General medication.

American Wild Rosemary. This shrub, when in full bloom in the months of May to July, emits a sweet, balsamic fragrance, and is of great medicinal value for many ailments. The Indians who made use of this plant a great deal had no difficulty in tracing it through its scent to its place of growth, where the flowering stocks were carefully gathered so that the root and crown system suffered no injury. Extra precaution was taken for the next annual blooming season, for most of the plants were of a d

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Ptomaine poisoning.

Ptomaine poisoning.

An inhabitant of the arid California desert, it is a massive, white-flowering shrub remarkable for the long duration of its blooming period which lasts from early June till late September. During this time the desert may be seen covered with a vast mass of white blossoms comparable in its color effect to the winter snowfields in northern latitudes. To have the opportunity to see the manifold flowering wonders of this great desert, in their sudden magical changes, one must visit it during the per

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Jewelry and talismans.

Jewelry and talismans.

American Milk Weed. White botanists claim this plant to be edible, but to my knowledge there is no botanical record extant which bears out the assertion as to its ever having been used as a food. The Indians pressed out the milky juices and used the extract obtained in the manufacture of their jewelry, most of their precious stones being made into necklaces, earrings, collars, wrist and upper arm bracelets, all mounted in this milk-juice preparation of the Asclepias syriaca . This kind of jewelr

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Hunting with poisoned arrows.

Hunting with poisoned arrows.

American California Mountain Laurel. It may be of interest to sportsmen that this plant, growing in the high mountain ranges, is as greatly relished by the deer as Hosackia glabra . Deer in large numbers look for this shrubby tree and this is the key to the white man’s puzzle why Indians are such successful hunters. It is simply that the Indian lived the life God intended him to, and, through close association with animals in the wilderness, he became proficient in observing their habits, imitat

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Care of the eyes.

Care of the eyes.

This plant belongs to the food division but plays another important rôle, considering what it means to a person to be relieved of the excruciating pain caused by the introduction of a foreign substance into the eye, thus producing a temporary obstruction of the vision. Many Indians, after a hard day’s hunting or riding through severe sandstorms, had this experience, and consequently, they never neglected to give their eyes proper care. When time to retire, the Indian would put at least a couple

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Foods, medicine, tanning and dyes.

Foods, medicine, tanning and dyes.

American Live Oak. This evergreen tree of the western mountain ranges is the most imposing of all the species of the oak family. It grows to an immense size and attains a great height. Some of these giants of the forest cover and shade an area large enough to afford protection to as many as three hundred adult persons. A great deal has been written in song and poetry in praise of the stately oak but the Indians found out by experience that the acorns it bore were far more nutritious than poetry,

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Bleeding navel.

Bleeding navel.

American Cat-tail is an aquatic grass inhabiting shallow, stagnant lakes and swamps and is very common on the Pacific coast of California. Tule is perhaps the name by which the plant is best known, although the other is also very common. This valuable grass has failed to find a place among the scientists of the world, as Tule is a purely Indian name, and is far from being identical with those so far being classified by botanical science. But Tule is medicinal and has healing properties which wer

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Indian food.

Indian food.

Mesquite Bean. An inhabitant of the southwestern deserts, it ranges as far as the northwestern and southwestern central parts of Mexico. A native of southeastern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, the Juliflora was perhaps one of the trees which provided the greater part of food for the natives. Its contents were very rich in protein and even wild animals relished it greatly. To obtain the yearly supply, the Indians made a regular pilgrimage early in the season to localities where the J

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Food and bleaching.

Food and bleaching.

American Spanish Bayonet. The name yucca is the true native Indian name of this exquisite plant, but even Mr. Whipple, the botanist, failed, like many others, to properly describe the beauty of the yucca. During the months of May and June when the plant is in full bloom it is nothing strange, when venturing into the desert mountains, to find oneself in a veritable forest of countless thousands of yuccas. With its erect stalk, attaining a height of from four to twelve feet, heavily and massively

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Rheumatism.

Rheumatism.

American Stinging Nettle. An inhabitant of the swamps and river beds. This plant was used in most cases of inflammatory rheumatism of the most peculiar kind known to mankind, particularly when the lower limbs were affected to such an extent that they became numb, cold and useless. The cure was very simple if your limbs were in a bad state, but rather unpleasant if in a sound condition. The nettle was cut and brought to the Indian patient’s bedside, where the leaves were rubbed on all his ailing

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Menstrual period.

Menstrual period.

Lemon Verbena. Spanish Cedron . This shrubby tree has become nearly extinct and but few specimens are found now and then. The infusion made from its leaves and blossoms is very aromatic, somewhat like peppermint. American Feverfew, Spanish Artemisa . This plant was used for the same medicinal purpose as the one mentioned above....

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Diseased throat glands, scrofula.

Diseased throat glands, scrofula.

American Tobacco Tree. This tree, very common along the Pacific coast, grows from Santa Barbara southward to the end of Lower California, and the Mexican peninsula. The tree grows in terraced gorges and ravines and is rarely to be found anywhere else. The leaves were steamed and applied externally as a poultice over the swollen parts of the throat caused by inflammation of the throat glands, and also for scrofula. While the latter malady didn’t exist among the Indians, yet they treated and cured

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Fishing.

Fishing.

American Dove Weed. The beautiful dwarf plant is very common throughout the coastal region and far into the inland valleys. It appears about July in most barley fields after the harvest. It is truly a paradise for wild turtledoves, and the hunter who goes into a place where the Croton setigerus grows may be sure of bagging a good number of doves in a short time. The Indians gathered the plant for use in their fishing operations, and some of it was stored away for winter use. The weed has a stron

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Tonic for loss of appetite.

Tonic for loss of appetite.

American Miner’s Lettuce. This plant inhabits the coastal regions where it thrives only in deep, decomposed beds of oak-tree mulch at suitable points in the shady woodlands, where the circulation of water is present under a deposit of mulch. The juice of the plant is an excellent appetite-restorer. American Wild Onion. It is an inhabitant of the lower mid-coast ranges, and the extract obtained from it is compounded with the powdered berries of Rhus trilobata . American Squaw-weed. An inhabitant

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For poisonous insect-bites.

For poisonous insect-bites.

American Wild Field Garlic. A plant held in great esteem by the Indians, protecting them, when hunting or exploring, from poisonous snakes, lizards, scorpions, tarantulas and insects during the summer season. It was the custom of the Indians then to discard their buckskin clothes and roam around with as little covering as possible until the fall of the year, when they donned their heavier clothing again for the approaching cold weather. Now, it is well-known how disagreeable the odor of garlic i

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Antidote.

Antidote.

American Arrow-wood. It is an inhabitant of the California River border lands within the Pacific coastal belt, and is occasionally also found on the southern border of the western desert lying in the northern part of the Pacific coast. There has been much discussion in the past, and many arguments, many flatly declaring that the arrowwood was used by the Indians for making bows and arrow stocks. Being an Indian, that and nothing else, let me explain the matter clearly as to this particular contr

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Sedative.

Sedative.

American Ink Berry. This shrub, a common inhabitant of California’s coastal regions, has been placed by the white writer in the division of poisonous plants, and we agree with him. So the only credit given the plant is chiefly for the remarkable beauty it displays with its starlike flowers and racemes of dark-blue berries. Yet it has been condemned under the label of poison, and much is being done toward its destruction wherever found. However, it is a fruitless task, and may only become a near-

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Diseases of the liver.

Diseases of the liver.

American Water Cress. It is an inhabitant of the coastal regions, swamps and rivers. This aquatic plant is more deserving of attention than has been given it, and is fully worthy of the name it bears, Officinale , which means all that the word implies. The Indians, having discovered the medicinal qualities of this plant, immediately gave it a place in their medical and food division and, up to the present year of our Lord, the plant has been used in the treatment of disorders of the liver—cases

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Reducing teas.

Reducing teas.

American Pepper Grass. American Salt Grass. American Witch Grass. The first two are fond of rich, agricultural soils, whereas the latter prefers alkaline lands. All three have been declared noxious weeds and are listed as such by the Department of Agriculture, although the Indians found some use for these grasses. There were times when some of our men and women became over-fat; in fact, so fat that they had great difficulty in traveling, the exertion making them complain of heart trouble which i

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Birth control.

Birth control.

American Poverty-Weed. This hardy plant predominates on most of the salty marshes and lake shores. It is hardly worth destroying as it mostly grows in soils totally unfit for agriculture, or anything else, for that matter. Let me mention, however, that there is quite a history connected with the earliest beginning of the Indian’s life in connection with this plant. No doubt it will be of interest to the readers of this book to learn that the plant played an important part in what is today assume

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Kidney diseases.

Kidney diseases.

Spurge. Its habitat is in the southern Mojave sand dunes. This beautiful shrub, like many of the other desert plants, seems to select the worst of soils to grow in, and is often to be found in crevices of mineralized dykes of crystalline rocks. The infusion made from the plant cured kidney infections. The Tea of the Indian is found in the swamplands of the coastal regions. The infusion made from the leaves and blossoms was taken internally for pleurisy of the kidneys. An infusion made separately

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Venereal diseases.

Venereal diseases.

American Mahogany Shrub. Its habitat is in the California hills and mountains, and it is quite common. The bark and roots were made into an infusion and taken by the Indians for venereal diseases or gonorrhea gleet. American Pimpernel. Its habitat is on the northern slopes of the highest mountain peaks of California, at an elevation of from eight to ten thousand feet above sea level. This wonder plant is made into a tea and taken in acute cases of gonorrhea, where the bladder and urinal tract fa

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The Legend of Console Mineral Springs near Homuba Canyon

The Legend of Console Mineral Springs near Homuba Canyon

The canyon has been known as Homuba among the Indians for many years. And on that canyon there are three mineral springs. They are located near Loma Linda. It is southeast from Loma Linda, way up in the canyon, a distance of three miles. Professor J. Console, an Indian friend, is the owner of the mineral springs nowadays. In the early days the Indians called the springs Phal-poole , Phal-quapekalet , Hickescah-heppasca , which means Witch Springs, Life Springs, Sisters and Brother Springs. Those

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