With shots ringing out across our budding country, English supply lines were inevitably severed and Patriots were facing the Revolutionary War with little medical knowledge — and even fewer medical supplies. The Continental Army was dependent on nature’s medicine chest, gleaning herbal knowledge from the motherland, Native Americans and enslaved peoples.
Colonial American medicine was mostly practiced by balancing the four humors, supported by herbal medicine apothecaries and the few modern drugs that existed at the time. According to Richard L. Blanco’s publication for the State University of New York, in 1775 there were only 3,500 doctors throughout the colonies and only a few hundred of those had any medical training. “Not a single medical journal was published in the colonies, and no scientific study in North America pursued medical research.” In 1779, doctors were limited in scope, mostly attending to the surface with only the most emboldened performing true surgeries, which without the aid of germ theory were most often fatal. Despite the lack of training and resources, the need for medicine was great with regiments suffering from a long list of maladies including jaundice, diarrhea, respiratory illnesses and malaria.
Colonists brought medicinal herbs across the Atlantic, propagating English style herb gardens throughout the colonies. Medicinals like feverfew, tansy, rose campion, angelica and clary sage — to name a few — were grown in neat and orderly gardens. Yarrow, which was quickly naturalized in North America, was one of the most valuable imports for its anticoagulant properties. Women served as household healers and used recipe books not only for cooking, but for medicines and salves made from lard and plant parts. In fact, the most popular The Compleat Housewife or Accomplish’d Gentlewoman’s Companion by London’s Eliza Smith was the first recipe book printed in the colonies, with printing taking place in Williamsburg in 1742.
In an online article titled Regimental Botanical Medicines by Brian Altonen, the medicine chests of Revolutionary War surgeons have been dissected. Altonen pointed out that the list of provisions represented an ideal medicine chest, understanding that once supplies had dwindled replacements would be hard to find. Thankfully colonists and enslaved African Americans, who relied solely on traditional healing, had been learning the uses of many native plants from Native Americans.
The list of North American native plants used medicinally by Native Americans, and consequently colonists, is regional and extensive. Indian tobacco (Lobelia inflata), beebalm (Monarda fistulosa), boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), sassafras (Sassafras albidium), and Virginia snakeroot (Aristolochia serpentaria) were just a few species used.
Knowing what plants could cure respiratory ailments, promote wound healing or stave off infection were invaluable to the Revolution.
In Full Bloom is a weekly feature from Allissa Bunner that focuses on sustainable gardening, environmental stewardship and related community news and initiatives. Bunner is a Norfolk resident who is passionate about plants — especially natives — and enjoys growing things from seed. She can be reached at acbinfullbloom@gmail.com.
