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Medicinal Applications of Native Plants by Native Americans

Presentation Details

Presentation showcases 45 native Texas forbs, shrubs and trees that were used medicinally by many tribes across Texas and the southern US. The treatment method and the illness or disease treated will be discussed for each plant. Resources will be shown that can be used to research plants you are interested in to see what tribes might have used the plants. The Native Americans utilized many native plants for treatment of various illnesses for thousands of years, much of this knowledge was set aside when synthetic medicines became widely available.

Equipment Required:
None
Additional Requirements:
None
Ecoregions Covered:
Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, High Plains, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain

Presenter Information

  • Ricky Linex

    Ricky Linex retired in 2021 as a wildlife biologist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service and now works as a range and wildlife consultant.

    With NRCS, Linex worked 52 counties in north central Texas covering the Rolling Plains, Cross Timbers, Blackland Prairie, and Post Oak Savannah vegetational regions. He worked 38.5 years with NRCS in Goldthwaite, Snyder, Abilene, and Weatherford.

    He is the author of Range Plants of North Central Texas, A Land Users Guide to Their Identification, Value and Management, a plant identification book for Texas. Range Plants was recognized in 2015 as an outstanding publication by the Texas Chapter - The Wildlife Society, the Native Plant Society of Texas, and the Texas Section - Society for Range Management.