A Natural

A Natural. . , "the root wen pounded in either green or dryed state makes an excellent poltice for swelling or soar throat..." Meriwether Lewis, Winter 1804 , Captain Meriwether Lewis, a fervent student of plants since childhood and the naturalist of the Expedition, spent many hours collecting, preserving and describing hundreds of plant specimens during the journey. Of the specimens that survived the Expedition, 178 were new to science. , At least one plant (arctostaphylos uva-ursil), was collected at Fort Mandan. Because the Expedition arrived in this area in late October most plants were hard to identify. The invoice of articles forwarded from Fort Mandan to President Jefferson included "a Specimon of a plant, and a parcel of its roots highly prized by the natives as an efficatious remedy in Cases of the bite of the rattle snake or Mad Dog." This plant is thought to be the narrow leaf purple coneflower (echinacea angustifolia (sic)). , Lewis' mother was a herbal healer and new what roots and plants helped in different cases. Lewis used what he had learned from her on the Expedition, noting the potential medicinal use of many of the plants collected. , Lewis' preservation techniques were outstanding and most of his specimens remain in the Lewis and Clark Herbarium of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.