By Brenda Weaver
The Osage tribes used witch hazel bark to treat skin ulcers and sores. The Potawatomi steamed twigs of the plant to soothe sore muscles. The Iroquoi brewed a tea from it to treat dysentery, colds, and coughs. The early European settlers observed native American tribes using sticks from the witch hazel shrub to find underground sources of water: the "dowsing" end of the forked branch would bend when underground water was detected.
Sources: theatlantic.com, www.fs.usda.gov