North American Herbs and Indigenous Plant Knowledge
Plants of North America with documented Native American medicinal use, what health agencies say about them today, and how to treat Indigenous plant knowledge with care.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
Safety first. Natural products can cause side effects and interact with medicines. Read herb safety and interactions before you use anything on this page.
Many familiar herbal products come from plants that grew in North America long before they were sold in capsules. This page looks at four of them, echinacea, goldenseal, black cohosh and cranberry, and keeps two things apart: how Native American peoples used them, and what research shows today. One does not prove the other. If you take prescription medicines, ask a pharmacist or clinician before using any herb (see how interactions work).
What "Native American" means in these sources
The health agency pages we read say "Native Americans" in general. They do not name particular nations, peoples or regions for these uses. That matters: North America has many distinct peoples with their own knowledge, and a single summary line cannot speak for any of them. For respectful context, see Native American and First Nations healing and what is public and what is restricted.
Four plants, two kinds of statement
The table keeps traditional use and research in separate columns. The traditional-use column repeats what the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) reports; it is described, not endorsed.
| Plant (plant part) | Traditional use reported | What the NCCIH page says about research | Main caution it lists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea; products vary by species and part) | Native Americans used it for respiratory tract infections, tooth pain and snakebite [1] | May slightly reduce the chance of catching a cold; unclear whether it shortens a cold [1] | Allergic reactions, which may be severe; children developed rashes in a trial [1] |
| Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis; rhizome) | Digestive disorders, wounds, skin and eye conditions, and cancer [2] | Not enough evidence to say whether it is useful for any condition [2] | A trial found lower metformin levels with goldenseal; not for pregnancy or breastfeeding [2] |
| Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa; root or rhizome) | Kidney ailments, malaria, sore throat and menstrual cramps [3] | A 2023 review of 22 studies found potential benefit for overall menopause symptoms [3] | Rare reports of liver damage, some very serious [3] |
| Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon; fruit and leaves) | Bladder, stomach, blood and liver disorders, wounds, diabetes and scurvy [4] | Many studies for preventing urinary tract infections, though some research is not high quality [4] | Not listed in the summary we used; see the cranberry profile |
Plant names were checked against GBIF, where all four scientific names are accepted. [5]
Echinacea: why the product matters
A Cochrane review of echinacea and the common cold found 24 double-blind trials, using different species and plant parts, and noted that products sold as echinacea differ appreciably in composition. [6] A result for one preparation does not carry over to another. See the full echinacea profile.
Goldenseal and the wild harvest
NCCIH says wild goldenseal has been overharvested and is available in limited amounts, and that cultivated plants are expensive to grow. [2] It also says some commercial goldenseal products contained other herbs or ingredients not on the label. [2] Our goldenseal profile covers the details, and at-risk medicinal plants explains why demand can threaten wild plants.
Respect, permission and sacred plants
Public records of plant use are not the same as permission to copy a practice. WHO's traditional medicine strategy lists Indigenous Peoples' rights, culture and health among its core principles and recognizes the importance of protecting traditional knowledge. [7] This site does not describe ceremonial or sacred practices, and it does not give instructions for gathering or preparing wild plants. For how research uses this knowledge, see ethnobotany and benefit sharing and biopiracy.
Frequently asked questions
Did Native Americans use echinacea?
NCCIH says Native Americans used Echinacea purpurea for respiratory tract infections, tooth pain and snakebite. [1] The page does not name specific nations.
Does traditional use mean an herb works?
No. Traditional use tells us how people used a plant, not whether it works. Research asks that question separately, for a specific product and condition. [1]
Is black cohosh from North America safe for the liver?
NCCIH says liver damage cases, some very serious, have been reported with products labeled black cohosh, that they are rare, and that it is uncertain whether black cohosh caused them. [3] Ask a clinician if you have liver symptoms such as dark urine and fatigue.
Why is goldenseal hard to find in wild places?
NCCIH says wild goldenseal has been overharvested. [2] Do not gather wild plants for medicine; ask a pharmacist or clinician about products.
Can I use these herbs with my medicines?
Not without asking. NCCIH reports that goldenseal extract lowered metformin levels about 25 percent in healthy adults in one study. [2] Tell your pharmacist about every herb you use.
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.
Limits of what we read
Proper evidence not found, in the sources we read, for named-nation attribution of these four uses or for how current Indigenous communities use these plants. We searched the NCCIH pages for each plant and PubMed for Native American ethnobotany reviews and found no usable source for those points.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Echinacea. Read 2026-10-22.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Goldenseal. Read 2026-10-22.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Black Cohosh. Read 2026-10-22.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Cranberry. Read 2026-10-22.
- GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Names checked 2026-10-22 through the GBIF species match service (api.gbif.org).
- Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014. Read 2026-10-22.
- World Health Organization. Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine. Read 2026-10-22.