Native American Herbal, Plant Knowledge

and Social Implications of Using Noncultigens (Arizona

Studies in Human Ecology); Nina L. Etkin (Editor);

Paperback;

These are studies -- mostly pretty technical -- by

anthros, paleontologists (study deep layers of

earth and bones of earth), primatologists (study

monkey and apes and distant furry relatives of us

hairless primates ) and ethnobiologists (study

indigenous biology knowledge).. They explore

from many different scientific perspectives issues

such as tribal consumption of unpalatable and

famine foods; comparison of aboriginal and later

arrivals' diets; self-treatment with pcertain lants

by sick animals. Some articles are tough going,

some are easy. I liked the one about the so-called

cave-man diet (mostly plants) and the argument

that all of us are genetically programmed after

millions of yearsto eat this way, instead of how we

do now.

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American Indian Medicine (Civilization of the American

Series, Vol 95), by Virgil J. Vogel, $19.

Bargain price for this 1990 reprint of Vogel's 1970

classic compilation from masses of old anthros'

papers. Every white writer on Indian medicine and

herbology has stolen from Vogel ever since.

Classic compendium by well-known Native

scholar. Vogel uses medical practices as a lens to

focus on changing relationships between invading

whites and natives, as well as discussing practical

and pharmacological bases of plant-based healing

and remedies.

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Earth Medicine-Earth Foods; Michael Weiner;

Paperback, $

Emphasis is on medicines rather than foods. Book

is organized by condition or problem, listing

herbal remedies of various tribes for each.How

they were prepared (very sparse) and methods of

identification (sketches, not always clear). Last

section of the book is more interesting, the plants

shown and told about there are usable today.

Plants indexed by common and botanical names,

and by "remedies" which no one should try to

use. No Indian names. Seems simplistic. See my

longer review on the amazon.com page.

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Native American Ethnobotany, Plant Knowledge: Book Orders On-Line

http://www.kstrom.net/isk/books/amazonlinks/plants.html (4 of 11) [5/17/2004 11:47:53 AM]