Penobscot Indians

Podophyllum peltatum (may apple, or American mandrake) and P. emodi are. respectively, American and Himalayan plants, widely separated geographically but used in both places as cathartics in folk medicine (94). An alcoholic extract of the rhizome known as podophyllin was included in many pharmacopoeias for its gastrointestinal effects it was included in the U.S.P., for example, from 1820 to 1942. At about this time the beneficial effect of podophyllin, applied topically to benign tumors known as condylomata acuminata, was demonstrated clinically (96). This usage was not inspirational, given that there are records of topical application in the treatment of cancer by the Penobscot Indians of Maine and, subsequently, by various medical practitioners in the United States from the 19th century (96). The crude resinous podophyllin is an irritant and unpleasant mixture unsuited to systemic administration. 

Indian tobacco (Lobelia inflata), also known as pukeweed , has been used for centuries by the Penobscots people in the Northeastern United States and the Canadian Maritimes, as an entheogenic and emetic drug, before Samuel Thompson (1769-1843), an herbalist from New Hampshire, claimed it as a valuable remedy. The roots were used for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, e.g. syphilis, and skin diseases were medicated with poultices from smashed leaves. By parenteral application, Indian tobacco is effective against oedema and asthma. Thus, Lobelia inflata was found since 1820 in many pharmacopoeias. 

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