What was the indigenous cure for scurvy?

October 26, 2025 •

3 min read

In 1536, suffering from a deadly outbreak of scurvy, French explorer Jacques Cartier's crew was saved by a remedy shared by the local St. Lawrence Iroquoians, providing a powerful example of what was the indigenous cure for scurvy.

Quick Summary

Indigenous peoples used plant-based remedies rich in Vitamin C, like the bark and leaves of the 'annedda' tree, to treat scurvy, a knowledge often forgotten by European explorers.

Key Points

Iroquoian 'Annedda' Tree: French explorer Jacques Cartier's crew was famously cured of scurvy in 1536 by a decoction from the 'annedda' tree, identified as a conifer like eastern white cedar or spruce.
High Vitamin C Content: The effectiveness of the 'annedda' tea was due to its high concentration of vitamin C, an essential nutrient lacking in the explorer's diet.
Inuit Diet: The Inuit culture's practice of consuming raw or lightly cooked organ meat provided sufficient vitamin C to prevent scurvy, demonstrating an alternative nutritional solution.
Knowledge Overlooked: For centuries, European medical authorities largely ignored or dismissed indigenous remedies in favor of flawed medical theories, leading to continued suffering from scurvy.
Global Traditional Remedies: Similar effective indigenous remedies for scurvy, based on vitamin C-rich foods, existed across different cultures, from Native American tribes using wild onions to Ayurvedic practices using Indian gooseberry.

The 'Annedda' Tree: The Famous Iroquoian Remedy

In the winter of 1535, French explorer Jacques Cartier's crew faced a dire situation as scurvy ravaged their ranks while docked on the frozen St. Lawrence River near what is now Quebec. With no European cure working, the men were dying until Dom Agaya, a member of the local Iroquoian people, demonstrated a life-saving remedy.

The cure involved creating a decoction from a tree the Iroquoians called 'annedda', meaning 'tree of life'. This involved boiling the tree's bark and leaves. European sailors who used this remedy recovered. Historians believe the 'annedda' tree is the eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis), though other conifers like spruce may also have been used. These trees contain vitamin C, which facilitated the recovery.

Other Indigenous Scurvy Remedies Around the World

Indigenous cultures globally possessed knowledge of treating and preventing scurvy, demonstrating an understanding of nutrition and herbal medicine.

Examples of indigenous cures:

Inuit Diet: The Inuit diet, rich in raw or lightly cooked organ meat, provided sufficient vitamin C, preventing scurvy unlike the diets of many European explorers.
Native American Remedies: Beyond the Iroquoians, other tribes used remedies like wild onions. Spruce beer from conifer needles, also used by native peoples, was adopted by Europeans.
Ayurvedic Medicine: Ancient Indian medicine used preparations from vitamin C-rich plants like Indian gooseberry (amla) for ailments resembling scurvy symptoms.

Comparison of Indigenous Knowledge vs. European Medical Theory

For centuries, ineffective European medical theories hindered the adoption of scurvy cures, despite practical evidence. Indigenous approaches, based on observation, were often more effective.


Feature	Indigenous Knowledge (Example: Iroquoian)	European Medical Theory (16th-18th Century)
Cause of Scurvy	Observed nutritional cause (lack of fresh foods).	Attributed to 'internal putrefaction' or 'faulty digestion'.
Remedy Basis	Empiricism; observing successful results from natural foods.	Theoretical reasoning; advocated acid-based mixtures.
Primary Treatment	Decoction of fresh conifer needles and bark (high vitamin C).	Bottled lime juice (often low potency), vinegar, sulfuric acid.
Efficacy	Effective due to vitamin C.	Generally ineffective.
Knowledge Transfer	Oral tradition.	Written documents, often misinterpreted.

The Forgetting and Rediscovery of a Simple Cure

Knowledge of the scurvy cure was often lost in Europe despite demonstrations like Cartier's. European physicians frequently dismissed empirical evidence from sailors and indigenous peoples. Effective treatment was only widely adopted in the British Navy in the 18th century with fresh lemon juice. The role of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) was fully understood in the 20th century.

The Iroquoian use of the 'annedda' tree exemplifies the sophisticated medical knowledge in indigenous cultures. It shows how observation led to effective remedies, highlighting the value of traditional wisdom.

For more insight into the historical understanding of scurvy, explore how European perspectives often failed to credit indigenous knowledge: https://medium.com/@latamsci/native-americans-taught-us-to-cure-scurvy-in-the-1530s-what-can-we-learn-from-them-today-9131ffdd8f3.

Conclusion

The indigenous cure for scurvy, notably the Iroquoian use of the 'annedda' tree, was a nutritional solution: consuming fresh, vitamin C-rich plants. This, along with practices like the Inuit diet of fresh organ meat, contrasted with European medicine's approach. While European doctors overlooked nutritional causes, indigenous peoples used natural resources to treat scurvy. The indigenous cure for scurvy is a crucial part of medical history, acknowledging the contributions of native cultures and their traditional practices.

Frequently Asked Questions

The 'annedda' tree was the name given by the St. Lawrence Iroquoians to the conifer used to cure Jacques Cartier's crew of scurvy. It is most commonly identified as the eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis).

The remedy worked because the decoction made from the tree's bark and leaves contained high amounts of vitamin C, which is essential for health and was missing from the crew's diet.

While they did not know the term 'vitamin C' or the scientific mechanism, indigenous peoples understood through empirical observation that consuming certain fresh plant materials, and in the case of the Inuit, raw meat, prevented and cured the symptoms of scurvy.

Despite Cartier's crew being cured, this knowledge was not widely adopted by European medical and naval authorities and was lost for centuries. The remedy was dismissed in favor of prevailing, but incorrect, European medical theories.

The Inuit prevented scurvy by eating a diet that included fresh raw meat and organ meat from animals like seals and caribou. These parts contain enough vitamin C to satisfy human requirements.

Yes, many cultures had traditional remedies based on locally available sources of vitamin C. Examples include using spruce tea, wild onions, or Indian gooseberry in different parts of the world.

European sailors on long voyages lacked access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Their attempts to preserve remedies, like boiling citrus juice into a 'rob,' often destroyed the crucial vitamin C content.