Appalachia Mountain Roots Plants and Herbs 

Every time we lose an elder, we lose a valuable library of information. The really sad thing is that most young people are not interested in learning these things.

Sir something rather spiritual about you, the Elders were far more educated than we will ever be! Thank you for your time and dedication....ATB

Growing up in the 60s and 70s my grandmother would show me plants tell me how to harvest them and how to use them. You are right you didn't even scratch the surface. I've spent my life in these mountains and know much about what is in them. Animal, plant, fungi everything you need is here... if you know what your looking at. My grandmother taught me, and now I'm teaching my daughter. We take what we need but we do it in a way that is sustainable.

I could listen to you all day ! Thank you for preserving the history of the mountains people in the Appalachian ! You should be a national treasure Donnie !

A piece of paper with a name from some university or college means little. The paper holder likely received a sub-par "education", has little common sense and owes a substantial sum of dollars for that "education". Yes, a few do need college, doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, etc.... However, unless one wants to be any of the above named professions, the best education is self-taught, with a mentor, possibly vocational school. I cannot discount common sense. Common sense is actually the best teacher. Mr. Law, I wish there were more people out there like you. You are a wonderful teacher.

I wish I knew more about medicinal remedies. I enjoyed this video Donnie. I think the blood root leaves are prettier than the flowers 🙂

We are so blessed to have our mountains and our elders.thanks for this.

Mr. Donnie, first of all, thanks for your channel. If you don't mind I'll share a story I once heard that makes a lot of sense. The Cherokee explained things this way: The animals grew tired of being killed by man. They came together in a great meeting and decided that the only thing they could do was to give disease to man, which they surely do to this day. But the plants, being true friends of man, were listening and they decided that for each disease they would provide a cure. It's been that way ever since. Ever hear that story?

Times were hard back then, but easy going..nothing like today. History like this is being forgotten..hats off to you for trying to keep it alive.

Great share Donnie! We always collected nettle for eating. Very tasty. A mix of dandelion and nettle is delicious. Many of my older relatives swore by it as a "spring tonic" to flush the liver in the spring.

Being educated means so many different things. I would be completely humbled to have been as educated as these individuals were. ❤️

There's nothing like the soft and muted colors of the forest canopy. The music you add to this is perfectly peaceful.🕊️

My daddy taught me a lot about these mountains... Milkweed, Galax, mint leaves pine needle, may apple, dandelion. Horse Chestnut, ginseng....etc. 🙌🏼❤️✝️🥰🙏🏼

When I was in college, I told my organic chemistry professor that I would like to visit with medicine men around the world to learn about the healing properties of the herbs. It was a legitmate field of chemistry called "natural products chemistry." I never pursued that dream. I realized that if I were to discover that the native plants worked as well as patented pharmaceuticals and spread that information widely, it wouldn't make me a valuable employee for big pharma. Lacking the finances to pursue my quest, I didn't pursue my dream. I hope other people catch the vision and continue the research. Nothing would make me happier than to know the plants we have around us offer cures to most of our ailments.

Another awesome video from my favorite VOICE on RU-vid! It’s amazing how GOD placed everything we need to survive right here on earth if folks would just believe it and use it. Thanks for sharing this history of those Appalachia Mountains! Don’t stop talkin Mr. Donnie. 😇🙏🏻👍🏻🙌🏻❤️

Oh yeah, can’t wait for the follow up on these. U R an angel, priceless information!❤️

Great video ! I've just begun learning all the different plants in my area about 3 years back and man I was more than amazed at the number of plants that are edible and medicinal . Very few are actually weeds . Same for mushrooms . All these years in the woods and I was steppin on and walkin by some of the greatest blessings we were given . Again I can't say how much joy and memories you've provided me already and I just found your channel a couple of hours ago. It's sad to say most every ol timer ( no offense) around here has passed on and I sure do miss talkin to them . Just realized that's probably why It seems like I live in a dream most of the time anymore cause the world isn't one I know anymore.

I find the old remedies so very interesting, Donnie. I know my Nanny use to pound and boil BlackBerry roots and make teas from them for diarrhea. Thank you for sharing this with us!💖

Yay! I love this guy! Mr. Donnie, thank you. Your channel does wonders for my overall health and well-being!

Thank you so much, Donnie! One thing I’d like to add about peppermint. Any of the mint family will have square stems, not round. That plus the smell, when you rub a leaf between your fingers, help identify these wonderful plants.

You remind me of the story tellers in my tribe. My great grandmomma used to tell us about this and all the lore of times past. Thank you for reminding me. You have a wonderful day

They call us "nothin' people'....They wrote us of't. But by, God, we still survive up here. As best we can. Thank you's and all youiisn, for tellin our story. WE maight be gone soon....but it on y'all for tellin' our story and our dancin'. Thanks! Wish they would have brought us our "next voice", a better radio, a better internet out here.....hope we don't die oft before too long. We'd love to share who we are.

🇬🇧 So lovely to hear you talk of the herbs of your mountain home I live on the Border between England & Scotland & its a beautiful rugged & unspoilt place Many years ago i took a 4 yr course to study Herbs & Plants & its a wonderful topic to learn about, its facination still enthralls me to this day I agree with you that much has been lost from our ancestors but ive brought my 2 daughters up going foraging for herbs, medicinal & edible so as adults they know as much as i do Ive taught my 2 young grandsons too & they love to go collecting herbs & know alot already My favourite soup of all time is Nettle soup, its natural flavour is savory salty & is wonderful alone with some butter added but cooked with Ransomes or wild garlic, carrots & baby potatoes & some wild mushrooms, then its a taste sensation & excellent for health. I will say never ever collect herbs or berries along the sides of roads, maybe dirt tracks used by walkers or occasional farm tractors is ok but generally i harvest herbs/berries in the woods or countryside where no cars or pollution invades the plants. The muck & car exhaust fumes coat all roadside herbs, sad but not good for consumption or medicine.. We have many of the plants & herbs the same as you mentioned except Ginseng unless its grown commercially but its not native to UK. Well thank you so much for your charming videos & your accent is delightful, Do you ever find Sea Samphire on your coastline? Its a plant that grows on sand dunes & is a succulent plant & when washed & cooked its wonderful, salty & juicy & goes a treat with roast lamb. One thing, when i was studying my herb course, an old lady teacher we had told us to always ask permission( to the spirit of the plant & the forest Gods) when taking plants, herbs, berries, esp the Elder tree/bush she said to say " Mother Elder how bountious are your gifts your flowers leaves & berries, please grant me your leave to take a few of your fruits, thank you" I never forgot that, plus on this old teachers advice i always took half the root & put the other half back, same with the berries, replanted some, the elders did this too so their descendants would have good foraging So cheers from my rough & rugged coastal home in Northumberland in UK 👧🇬🇧

Hello Donnie. Came across your channel two month's ago while searching videos on history of Applichian Mountain's. My husband and I are so thankful we did. Just wanted to say thank you and we appreciate you sharing your experiences and knowledge with us. Looking forward to what you're going to share next. Have a blessed day. From your subscriber's in a small town upstate South Carolina .

New to your channel . Just watch this video and loved it. I grew up in the mountains of Eastern Ky. As a child I wish I could remember all the herbal treatments my grandmother made. Thank your for sharing. Brought lots fun memories of childhood. I enjoy learning more and more of ancestors ways of life .

I love nature. I could hardly believe the kindness and goodness of God to give us all these medicinal plants! Thank you Donnie.

Thanks so much for this one Donnie. I'm 63 and live in McDowell county WV. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of digging genseng with my dad."Sangin". I paid for my high school class ring with sangin money. I surely enjoy your videos. Keep em coming!

When I listen to your videos the only way I can describe how I feel is home. Even though I have never lived out there I want to so bad one day. This knowledge to me is worth more than all the money in the world ❤ I feel peace watching your videos

Oh you always do a good job describing all these herbs. I use a lot of these living here in Cherokee N.C. My mom and grandma used a lot of these and they really work. And I am glad that you warned people that you just can't go out and eat this. It has to be made a certain way. Thank you for your input on these herbs.

I've seen the passion flower grow on Praries in Oklahoma and also huge patches of echinacea in lots of wild places. They are both really pretty when they flower

I used to live in Denton NC and the passion flower grew wild at my house. It actually got to be really intrusive.

I remember being sent out by my grandmother to gather polk,berries of all types,and to pick wild greens,and ramps. I actually went out hiking the other day and he was showing more about gingsein and blood root. I look forward to learning more about roots and maybe some mushrooms.

Mr. Laws, I can just listen to you first words and feel myself relax, which is exactly what happens when I go out to let the trees talk to me....first few minutes render a HUGE change in my level of being relaxed. Thank you for your continued work to educate us all on this region.

My Grandma claimed her grandma was a Cherokee medicine woman. She had an apron of many pockets to hold her roots, bark, leaves, etc. She died while teaching my Grandma. Wish I could go back and spend some time with her. Black cohosh aka black snake root is good for menstrual cramps and menopause. It's a natural hormone. Cat nip leaves make a tea for colic in baby's. Honey and alum mixed will take the pain of a sore throat away.

The lord does provide! I’ve known some older folks that are gone now, that knew about these roots/ plants. I’d get a bad cold, stomach ache and they’d brew up a drink and give it to me. They had no doubt that what they gave me worked. One person was Henrietta. She knew things! Don’t hear that name much anymore. They knew so much without school. Seems to me, that going to school, doesn’t necessarily make you smart. It’s so sad that we’re loosing these ways. Almost makes me cry. We’re getting dumber and dumber. Mr. Donnie, you are a wealth of information and knowledge. I’m so glad that you’re making these videos so people might know about their wonderful past. I happen to know being from these parts. I still love hearing you and our history. I read the comments and you’re also bringing people together. So many tell stories of their own and add to the history that you’re preserving. Thank you Sir. God Bless..

It is interesting to know the peaceful life of these great Indian peoples in tune and respect for nature, thank you for the contribution always taught about the healing herbs too.

I love learning about natural remedies. Thanks for the info! I Really enjoy your channel!😃

I appreciate this so so much! I love learning of herbal remedies! There’s nothing better. Thank you for sharing this wonderful history of healing.

Sometimes the internet is useful, this channel is one of the positives of the internet

The little lady on the right holding the baskets is my grandmother. Her name is Nancy George, married to Henry Bradley. He was chief in 1957. Granny was a basket maker, with pieces in the Smithsonian.

Thank you for doing this video Donnie!

No doubt Donnie,our ancestors have experienced a lot less suffering and pain from the use of these herbs. Thanks for sharing Friend, very interesting subject 🙂.

Please I love you so much, Sir you talk like my country Mom and Dad, that's why your videos make me cry. I love you dearly..

I honestly think it’s a must to continue this journey of sharing the knowledge of so many generations that has been lost and forgotten 🙌🏻🙏🏻😢

im so grateful to my grandparents and my dad for teaching me the plants when i was a child. i still use them to this day.

Very Interesting Donnie , thank you for sharing this with us.

Thank you so very much for the videos on Appalachia. I am not as Ill as many folks but watching your videos is soothing to the soul. Thank goodness someone had the foresight to take photographs back in the old days.

I so enjoyed this documentary,it’s God’s Pharmacy,and if I’m needing healing ,it’s the first place I look,in my herb garden or natural teas .Thanks Donnie for all your gathered information, I live n Rye ,a seaside town ,Australia,but I love watching documentaries of the Appalachian mountains,nature and family values come first.🙋🏻‍♀️

I just love this video. You are so respectful when you speak of your heritage and the knowledge the people had in their day-to-day lives. My Husband's Grandmother was from Braxton County WV. She was a MidWife there and also knew everything (like an Encyclopedia!) about Herbs and Roots. She told me she would gather Herbs, prepare them and then use them for her Family (11 children) and all the Neighbors too...... I was in awe of her and only knew her for a short time, before she started with severe dementia (she was 98 when I first met her). Such a good, hard working woman, she was. Yes, we are losing so, so much of this History and really fast. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Another walk back through time. Thank you Mr Laws. I really appreciate these works of art.

Appalachian born, raised and loving life … WV/VA border, thank you for this vid

When I was young I would tell my grandma what was ailing my little young body. Next thing you know she was having you to drink some tea. Which was mostly unpleasant. I had some skin irritations. She would have me go and get the salve from the kitchen cubbord. Something she made. Never thought much about what she was doing. Until I got to be an adult and there was a movement for "holistic healing medicine" and that's when I realized...my grandma has been doing that as far as I can remember!!!❤ thank you for bringing back good memories!!❤

i LOVE your channel - i have been binging on your videos since i found it last week.

My dad's parents were both one of 15 kids from the Wytheville area of VA in the early 1900's. Hard times, but boy did I learn some things from them you won't learn anywhere else today. And just the sound of your voice brings them back to life for me. Thanks.

Thank you Donnie for helping me learn more about my ancestral home in the Appalachia. Through your videos I feel like Ive come home to see my blessed mama again.😊

These are great mountains, hills, hollers, and people! Thank you again so much Donnie!

The passion flower did grow wild in North Georgia hills where I grew up. And I have heard of many of the plants and their healing abilities. The old folks had many remedies, and some with almost magical healing powers . Castor oil was one of the most potent. It was stunning how quickly you got better at the saying "you need a dose of castor oil" . Kerosene and sugar. Where in the world did they come up with that one, I'll never know. When my father said "come here, open your mouth", you did . You just didn't tell him "no". But my throat locked up and nothing could get me to swallow it. I went to the back of the house and spit, then spit some more. My sister thought I was throwing up, "are you sick"? Yes sir, I was sick.

I love these video's thank you for making & educating the public. This video reminds of the movie " Where The Lillies Bloom" . I only wish more people would only look around them we have a beautiful country. God Bless America and her People for these people gave all they had to make life better.

I just wish I could go back in time and talk too the native Americans and the he mountain people and learn the knowledge that they knew and just pick their brain. I love your videos please keep making then I learn so much from your videos thank you and may the good lord bless and keep you.

Those beautiful Appalachian mountains are so rich in so many ways. Thanks for sharing this with us.

So thankful my family passed this wisdom onto me. Taking me along as a very small child teaching me.

I appreciate the information in this video. Unfortunately, most of those plants don't grow here in Texas where I'm at. I am trying to get some elderberry bushes growing here, and there are other useful plants that grow here such as comfrey, dock, hoarhound, lemon balm, and most of the mint family.

I pray that everyone reading this is blessed with good health and happiness by our precious God 🙏

I forgot allot of plants after my elders in the family got older and stopped foraging so I forgot allot of trees and plants. There is a free app people can get on their phones where you can snap a picture of a plant or tree and it will identify them for you. Thing about herbal medicine is knowing what part of the plant to use. The late Spring and Summer are the time these plants are strongest. We gathered ours in a certain way. I leave the gift of a bead from the old native belief to give thanks to the spirit of the plant and telling the plant why you are taking it. Thanks for the video. It's important we know these things. Some of them like the lady slipper are now against the law to take because people have dug so many over the years without leaving plants where they can grow back.

Donnie I really enjoyed this vid. It’s a shame that a lot of the old ways are almost lost. I’d love learning more about foraging for food out in the hills. Thanks again. Peace

as an herbalist i truly appreciate you do this lesson on the herbs of Appalachia. i also want to say that you did pronounce echinacea correctly.

I would love to live out my days learning as much from you and other elders!

GOD BLESS YOU ,THANK YOU FOR THE HISTORY. SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

Great video sir thank you very much for sharing this video with us all be safe and GOD BLESS you and your family sir Amen 🙏. Brangs back great memories of walking in the woods when I was a youngster. I got a pertty patch of ginseng I started I think 13 years ago it’s still going GOD BLESS

Thank you Donnie God bless you and your family

thank you Sir for sharing that I been a lot of them roots and plants all my life brings good old memories thank you for that

Thank you Donnie. I stumbled across this and apparently watched it halfway through and got distracted Wayback win. God bless

Hello Sir. I’ve been displaced from my homeplace down south for a number of years now and am raising my children in the NYC area. I really appreciate these videos you are making. They help me feel reconnected to my roots and provide a way to carry on the knowledge and distinct traditions of the Appalachia region. I look forward to sharing with my children (my boys are really going to enjoy your metal detectors adventures).

Good history education. Enjoyed it.

Takes me back to my childhood. Thank you.

A Sacred and blessed land and a very rich land in natural resources . thank you for this .

Super video Donnie! I've been getting into foraging big time lately so this one really hit the spot!

Thank you for your videos, I remember my mom said her dad would go to mountains on foot to dig herbs and come back couple days with roots

Hello Donnie, watching & liking more of your great videos on PC. Sending you positive prayer powers several times daily. God bless you & heal you with full recovery asap. Take care brother, rest & recuperate🙏🙏🙏

God is amazing and so good... I like your channel very much, thank you. I'm the mother of a 35 year old son who had a super bad reaction to baby vaccines and now at 35 he is profoundly autistic and brain injured. As a baby he was sick constantly until when he was 2, I trained to become an Aromatherapist. I've been using essential oils on both myself and my son for 33 years now and neither of us has had any sort of illness ever since. Not a cold or flu, nothing at all.. Thanks for your work

Hello Donnie. I remember my grandma talking about taking up snakes. They used to keep them in wooden boxes under their bed. My mom said it was so creepy sounding of a night, hearing big rattlers rattle. I was sure glad they quit that before I was born. U have a great day, blessings to u.

I really enjoy watching your videos. You got a great story telling voice, you're sincere and I can tell you genuinely love your countryside. Too bad so many folks are doped up in these hills. They can't see the beauty in the lands like we do. Anyhow, great videos my good man.

Was gonna watch this while I'm at work, but it's something my wife will be really interested in so I'll have to wait to get home. Thanks Donnie.

This was interesting and educational. We've lost so much over time and "progress". Thank you, Mr Donnie 🩷💚

I appreciate your videos. I am not from the mountains. As a matter of fact, I am from the Lowcountry of South Carolina living 40 miles south of Atlanta now. A lot of what you show, as far as the people and , I have learned were the ways of my great Grand parents. To an extent ,my Grandparents also. To me, this shows a connection of people in the south.

Thank you, this is prime info. Donnie does wild lettuce grow in Appalachia? I’ve just started finding out about it’s medicinal properties I’m in Appalachia in GA Thank you. Always enjoy your videos

I wish my granny were still here. I learned so much from her and quiet a bit from in the woods.

Thank you, Donnie, for sharing your knowledge of plants. God 🙏 🙏 🙏 bless.

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, humor, and above all, yourself, in these videos. I love learning something new about my home and especially love bringing back old memories of things learned since childhood. BTW, I know where the passion flowers grows wild!

Oh I jumped on this as SOON as it popped up. If you know anything about mushrooms in our area, maybe you can tell me about the "meadow mushrooms" that grow in my yard. They look like white buttons but they have full gills underneath and the gills are pink (some folks call em pinkies). I've heard two different stories on em. One says they're edible but another says scratch the top and if it makes a neon yellow mark don't eat it. I also watched a video about Indian Pipe herbs that are supposed to be really prevalent in our area, especially the Smoky's park. The video said they make a great pain medication in poultice form I believe. I wish I could climb the ridge right behind my house and see what all is up there but with my spine in the shape it is I'm scared to as no trail up there. Thanks for the info!!

Precious memories. Praying and Blessed! 🤗🙏💕

Blood root was shared with me. by a choctaw friend. it killed skin cancer on me absolutely and permanently. I will be sharing your video with others.

I wish I could get those plants for medication I don’t like the way Dr today treat illness today

Thank you ❤️

Exactly! They knew , they new every plant 🌱

I found Passion Flower growing wild one year on our farm in Southeast Missouri. I've looked for it every year since and have never seen it again. I'm 74 years old and that's the only time in my entire life I've ever seen it growing in the wild. When my two oldest kids were young they used to dig Ginseng and Golden Seal (Yellow Root) roots and sell them for spending money. Great days!

@5:14. You are a baaadddd man Mr. Laws. You expressed that "disclaimer"with the eloquence of a scientist, while being plain matter of fact!

Thank you 🙏🙏🙏

Thank you so much😊

Wonderful! Thank you once again!😊🌵🦋🧡