Native American healing practices represent sophisticated medical systems that have contributed over 200 drugs to the U.S. Pharmacopeia—a legacy largely unacknowledged in mainstream healthcare. Today, a pivotal shift is underway: in October 2024, Medicaid began covering traditional healing services in Arizona, California, Oregon, and New Mexico, marking federal recognition of practices that have sustained Indigenous health for millennia. This report documents specific tribal healing traditions, their scientific validation, and the growing integration between traditional and Western medicine.

Cherokee, Navajo, Lakota, and Ojibwe traditions each follow distinct paths

Each major tribal nation developed unique healing systems reflecting their cosmology, environment, and cultural values.

Cherokee (Tsalagi) medicine recognizes seven healing disciplines: herbal medicine, physical medicine, dreamwork, sacred language, ceremonies, divination, and spoken formulas. The Didanawisgi (medicine person) combines plant remedies with spoken formulas in the Cherokee language—both considered essential for healing. The Cherokee practice of Going to Water (Ama Dega’ti) involves immersion in rivers at sunrise seven times for purification. Cherokee healers possessed knowledge of 400-600 medicinal plants, and uniquely documented their practices using Sequoyah’s syllabary. A’yunini (Swimmer), a renowned Cherokee shaman (1835-1899), collaborated with ethnographer James Mooney to create a 122-page manuscript of sacred formulas now preserved at the Smithsonian.

Navajo (Diné) healing distinguishes between three specialist roles: the Hataałii (singer/chanter) who conducts ceremonies, diagnosticians who identify illness causes, and herbalists. The central concept of Hózhǫ́—beauty, balance, and harmony—underlies all healing. Approximately 68 different ceremonies address specific conditions, with the nine-day Nightway ceremony treating severe illnesses through chanting, sweat baths, and sacred sand paintings. These sand paintings, of which 600-1,000 traditional designs exist, are created from naturally colored materials and destroyed after ceremonies, having absorbed the patient’s illness.

Lakota/Sioux healing centers on the Wičháša Wakȟáŋ (Holy Man), who communicates with spirits through vision and interprets the sacred. The Seven Sacred Rites brought by White Buffalo Calf Woman include the Inípi (sweat lodge)—a purification ceremony where participants sit in a dome representing Mother Earth’s womb while heated stones create cleansing steam. The Haŋbléčheyapi (vision quest) involves isolation and fasting for up to four days at sacred sites like the Black Hills. Black Elk (1863-1950), an Oglala Lakota holy man who survived both Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee, documented these traditions in Black Elk Speaks, now considered a foundational text on Lakota spirituality.

Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) healing operates through the Midewiwin (Grand Medicine Society), a structured institution with four to eight degrees of initiation requiring years of training. Members use the sacred Miigis Shell in initiations and record knowledge on birch bark scrolls—some over 1,000 years old. The Jiisakiiwigaan (Shaking Tent) ceremony represents the highest spiritual practice, where practitioners communicate with spirits to diagnose illness.

Medicinal plants used by specific tribes now have scientific backing

Modern pharmacology has validated numerous traditional plant medicines, identifying active compounds and mechanisms that explain their efficacy.

Echinacea, used by at least 19 Plains tribes including the Lakota, Cheyenne, Pawnee, and Kiowa, was the most widely used medicinal plant among Plains Indians. The Kiowa and Cheyenne chewed the root for sore throats; the Omaha used it as a local anesthetic, with medicine men applying macerated root to handle burning coals without flinching. Scientific analysis reveals alkylamides that bind to human cannabinoid receptors, cichoric acid that stimulates phagocytosis, and polysaccharides that enhance immune function. The European Medicines Agency confirms studies showing reduced cold duration by up to four days.

Willow bark, used by the Cheyenne and multiple other tribes for pain and fever, directly led to aspirin’s development. Archaeological evidence includes traces of salicylic acid in 1,300-year-old Native American pottery from Colorado. The bark contains salicin, converted in the body to salicylic acid. In 1897, Bayer synthesized acetylsalicylic acid, creating the world’s most widely used drug—yet its indigenous origins are rarely acknowledged.

Black cohosh, called by its Algonquian name meaning “rough,” was used by the Cherokee for rheumatism, gynecological conditions, and kidney disorders. Listed in the U.S. Pharmacopeia since 1830, its triterpene glycosides and cimicifugic acids have been studied extensively. A 2023 NIH review of 22 studies found it “potentially beneficial for overall menopause symptoms,” and it has been approved in Europe for over 40 years.

Yerba Santa (“holy herb”), used by Chumash, Amah Mutsun, and other California tribes for respiratory ailments, contains sterubin—identified by Salk Institute researchers in 2019 as a “potent neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory compound.” Sterubin protects against oxytosis and ferroptosis (age-related cell death pathways) and shows promise for Alzheimer’s research. Museum herbarium specimens up to 140 years old confirmed the correlation between sterubin levels and traditional therapeutic claims.

White sage, one of four sacred plants for tribes including the Chumash, Cahuilla, Kumeyaay, and Lakota, contains 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) comprising up to 71.7% of its essential oil. A 1991 University of Arizona study demonstrated antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, validating its traditional use for purification and infection treatment.

From willow bark to chemotherapy: Native knowledge shaped modern pharmaceuticals

Over 200 drugs listed in the U.S. Pharmacopeia or National Formulary trace their origins to Native American ethnobotany.

Aspirin represents the most consequential example. Beyond willow bark, Native American innovation includes quinine from cinchona bark, where Quechua peoples of Peru and Bolivia used ground bark to treat fevers before Jesuit missionaries brought this knowledge to Europe in the 1600s. Quinine remains on the WHO’s List of Essential Medicines for drug-resistant malaria.

Paclitaxel (Taxol), derived from the Pacific yew tree used by Pacific Northwest tribes, became the most profitable chemotherapy drug in history after FDA approval in 1992 for ovarian cancer. It is now on the WHO’s List of Essential Medicines for breast, ovarian, lung, and pancreatic cancers.

Cascara sagrada, used by the Lower Elwha Klallam and Jamestown S’Klallam tribes of the Pacific Northwest as a laxative, was listed in the U.S. Pharmacopeia in 1890 and remains an FDA-approved over-the-counter laxative ingredient. The tribes’ sustainable harvesting practice—taking small strips from tree trunks rather than killing trees—accompanied their medicinal knowledge.

Crofelemer (Mytesi™), approved by the FDA in 2012 for HIV-associated diarrhea, represents the only oral plant-based prescription medicine approved under FDA Botanical Guidance. Derived from the dragon’s blood tree based on Amazonian indigenous peoples’ ethnobotanical knowledge, it was developed through Shaman Pharmaceuticals’ collaborative research model with indigenous communities in 30+ countries.

Contemporary healers and programs bridge two medical worlds

A new generation of practitioners and institutions is formally integrating traditional healing into healthcare systems.

Don Coyhis (Mohican Nation), founder of White Bison Inc., created the Wellbriety Movement combining sobriety with wellness through Medicine Wheel teachings integrated with 12-step approaches. Approximately 10-13 Wellbriety-certified treatment centers now operate nationwide.

David R. Wilson (Navajo Nation), Director of NIH’s Tribal Health Research Office, exemplifies integration as both a traditional Navajo healer using herbs, song, and ceremony and a federal health official. Avery Denny, President of the Diné Hataałii Association and Professor at Diné College, has worked alongside psychiatrists in clinical settings, noting that patients often request “a second opinion” from traditional healers after receiving Western psychiatric care.

Southcentral Foundation’s Traditional Healing Clinic in Anchorage, serving 70,000+ Alaska Native people, won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award twice (2011, 2017) for demonstrating how tribal doctors can work alongside Western medicine. Original Tribal Doctors Rita Blumenstein and Lisa Dolchok pioneered this integration beginning in 1997.

The Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility on the Navajo Nation operates a model Office of Native Medicine where traditional Diné practitioners provide bedside care alongside physicians. University of Arizona case studies document this collaboration’s effectiveness.

The October 2024 Medicaid breakthrough in Arizona, California, Oregon, and New Mexico now covers sweat lodges, drumming, and ceremonial rituals at IHS facilities, tribal facilities, and urban Indian organizations. IHS Director Roselyn Tso stated: “These practices have sustained our people’s health for generations and continue to serve as a vital link between culture, science, and wellness.”

Clinical research validates what traditional healers have long known

Rigorous academic research increasingly supports traditional healing efficacy, particularly for mental health and trauma.

Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona’s landmark study of 116 patients treated with traditional Native American healers found over 80% showed significant, persistent benefits from a 7-10 day intensive program—significantly higher than comparison groups receiving standard emergency room care.

Research on sweat lodge ceremonies for PTSD has shown particular promise. A Washington State University survey of 253 Native American veterans found 60% who attempted standard PTSD therapy reported “no improvement,” while 72% preferred traditional healing therapies including sweat lodges, talking circles, and vision quests. Dr. Teresa Marsh’s 2018 research combining Indigenous Healing and Seeking Safety (IHSS) intervention documented significant increases in spiritual and emotional well-being alongside effective reduction in intergenerational trauma symptoms.

The American Lake VA Medical Center in Washington has offered sweat lodge ceremonies for PTSD since the 1990s, with approximately 200 veterans participating annually under the oversight of a council of Indigenous elders.

Research on talking circles shows statistically significant symptom improvement and quality-of-life gains for participants attending four or more sessions (p<0.001, effect sizes 0.75-1.19). These circles are now used in primary care, mental health settings, and community healing programs.

Major research institutions leading this work include the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health (collaborating with 150+ tribal communities in 23 states), the University of Arizona’s Wassaja Carlos Montezuma Center for Native American Health, and the University of Kansas Native Medicinal Plant Research Program, which maintains a Prairie Ethnobotany Database of 1,600+ species.

Ethical partnerships and benefit-sharing remain crucial considerations

The history of ethnobotanical research includes exploitation, making ethical frameworks essential for future collaboration.

Historical estimates suggest less than 0.001 percent of profits from drugs developed from traditional knowledge accrued to source communities. The OCAP Principles (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession), developed by First Nations in Canada, now guide many research partnerships, ensuring communities own collective cultural knowledge, control research processes, and maintain physical possession of data.

Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) has become the standard methodology, requiring communities as full partners in all research phases and long-term commitment to sustainability. The 2022 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy issued government-wide guidance recognizing Indigenous Knowledge in federal research, and many tribal nations now operate their own research review boards.

The Cherokee Nation and other tribal authorities emphasize that traditional healing knowledge is sacred and protected—authentic medicine people do not charge fees or advertise, and many who claim traditional healer status online are fraudulent. Finding a medicine person should occur through community and family connections, not commercial channels.

Conclusion: A living tradition with growing recognition

Native American healing represents not historical curiosity but living medical traditions with documented efficacy and ongoing contributions to global health. The 200+ pharmaceutical contributions from Indigenous knowledge, the 80%+ improvement rates in clinical studies of traditional healing, and the October 2024 Medicaid coverage expansion signal increasing recognition of what Cherokee, Navajo, Lakota, Ojibwe, and other nations have practiced for millennia: that healing requires treating the whole person within their community and spiritual context.

Current research gaps remain significant—few randomized controlled trials exist due to methodological challenges with ceremonial interventions, and much traditional knowledge appropriately remains protected from outside documentation. Yet the trajectory is clear: integration between traditional Native American healing and Western medicine is accelerating, driven by clinical evidence, community advocacy, and growing understanding that these two approaches address different but complementary dimensions of human health. As the Diné concept of Hózhǫ́ suggests, the path forward lies in restoring balance—not just for individual patients, but for a healthcare system learning to honor the Indigenous knowledge it has long overlooked.