Appalachian History

Big Pharma had not yet perfected the widespread manufacture of synthetic drugs in 1932. Instead, the industry relied on “western North Carolina, southwestern Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and eastern Tennessee [to] furnish 75% of the crude botanical drugs which the continent of North America supplies to the drug markets of the world,” according to an article in Economic Geography that summer. “The productive area is not more than 200 miles in extent in either north-south or east-west direction.

“The southern Appalachians are very rich in variety of planet life. Of the 250 botanical drugs produced in the United States, more than two hundred are found in this region. The causes for this botanical wealth are to be found in its intermediate position between the North and South; the ancient ice-sheet invasion, crowding northern species southward; and the great diversity of climatic conditions, relief, and soils.”

Black cohosh. From "The People's Common Sense Medical Adviser in Plain English."

Henry C. Fuller discusses the particulars of commercial medicinal herb gathering in a book titled ‘The Story of Drugs:’

“There is an important industry in the Carolinas engaged in collecting the many hundreds of our native botanical drugs. The firms thus engaged receive their wares from the mountaineers, and their own collectors sort the drugs, bale them, and ship them to the crude-drug dealers in the large cities, and to the larger pharmaceutical manufacturers.

“Ewing and Stanford have written an interesting account of a personal survey of the botanical resources and the methods pursued by the drug-collectors in this region. They found that crude drugs are collected in small amounts by a large proportion of the people of the mountains. Few, or none, gather drugs as a chief occupation. The mountaineers, in general, make their principal livings on tiny hillside clearings. “Because of the rugged character of the land, which unfits it for machine farming, large plantations are rarely found. Marketing of farm crops in large amounts is also difficult, owing to the steep grades and poor repair of the mountain roads, which in many places are little more than bridle-paths. Work away from the farms is normally scarce and wages are extremely low.

“Drug-collection is carried on largely when no other work offers, chiefly by the women and children, and is a rather haphazard process. The men, in general, consider such occupations beneath them, and collect, ostensibly, only heavy and bulky products, such as barks of the larger trees, and bring in the other products with an apologetic "Here's some yarbs the women got."

“The principal collecting seasons are spring, when most barks and some roots are gathered, and late summer, when the crops
no longer need cultivating, and herbs, leaves, and flowers abound, and roots may be distinguished by the herbage.

Goldenseal. From "The People's Common Sense Medical Adviser in Plain English."

“Probably twenty tons of boneset pennyroyal and thorn apple leaves come from these Southern mountain districts every year (1897 figure) and forty to fifty tons of mandrake, Culver's root, golden seal, garget root, blood root and black cohosh.

“The firms of the Blue Ridge region, with one exception, grind no drugs.

“Incoming stocks are, in some cases, inspected by the dealer in person. A number of firms employ comparatively young men as inspectors; in other cases, veterans grown old in the trade pass on the drugs. These inspectors, apparently without exception, are without scholastic training in science, and in some cases are quite illiterate.

“Scientific names of drugs are almost unknown. Microscopic and chemical tests are not resorted to. Even a hand-lens is rarely or ever used. Appearance, odor, taste, and "feel" are the chief criteria.

“With long experience, these inspectors attain a remarkable proficiency. Some even claim sound as definitive. One veteran, in search of certain material, went through a pile of unmarked bags, announcing the contents of each after a thrust or shake. Interrogation brought forth the modest response, "I reckon I tell 'em by the rattle."

“Colored help is frequently employed in the warehouses, but the inspectors are almost invariably white. One colored veteran, however, boasted an experience of forty-two years. While unable to read or write, he has a wide reputation as a "doctor" among his own race, and even is said to "send medicines North."

“The knowledge of these inspectors as to the various properties of the products they handle, and of other locally used 'medicinals,’ is an interesting blend of hearsay, superstition, tradition, and folklore.”


Sources: Botanicals of the Blue Ridge, by C.O. Ewing and E. E. Stanford, 'Journ. Amer. Pharmaceutical Assn.,' Vol. 8, 1919, p. 16
Wild Plant Industry of the Southern Appalachians, by Ina C. Yoakley, 'Economic Geography,' Vol 8, No 3 (July 1932)
The Story of Drugs: a popular exposition of their origin, preparation and commercial importance, by Henry C. Fuller, The Century Company, 1922

Nationally recognized herbalist Tommie Bass (1908-1996) was the subject of scholarly and popular books, television features, a front-page essay in the Wall Street Journal, and numerous articles in newspapers and magazines. Bass lived almost his entire life in the Tennessee Valley and Ridge section of Alabama, primarily in Cherokee County.

"I don't ever get a letter, but what I answer it. One way or the other. And generally speaking, some of them sends a self-stamped envelope, but some of, a lot of them don't. But when you answer around a hundred letters for twenty-five dollars, twenty-five cents a letter, that runs into money (chuckles). But I answer 'em anyway.

[Looks through junk mail] "Most everybody gets something like that. And, course, this one here is from the Baptist Church at Centre, their bulletin. And this one here is a-wantin . . . this here is a politician they want me to send money to help me get along, you know, I get ‘em from the Democrats and Republicans, regardless of who they are, and I even get letters from the Catholic priests wanting me to help ‘em, you know, along.

Photograph of Tommie Bass by Tom Rankin, 1983.

"Course this is one of them get rich letters here this make you a million dollars in just a few days, you know, send five people five dollars apiece and then when your name gets to the top, why you'll go a-getting the five dollars -- but don't try it buddy it won't work.

"Course this here one, here's another politician. I get ‘em . . . when they's running here in our state from the Democrats, I'd average two or three letters a day, and then the same way about the Republicans, you know, it just didn't make no difference just so they can get some money. (chuckles) But I didn't give ‘em none. I figured . . . the fact of the business is a fellow running for office, a man or a woman, I'm like the little boy was about the peckerwood.

"Peckerwood pecked a hole in a hollow tree and he went over in there, and the little boy he drove a peg in behind it. Somebody said to him, “Son,” said, “you shouldn't of done the little bird that way.” He said, "Well the son-of-a-gun pecked in, now let him peck out.

"And so I'm that way about a politician. If he wants to get into office, let him get in there (chuckles), but I ain't gonna try to help him. Course, if he's a good guy, I'd talk for him, but as far as paying him in there, I don't go along with that."

---excerpt from 'Tommie Bass A Life in the Ridge and Valley Country,' 1993 video produced by Alabama State Council on the Arts and the Cherokee County Historical Society


sources: www.folkstreams.net/pub/ContextPage.php?essay=154
www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2166

Please welcome guest blogger Tipper Pressley, author of the widely loved blog 'Blind Pig & the Acorn.' Tipper says she's "a mother, wife, daughter, sister, artist, and hopefully considered a friend to many. I consider myself a mountain girl (even though my husband, The Deer Hunter, likes to remind me the mountains here are not nearly as big as the ones he came from a whole three counties away.

When my girls were small, one of their favorite bedtime books was about a little old lady who went out into the woods to gather plants to use for medicinal purposes. Oh the girls didn’t really care about the gathering part-it was the interesting characters the little lady ran into along her way they liked.

As I’ve begun the busy task of preserving our garden bounty for the coming winter months, my mind has drifted back to the little lady in the book. Truthfully-I’m thankful I don’t have to add gathering medicinal supplies to my already too full summer schedule. But my wandering mind would not rest until I made time to research the subject.

My two favorite research sources for Appalachian Culture are interviewing elders in my community and consulting the Foxfire Books. I decided to concentrate on the plants that I'm familiar with-the ones that grow plentifully around my house this time of year.

Jewelweed grows in a ditch at the bottom of my driveway. Generally the plant grows in shady damp places and can reach 2-3 feet tall. The juice of the plant is a natural cortisone and is an excellent remedy for poison oak, poison ivy, bee stings, and bug bites. Jewelweed is sometimes called Wild Touch Me Not-because once the plant begins to produce seed pods, the slightest touch will send seeds flying in all directions.

Pine trees are common throughout Appalachia. The pine needles can be boiled to make a tea which is good for coughs and colds. Pine resin is said to be good for cuts and abrasions. Although I’ve never used the resin for medicinal purposes-I can promise you it is hard to remove from your clothes or skin-it pretty much has to wear off.

Sassafras trees grow in abundance around my house. They can reach 100 feet in height-which would make it impossible to gather their leaves. Pap said when he was growing up the leaves and roots were gathered from sassafras saplings. A tea was made from the roots and tender twigs of the tree. It was used as a blood builder or as a general tonic to get the body up and running in the spring of the year.

A local lady, Sylvie Lee, shared memories of her Grandmother making a spring tonic each year from sassafras with me. Sylvie said the children were never sick, and the Grandmother retained her smooth fair skin well into old age. Sylvie regrets never taking time to write down her Grandmother’s recipe.

Yellow Root grows along creek banks. It is a low growing shrublike plant which is gathered for its roots. Even though the roots are very bitter tasting, they are used to brew a strong tea which is used for sore throats and stomach disorders, and is said to lower high blood pressure.

Yellow Root is the only old time remedy I have personal experience with. Back in the day when I was a young woman preparing for my wedding I developed horrible mouth ulcers-I’m sure it was due to the related stress and worry of planning a wedding. The pain was so severe I could barely talk-and when I did talk you couldn’t understand what I was saying. As the big day drew closer I began to worry that I wouldn’t even be able to say “I do” clearly. Pap went to the creek and gathered some Yellow Root. We didn’t even brew a tea-I just chewed on those horrible bitter roots. It actually worked, my ulcers began improving quickly.

I enjoyed reading through the Firefox books-searching for information about using wild plants for medicinal purposes. Yet, as I listened to the elders of my community share their memories of plant uses, thoughts of the little old lady from the book grew stronger. She seemed to be telling me the old ways are almost gone and I'd better be finding an apron and bonnet for gathering before next summer. Maybe that’s what my wandering mind was saying all along.



Tipper Pressley, sassafras, yellow root, jewelweed, mountain herbs, appalachia, appalachian history, history of appalachia