Gathered pounds of eastern redcedar leaf today. This is an herb that features prominently in appalachian herbal remedies, sort of a panacea due to its cleansing and fluid-moving properties. So a decoction of this can be applied topically to kill lice or scabies, for instance, or clean corruption (infection) from a wound; taken internally for worms; or taken internally to increase circulation and paristalsis and even sweating. . . . In the 16-1700s when Ulster scots people started moving into Appalachia, they didn't know this plant. They learned about it from the native people, who were their neighbors, and in some cases their spouses and in-laws. It's called a-tsi-na in Cherokee, but since english speakers love to name plants after other plants, they called it Cedar, after the not closely related cedars of lebanon that are mentioned so often in the bible. In gaelic languages it would be called aiteal or aiteann, meaning a juniper, which it is a type of. . . . This is one of the first trees that starts growing back after an area has been cut down or burned out or otherwise turned to a field. The seeds are bird-distributed and can endure being overshadowed by tall grasses and brambles for a while while they grow into the light. . . . . #cedar #easternredcedar #tree #appalachia #traditionalmedicine
