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Even snake poison could be made ineffective with it. When someone was bitten by a poisonous snake, he told me, another person would suck the bite until blood began to flow. Of course, the attendant would spit the poison out. Next, the leaves and roots of the plant were chewed up, preferably by the unfortunate victim himself. The juice was swallowed but the masticated plant was applied to the bite and bandaged. This treatment was repeated at least twice, and then repeated again on the second and third day. By the fourth day, the effect of the poison would have disappeared and the victim would be out of danger.
These Indians used to do the same thing to treat injuries. Again, the masticated plant would be placed on the affected part, and a serious situation would never arise provided this plant was on hand and was applied immediately. Certain arrow poisons could be neutralised by the same method. And if one wanted to prevent susceptibility to colds and catarrh in bad and blustery weather, he only had to chew the leaves or roots of the plant. The ingested juice would build up resistance to everything we now call infectious diseases.
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