In
shamanistic religions, a
medicine is some magical object or
ceremony, such as a
medicine bag[?], that is used to control and direct
supernatural forces. The term
medicine also refers to the magical potential of the object or ceremony which is used for these purposes. Among the
North American Indians[?], a
medicine man or
medicine woman[?] is someone who professes to have skills at manipulating supernatural forces and uses these skills to cure sickness, drive away
evil spirits[?], and regulate the
weather.
