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The healing role of African-American women in their communities can be traced back to African culture. Prior to slavery in the US, African women held the roles of spiritual healer or midwife and provided guidance to the community on matters of health and illness. These women carried this knowledge with them to the US as slaves and passed this information orally to the next generation of women healers. An ethnographic study to understand traditional health practices in rural African-American culture yielded a historical tradition of using herbal remedies by these women. Data suggest a strong connection between spirituality, West African culture, and these health beliefs and practices. The use of slave narratives and interviews will further illustrate the worth of these women as 'nurse' healers in the community.