Did snakeroot change the course of history?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
August 7, 2001
Sponsored By: The History Channel—>Click here.
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading – Plus Lincoln: The Untold Stories & more—>Click here.
It is said that before the United States was settled, a squirrel could travel from the Mississippi River to the Carolinas jumping from tree to tree and never touching the ground. The great forest with deep rich soils offered land and hope to people willing to settle there. But in the early 1800's, a disease was killing these pioneers. Often their cattle died of the "shakes and trembles".
No one knew the cause.
Pioneers did not always have time to clear pasture for their cows. The animals foraged where they could and that was often in the woods. White snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosum) [you pa tor' ee um rue go' sum] is a denizen of the rich woodlands of eastern North America. When eaten, it causes lethargy, tremors, loss of appetite, constipation, and death. The toxin, tremetol, is passed on in the milk, causing milk sickness.
Nancy Hanks Lincoln died of milk sickness in 1818. A year later, Thomas Lincoln married Sarah Bush Johnston. It is said when she came to the Lincoln farm, Abe and his sister, Sarah, were in "meager condition". Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln raised six children in the wilderness. Three were not even hers. She taught the children to dress and behave. But, more importantly, she instilled in them the habit of reading. Would Abraham Lincoln have become a lawyer and politician if he had not loved reading?
To read more about white snakeroot, click on the link:
http://www.nps.gov/abli/plantj.htm
Click on link to learn more about white snakeroot
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/alphalist.html
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
What Indian herb became a modern medicine? Plants that Changed History - March 26, 2002
How did tarragon get its name? What's in a Name? - June 21, 2002
What was nettle cloth? Plants that Changed History - June 10, 2003
How did the tulip tree help settle America? Plants that Changed History - June 11, 2002
What weed is a fatal feast? Plants that Changed History - August 5, 2003
What is Jesuit's tea? Herbal Folklore - December 30, 2002
Lincoln: The Untold Stories
The History Channel®
For all his fame and the familiar tales of log cabins and long walks through the snow to get to school, historians have for years labored in a virtual vacuum when it comes to information about the early years of Abraham Lincoln. Records from the American frontier are spotty at best (and Illinois was the frontier when Lincoln was young) and the few details that have come down to us were vague and, often, contradictory.
But recently unearthed transcripts of interviews conducted in 1865 by William Herndon, Lincoln's former law partner, finally offer a reliable look at the formative years of one of America?s greatest heroes. Determined to write a biography of his friend after the assassination, Herndon interviewed over 250 people who had known Lincoln. Their recollections cover his participation in the Indian Wars, his legal education and exploits as a lawyer, his childhood and early love life.
In Search of History: Lincoln: The Untold Stories DVD, Click here.
Abraham Lincoln: Preserving The Union DVD
A&E/Biography®
This unforgettable program tells the complete story of Abraham Lincoln, from the rustic childhood that forged his beliefs to the tough campaign that made him president. Historians examine the difficult leadership choices of his turbulent first term, as well as his bouts with depression and troubled marriage to Mary Todd. Experts untangle a web of murder and kidnapping plots to learn the truth about the complex conspiracy that made Lincoln an American Martyr.
BIOGRAPHY: Abraham Lincoln: Preserving The Union DVD, Click here.
The Lincoln Assassination DVD set
The History Channel®
He is perhaps the most beloved man in American history his name is synonymous with honesty and righteousness. But in his own lifetime, Abraham Lincoln was hated by so many that an envelope in his desk marked "Assassination" was stuffed with 100 threatening letters.
What drove the handsome actor John Wilkes Booth to kill Lincoln, and how did he go about it? Was the Confederate government behind him? Was he motivated by a personal vendetta? The questions that have haunted the American people for 130 years are finally answered in THE LINCOLN ASSASSINATION. Enlisting the help of forensic experts and modern historians, this engrossing program unravels the myths and misconceptions to bring you the definitive examination of Lincoln's death, the tragedy that shocked and enraged America.
The Lincoln Assassination DVD set, Click here.
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