Secrets of the Sacred White Buffalo: Native American Healing Remedies, Rites and Rituals [Mass Market Paperback]

Gary Null Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1998

Long before the advent of modern holistic medicine and "all-natural" remedies, Native Americans were using an awareness of the links connecting mind, body, earth, and higher spiritual powers to inform their approach to health. Internationally recognized health authority Gary Null takes us inside the fascinating world of beliefs, objects, and methods that have shaped the healing traditions of Native American tribes for generations.

Drawing on interviews with dozens of Native American healers across the country, Null describes different ceremonies for spiritual healing and rituals of song, dance, and storytelling. He examines the significance and use of sacred artifacts and symbols, and presents a carefully compiled guide to indigenous herbal remedies for more than 50 common conditions -- including instructions for applying them to relieve sore throats, asthma, and other complaints.

From the infection-fighting tea of the Apaches to the antiseptic dusting powder of the Zuni Indians, Null shares the resourcefulness of Native American healers to give us an understanding and appreciation of these ancient healing techniques that have much to offer us all.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Null (The Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing, LJ 6/1/98) outlines various Native American traditional healing and spiritual practices, bringing awareness to their importance as alternatives to "Western" medical science. In the first half of the book, he describes rituals and ceremonies, while later he emphasizes the Native pharmacopoeia?herbs, berries, and other plant materials?and their application in the relief of common maladies. He ends with herbal recipes and instructions on fasting. Although Null cites Native peoples in the text, no credit is given to Native Americans in his Acknowledgments section, and no references cite interviews. His book seems too broad, attempting to describe both herbology and ritual and lacking comprehensiveness in both areas. The authenticity of some of the recipes is questionable: the "Seneca Indian Four-Day Cleansing Diet," for example, encourages the consumption of a healing broth containing sherry and tamari, among other ingredients. Unfortunately, Null promotes the "use" of Native traditions without encouraging support of Native peoples and without the context that is often an integral part of healing. Not recommended.?Andy Wickens, Graduate Student, LIS, Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Null, author of popular health books, provides a well-written introduction to Native American cosmology, sacred practices, and traditional remedies. Based largely on interviews with Native Americans rather than firsthand knowledge, the text serves as an introduction to a world-view where nature is divine and humankind lives in intimate harmony with the natural world. In the first third of the book, Null describes the significance and symbolism of three rituals common to many tribes: the pipe ceremony, the sweat lodge, and vision quest. Other aspects of Native American culture and spirituality (dance, chants, storytelling, sacred objects and symbols, astrology, shamanism) are covered in short chapters; a few first-person excerpts from Null's informants expand the topics. The final two-thirds of the text is an A-to-Z encyclopedia of 51 common ailments with their corresponding Native American herbal remedies, followed by another A-to-Z section of nearly 150 American herbs, giving briefly for each its history of use, indications, and recent research findings. A few recipes and herb resources conclude this compact survey of the topic. Penny Spokes

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Press; 1 edition (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735200084
• ISBN-13: 978-0735200081
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #465,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Reading!, April 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Secrets of the Sacred White Buffalo: Native American Healing Remedies, Rites and Rituals (Mass Market Paperback)

I found this book to be fascinating reading. It contains extremely interesting information about the Native American cultures & their uses of herbs. In this day and age when so many people are turning to alternative medicine I think anyone wishing to broaden their knowledge of herbs & their uses would not be disappointed in this book. The recipe section gives great uses for herbs in the kitchen. Also, if you want to look up an ailment & find the herbal remedy for it, it's right there. I found this to be an excellent book.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Secrets of the Sacred White Buffalo, August 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Secrets of the Sacred White Buffalo: Native American Healing Remedies, Rites and Rituals (Mass Market Paperback)

For anyone who is interested in the use of healing herbs by Native Americans, or who is interested in herbs in general, this is the wrong book to read. It's full of misinformation of every kind, so much so that one wonders if the author's informants were pulling his leg. Plant misidentification, spelling errors, incorrect herbal information...it's all there. As a herbalist, my advice is that no one should use this book as a guide!