The PlowBoy Interview Rolling Thunder

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Basically, the Indian medicine man examines the patient closely—on both a physical and a spiritual level—to determine what forces should be used to heal that person. Then he calls upon the power of the particular forces that are needed, usually by means of prayer and special chants. I also like to use my hands a lot, mainly to transfer energy. You see, hands can serve to transmit the energy that flows between the two halves of the body, negative and positive. It's really a spiritual force.

Prayer is a particularly powerful tool that medicine men employ in the course of healing. I believe that prayer isn't just a ritual to be observed in church on Sunday: It's a meaningful exercise that should be practiced 24 hours a day . . . and it can be used to achieve incredible results. Long ago, when an Indian would shoot a deer with a poisoned arrow, he'd make an offering . . . a prayer for that deer. Then he'd cut around the place where the arrow had entered and throw only that small piece of meat away. Whatever poison might remain in the deer was eliminated, we believe, through the prayer ceremony. In the same way, it's my contention that it's possible to pray certain poisons right out of a patient's body.

Herbs can also be used as "helpers". I gather my own plant for use in healing ceremonies, but that's not as easy as it may sound. It's necessary to know where and when to look for the plants, and then—once you've located the necessary one—show to approach them correctly so that they'll yield their special energy to you. When I go out to collect herbs, I can usually feel their presence before I actually see the plants . . . and often they simply appear when—and where—they're needed. In fact, there have been times when I've gathered summer flowers while snow was on the ground . . . but that sort of thing happens only when the need for the herb is very great.

I'm sure you've noticed that plants usually grow in clumps . . . well, that's because they tend to live in families or tribes, just as human beings do! When you want to cut off an herb's leaves or flowers, you should first pay your respects to the chief of the group by making a small offering (I use tobacco, or some item that's of personal value to me). Then you should communicate with the plant and tell it that you're going to take leaves from only a few of its tribal members, and that they're going to be used for a good purpose, for healing.

I never harvest more than half of a medicinal plant's foliage—so it can continue to reproduce—and if I find a stand of herbs that consists of just one or two individuals, I always pass it by. Now I know such precautions may sound silly to some people, especially those who think wild plants are nothing more than weeds . . . but to me, they're not weeds . . . they're living beings, and I respect them.

I'm also very careful about taking anyone along on my herb foraging expeditions. I have to know a person pretty well before I can let him or her come with me. There are all kinds of voices around that guide me to the plants I need, you see, and if someone else is busy asking questionslike "What does this herb do?" or "What's that one good for?"—I won't be able to hear and feel the advice given by those spiritual guides. Worse yet, if my companion is busy and confused in mind—if he or she has what I call a "civilized confusion"—then the plants we need will be impossible to find, even if they're right at our feet!

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