by Internationally known Naturalist ILA HATTER

As seen at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 

and National PBS

Uses of Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants in the Southern Appalachians. The 27-minute video features Hatter and Grandma Swimmer (a well-known Cherokee elder) .

WHAT IS WILDCRAFTING ?

WHAT IS DOCTRINE OF SIGNATURES ?

Several plants described in this Video include :

Yellow Root for Stomach & Urinary ailments..

Mullien for flu and congestion

Touch me nots for trail nibble

ELDERBERRY for mild laxative & Elderberry Blossoms cooked as Fritters

USED AS A BLOOD THINNER

Leaves rubbed on skin as an insect repellant

Elderberry Sambucus for flu ( sambucol)

Spicebush tea for heart problems
( a great mornin' tea)

AND HOW TO MAKE A HARVEST PIE

27 minutes of the best " Wildcrafting know how "

                        Filmed in Appalachia where the climate and age of the Appalachian chain created a diversity of plant species that is greater than anywhere in North America. (130 tree species, 1500 flowering plants, and 4,000 non-flowering plants)  Cherokee and later settlers found a tremendous wealth of natural resources which sustained them.  The abundance of edible and medicinal plants became a source of trade for goods people could not make themselves.  During the Depression the heritage of “wildcrafting” as plant collecting is called, helped many families survive, and provided plant material for Pharmaceutical and Homeopathic companies.  25% of prescription medicines in the US still come from plants.