Long before there was pharmacology as we know it, the North American Indians cured illness and maintained health by natural means, using the healing plants of the forest, desert, and seashore. Their discoveries continue to have impact on modern medicine: over 25 percent of all prescription drugs contain plant derivatives, and the mainstream medical establishment is acknowledging the effectiveness of herbal remedies in treating certain illnesses.

Earth Medicine, Earth Food is an A-to-Z reference to the plant remedies and wild foods used by the Indians. Organized by condition -- from allergies to female complaints to wounds -- it explains which plants were used by different tribes to treat specific maladies, how they were prepared, and how to identify them in the wild.