Interview with Beatrice Beddingfield

Beatrice Beddingfield of Zirconia, North Carolina, is interviewed as part of the "Native Plants Project"--a research project of the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University. In this interview Beddingfield talks about using herbs and roots for curing various types of ailments and for staying healthy. She mentions learning medicinal uses of plants first from her grandmother and mother while growing up at Rock Creek and later from her mother-in-law. In particular, she talks about the uses of black snake root and yellow root both of which grow in the wild. She mentions using yellow root tea for curing and maintaining kidney health for herself as well as her family. Among other herbal remedies she has used--many of which are no longer easily available--include catnip tea (helping babies sleep); wild touch-me-not/jewelweed (to stop itching); asafoetida (for increasing appetite); and perigord (for curing diarrhea). She also discusses a few home remedies such as using mutton fat for chest congestion relief for children, sugar for stopping bleeding, onion for bee stings, and castor oil for helping babies sleep and relieving colic