What a worthy and successful experiment it had proved to be under the wise guidance of Chief Andres Lucero, of the Mahuna Indians of Guana-pia-pa! He was truly a noble character whose labors, love for his people, and self-sacrifice saved the lives of thousands of Indians, and without whose loyalty and kindness to other tribesmen, the American Indian in the Pacific Southwest would be an extinct race of people today, with no one to tell what had actually taken place in the wild mountain regions and the desolate desert, which were neither inhabited nor trespassed upon by the white race.
The Indians compounded steam-bath herbs for the cure of "Black Measles" and smallpox from the following:
Indian Name _Artemisia tridentata_ Ulu-ca-hul-vall _Larrea mexicana_ Ato-col _Piperacea_ Chu-co-pot _Eriodictyon glutinosum californicum_ Ta-que-bel _Adiantum capillus-Veneris_ Tal-wal
Herb tea given to the patients was made from the following:
_Ephedra_ Tut-tut _Sambucus pubens_ Haa-saat
Please bear in mind that the Indian name Tut-tut bestowed upon the plant _Ephedra_ means something that pertains to the very sacred in Indian medicinal art. This sacred Indian name befitted the plant for the great medical value it possessed and for the important part it played in stamping out the horrible smallpox plague of 1857.
Thus came about the saving of Indian lives.
Help us save and preserve the wild plants for the benefit of mankind.
Chief William Pablo, III _Medicine Man_ _Mahum and Guana-pia-pa_ meaning: _White Water and Palm Springs area, California_
Stomach disorders, worms, dysentery, diarrhea, etc.
SISYRINCHIUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM (_Ind. Man-ta-ca_)
Commonly known as Blue Star Flower Grass. Found widely distributed along the rich southern slopes of the lower coastal ranges. Effective in the treatment of functional affections of the stomach. In the form of tea, the entire plant was used to eradicate all kinds of stomach worms. Flowering season from March to April.
DIPSACUS GLUTINOSUS (_Ind. Vaah-se-le-coo_)
Known also as Monkey Flower, a plant not indigenous to any particular soil, grows abundantly in California in the lower coastal ranges, and also in the upper regions. Leaves, flowers, and stems were taken in the form of tea, and effected a thorough cure in severe cases of diarrhea.