﻿328 
  SACRED 
  F0RMULA8 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHEROKEES. 
  

  

  are 
  better 
  informed 
  in 
  this 
  regard 
  than 
  the 
  best 
  educated 
  white 
  phy- 
  

   sicians 
  in 
  the 
  country. 
  Two 
  of 
  these 
  seven 
  plants, 
  however 
  (Nos. 
  2 
  

   and 
  4), 
  belong 
  to 
  genera 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  properties 
  

   ascribed 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  to 
  the 
  species. 
  Five 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  list 
  (Nos. 
  

   8, 
  9, 
  11, 
  14, 
  and 
  16) 
  are 
  used 
  for 
  entirely 
  wrong 
  purposes, 
  taking 
  the 
  

   Dispensatory 
  as 
  authority, 
  and 
  three 
  (if 
  these 
  are 
  evidently 
  used 
  on 
  

   account 
  of 
  some 
  fancied 
  connection 
  between 
  the 
  plant 
  and 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   ease, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  doctrine 
  of 
  signatures. 
  Three 
  of 
  the 
  remain- 
  

   der 
  (Nos. 
  1. 
  3. 
  and 
  6) 
  may 
  be 
  classed 
  as 
  uncertain 
  in 
  their 
  properties, 
  

   that 
  is, 
  while 
  the 
  plants 
  themselves 
  seem 
  to 
  possess 
  some 
  medical 
  

   value, 
  the 
  Indian 
  mode 
  of 
  application 
  is 
  so 
  far 
  at 
  variance 
  with 
  

   recognized 
  methods, 
  or 
  their 
  own 
  statements 
  are 
  so 
  vague 
  and 
  con- 
  

   flicting, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  any 
  good 
  can 
  result 
  f 
  rom 
  the 
  use 
  

   of 
  the 
  herbs. 
  Thus 
  the 
  Unaste'tstiyu, 
  or 
  Virginia 
  Snakeroot. 
  is 
  stated 
  

   by 
  the 
  Dispensatory 
  to 
  have 
  several 
  uses, 
  and 
  among 
  other 
  things 
  is 
  

   said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  highly 
  recommended 
  in 
  intermittent 
  fevers, 
  

   although 
  alone 
  it 
  is 
  " 
  generally 
  inadequate 
  to 
  the 
  cure." 
  Though 
  

   not 
  expressly 
  stated, 
  the 
  natural 
  inference 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  applied 
  

   internally, 
  but 
  the 
  Cherokee 
  doctor, 
  while 
  he 
  also 
  uses 
  it 
  for 
  fever, 
  

   takes 
  the 
  decoction 
  in 
  his 
  mouth 
  and 
  blows 
  it 
  over 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  

   shoulders 
  of 
  the 
  patient. 
  Another 
  of 
  these, 
  the 
  Distai'yi, 
  or 
  Turkey 
  

   Pea, 
  is 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  Dispensatory 
  as 
  having 
  roots 
  tonic 
  and 
  

   aperient. 
  The 
  Cherokees 
  drink 
  a 
  decoction 
  of 
  the 
  roots 
  for 
  a 
  feeling 
  

   of 
  weakness 
  and 
  languor, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  supposed 
  that 
  they 
  

   understood 
  the 
  tonic 
  properties 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  had 
  not 
  the 
  same 
  decoc- 
  

   tion 
  been 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  women 
  as 
  a 
  hair 
  wash, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  ball 
  players 
  

   to 
  bathe 
  their 
  limbs, 
  under 
  the 
  impression 
  that 
  the 
  toughness 
  of 
  the 
  

   roots 
  would 
  thus 
  be 
  communicated 
  to 
  the 
  hair 
  or 
  muscles. 
  From 
  

   this 
  fact 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  plant, 
  which 
  means 
  at 
  once 
  hard, 
  

   tough, 
  or 
  strong, 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  probable 
  that 
  its 
  roots 
  are 
  believed 
  to 
  

   give 
  strength 
  to 
  the 
  patient 
  solely 
  because 
  they 
  themselves 
  are 
  so 
  

   strong 
  and 
  not 
  because 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  really 
  efficacic 
  >us. 
  

   The 
  remaining 
  five 
  plants 
  have 
  generally 
  pronounced 
  medicinal 
  

   qualities, 
  and 
  are 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Cherokees 
  for 
  the 
  very 
  purposes 
  for 
  

   which, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  Dispensatory, 
  they 
  are 
  best 
  adapted; 
  so 
  that 
  

   we 
  must 
  admit 
  that 
  so 
  much 
  of 
  their 
  practice 
  is 
  correct, 
  however 
  

   false 
  the 
  reasoning 
  by 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  arrived 
  at 
  this 
  result. 
  

  

  MEDICAL 
  PRACTICE. 
  

  

  Taking 
  the 
  Dispensatory 
  as 
  the 
  standard, 
  and 
  assuming 
  that 
  this 
  

   list 
  is 
  a 
  fair 
  epitome 
  of 
  what 
  the 
  Cherokees 
  know 
  concerning 
  the 
  

   medical 
  properties 
  of 
  plants, 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  five 
  plants, 
  or 
  25 
  per 
  cent 
  

   of 
  the 
  whole 
  mimber, 
  are 
  correctly 
  used; 
  twelve, 
  or 
  60 
  per 
  cent, 
  are 
  

   presumably 
  either 
  worthless 
  or 
  incorrectly 
  used, 
  and 
  three 
  plants, 
  

   or 
  15 
  per 
  cent, 
  are 
  so 
  used 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  say 
  whether 
  they 
  are 
  

  

  