Understanding Alaska Native Medicine

The native people of Alaska range from the Yup'ik to the Athabascan. Dozens of ancient peoples have populated Alaska since time immemorial, all of which sharing a common ground of natural medicinal solutions to ailments, both mental and physical. Today Alaska native medicine often works with western breakthroughs to create a new kind of healing. With the help of native herbal knowledge in collaboration with western medicine, a new approach to healing comes to light that takes on health problems on a physical and spiritual level.

Like all medicine starts, the medicine of Alaska natives began with the natural world around them. Flowers, herbs and fruits that grow around the region has perpetually been a source of healing for natives. Plants like the Tundra Rose are used to treat abdominal pain, colds and has even been historically implemented with success in treating tuberculosis. The Lowbush Cranberry can be put into a tea or juice to treat a sore throat or skin rashes. White Spruce has provided natives in Alaska with a way to help along the healing of burns, acute pain, severe bleeding and even stomach problems. Although the use of these herbs may vary from group to group, the overall purpose of these herbs largely remains undisputed among Alaska natives Indians.

Even now, hundreds of years after the first American settlers arrived in the country, traditional medicine continues to be practiced throughout Alaska. So much has changed the course of history in western medicine, but for over 10,000 years healing among Alaska natives has hardly changed. Still, it is not impossible to incorporate both the new and old to forge a better kind of medicine. Both Alaska natives and western doctors are beginning to comes to terms with the fact that there is so much to learn from one another.

It may be true that western medicine has made astounding breakthroughs since the polio vaccine, the native Indians of Alaska have managed to rely only on archaic knowledge of nature to survive for so many centuries. Perhaps with the help of western technology, doctors can unlock the secrets behind native Alaskan herbs and remedies to find cures that otherwise wouldn't have presented themselves. Western medicine should use what it knows to further investigate the possibilities behind herbal remedies. The best part is this avenue of ancient healing has hardly been studied, paving the way for a whole new outlook on medicine and maybe a whole new perspective on life. In a world where every sickness has a pill, it's good to know that maybe a simple plant or tea can do just as well.