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Native American Uses of Echinacea Tennesseensis

Echinacea plant parts were used by many Native American tribes for medicinal purposes. Roots were ground and applied to snake bites, wounds and insect bites. Tea was made from roots, leaves or seeds to treat mumps, measles, arthritis, colds and flu. Echinacea was also chewed for tooth and gum pain. The Cherokee tribes are credited with introducing Echinacea to the European colonists in America. There were Cherokee tribes living in eastern Tennessee, but it is not known whether or not Echinacea tennesseensis was the variety the Cherokee used.

  1. Native Americans in Tennessee

    • The Chickasaw, Koasati, Quapaw, Shawnee, Yuchi and Cherokee tribes lived in Tennessee before colonists moved in and took over their lands. The Cherokee referred to Echinacea as Gvnege tsunvsta. It is known that both the Cherokee and Chickasaw tribes used Echinacea extensively to assist with health issues among tribe members. Some Native Americans used the heads of the flowers to comb hair, and some children used the flower and stem in games. The children would hit the stems together, wrapping the stems and meshing the flower heads together.

    Modern Research

    • Modern researchers have determined that there are three primary Echinacea varieties containing the medicinal properties prized by Native Americans. These three varieties are Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea pallida. Analysis of these three Echinacea have determined that they are beneficial for immunity and for circulatory problems. A method of determining medicinally effective Echinacea is to chew on the leaves. If the leaves make your mouth feel numb, that variety is medicinally effective.

    Near Extinction

    • If you find Echinacea tennesseensis for sale as an herbal remedy, do not purchase it. The variety tennesseensis is near extinction and should not be harvested and processed commercially. If you find plants for sale, do purchase them and help in the recovery of this variety of Echinacea. If more people preserve and propagate this variety, the odds of species recovery will greatly improve.

    Test Your Echinacea Tennesseensis

    • When you are growing your Echinacea tennesseensis to preserve the species, check the leaves. Chew on a leaf and analyze its effect on your tongue. If you begin to note a slight numbness, you will know that Echinacea tennesseensis has the same medicinal properties as its relatives angustifolia, purpurea and pallida. If there is no numbing effect, then you have a variety that is good for use as a hair comb and a children's toy.

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