Medicinal and other uses of the Compositae by Indians in the United States and Canada

Abstract

This paper represents a comprehensive literature search of reported uses for plants of the sunflower family (Compositae) by American Indians north of Mexico. For economy, the original data on 474 plants have been transcribed into a concise telegraphic style. The Compositae are found to be primarily of medicinal use, with less frequent nutritional and ceremonial applications. This review is useful to pharmacologists and chemists desiring cultural clues to plants of medicinal promise, as well as to botanists and anthropologists with ethnobotanical interests.