Morongo elder shares her knowledge of traditional medicine
Katherine Siva Saubel, a member of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, learned about traditional plants from her mother, a medicine woman.

Saubel, 90, was treated with plants whenever she got sick. "They work better than pills," she told The Riverside Press-Enterprise.

Saubel collected her knowledge about plants for her 1972 book Temalpakh: Cahuilla Indian Knowledge and Usage of Plants. But she said some plants have been lost forever due to development and invasive species.

Tribal remedies in southern California include the elderberry tree, creosote leaves and sagebrush.

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Native California plants used for medicine, food enjoying resurgence among Inland tribes (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 5/19)