Medicinal Wild Plants of the Prairie

Description

By Kelly Kindscher, Drawings by William S. Whitney

To develop a way of life in greater harmony with the environment, we need to know our place in the world. One important way to do this is to study the plants around us. My goals in writing this book are twofold: to promote a greater understanding of prairie plants and their uses and to encourage the conservation, protection, and reestablishment of prairie plants and prairies throughout the region. There is a great need to preserve the biodiversity of the prairies because of the loss of prairies to the plow, to development, and through overgrazing.

First the homeland of the Indians, whose impact was noticeable but small, the North American prairie has been transformed by travelers and emigrants crossing it, by cattlemen’s stock heavily grazing it, by pioneers and farmers extensively plowing it, and by developers building on it. Today the inherent value of the remaining native prairie is beginning to be recognized. Some prairies are managed properly for grazing or as hay meadows; others are now preserved and protected for their beauty, history, ecological richness, and future uses for all beings. It is my hope that the information that follows on the medicinal use of prairie plants will nurture the seeds of conservation and increase appreciation of this resource.

“One of the most important, original contributions to the American medicinal plant literature in decades. Combining thoughtful insight with thorough research, this book had broad appeal, yet is scientifically sound- a rare blend with lasting value.”     -Stephen Foster, coauthor of A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and editor of Botanical & Herb Reviews

“Kelly Kindscher is the plains version of John Muir. Join him in the journey to discover the great pharmaceutical house on the prairie.”     -Wes Jackson, director of The Land Institute and author of New Roots of Agriculture

” A superb recounting of the use of prairie plants by Indian tribes of North America.”     -Walter H. Lewis, coauthor of Medicinal Botany Plants Affecting Man’s Health

“Good reading-and a good source book for anthropologists, botanists, and ethnologists.”     -James A. Duke, author of Handbook of Northeastern Indian Medicinal Plants

Kelly Kindscher is author of Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotanical Guide. He has a Ph.D. in plant ecology from the University of Kansas and is a consultant for Prairieland Ecological Services