root doctor

American  

noun

Chiefly Southern U.S.

1. herb doctor.

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Etymology

Origin of root doctor

An Americanism dating back to 1815–25

Example Sentences

Multiple victims require interventions by people from a variety of faith backgrounds: a Pentecostal preacher, a Baptist minister, a traditional healer called a root doctor, a former nun — and also a Catholic priest.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 5, 2023

Green opened up his narrative to include many different religious perspectives, including those of a Pentecostal preacher, a root doctor and a Baptist clergyman.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2023

Mama Z is the local root doctor in Money, Miss., the setting for much of the novel.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 28, 2021

Lots of doctors in the early 1900s, really up until the 1930s, still relied on natural remedies, and many of them cited formulas, or protocols from the local root doctor.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2020

He is what the bill wishes to make for us, a regular root doctor, and will suit the place exactly.

From The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; containing a collection of over one thousand of the most laughable sayings and jokes of celebrated wits and humorists. by Various