American Indian Healing Arts: Herbs, Rituals, and Remedies for Every Season of Life

by E. Barrie Kavasch, Karen Baar

American Indian Healing Arts is a magical blend of plant lore, history, and living tradition that draws on a lifetime of study with native healers by herbalist and ethnobotanist E. Barrie Kavasch.

Here are the time-honored tribal rituals performed to promote good health, heal illness, and bring mind and spirit into harmony with nature. Here also are dozens of safe, effective earth remedies--many of which are now being confirmed by modern research.

Each chapter introduces a new stage in the life cycle, from the delightful Navajo First Smile Ceremony (welcoming a new baby) to the Apache Sunrise Ceremony (celebrating puberty) to the Seminole Old People's Dance.

At the heart of the book are more than sixty easy-to-use herbal remedies--including soothing rubs for baby, a yucca face mask for troubled skin, relaxing teas, massage oils, natural insect repellents, and fragrant smudge sticks. There are also guidelines for assembling a basic American Indian medicine chest.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Reference, Native American, Plants, History

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 1999

Reviews

[Anne G]

BEST BOOK EVER! I have used so many of these exercises and they are so effective! Thanks to this book also, I was able to complete the Native American recipe for herbal induction in pregnancy which brought our Olivia into the world :-)

[Sheila Zenni]

If only the greedy men had learned from the American Indians instead of judging and destroying them.

[Emily]

My father gave me this at Christmas. I have just started picking it up a couple of times a week and reading a chapter. It is a really wonerful book with fantastic recipes and it also appeals to the history lover in me. One aspect that I really love about the book are the pictures of the leaves of plants it discusses and uses in recipes so I can visualize exactly what I would be working with when creating the balms, salves, teas, etc.

[Theresa]

American Indian Healing Arts: Herbs, Rituals, and Remedies for Every Season of Life
by E. Barrie Kavasch
a beautiful edition that will allow you to to understand cultural ideas in physical herbal and medical purification with in american indian tribes.

[Donna Brown]

This book has some fascinating facts, a number of poems, lots of historical information, and recipes. I love the recipes. If you would like insight into the Native American world, this book is for you.

[Jacob Zappey]

I would have liked more rituals and fewer remedies. Had lots of good information can be boring to read at times.

[Linda]

A wonderful resource for the Native American way of healing through the seasons - an overview of many of the American tribes rather than a specific region. My interest lies in the fact that my grandmother had been taught the ways of native remedies through plant life as a young girl growing up in the hills of Georgia; the interest and learning carried over through her two daughters (my father's sisters) and ... not necessarily passed on but ...the interest continues.

[Indian Country]

This book is a magical blend of plant lore, history and living tradition that draws on a lifetime of study with Native healers by herbalist and ethnobotanist E. Barrie Kavasch. It contains more than sixty easy-to-use herbal remedies and guidelines for assembling a basic American Indian medicine chest.
http://indiancountrystore.com/BOOKhea...

[Stephen]

Awesome book. It is definitely a reference text and something to keep on the shelves. I will never remember most of it, but I feel more educated and have a better grasp on many different aspects of Native life and culture.

[Julie]

great book!!!