Papaya - a world class meat tenderizer, natural digestive aid, prevents ulcers, and also a soft contact lense cleaner.Eriodictyon Californicum - HYDROPHYLLACEAE - Yerba Santa, Mountain Balm, Consumptive’s Weed, Gum Bush, Holy Herb
Eriodictyon Californicum
HYDROPHYLLACEAE
Yerba Santa, mountain balm, consumptive’s weed, gum bush, bear’s weed, holy herb
The flora of the west coast of the United States is in many ways distinct from that of the major part of our country. It is (regrettably) impossible to include a great number of plants which have been used medicinally by Indians and early settlers of those areas. Yerba Santa, one of the best known of these western plants, still bears the Spanish name given to it by the padres, who learned of its value from the Indians.
This “holy herb,” an evergreen shrub with lance-shaped leaves, grows on dry hillsides in lower California. The plant has a resinous exudation of the leaves and stems. Considered in reputable reference works, it seems to be chiefly valuable as an expectorant, used for bronchial and laryngeal troubles and for chronic pulmonary conditions. Combined with Grindelia robusia, which is also described in this book, Yerba Santa is recommended for asthma and hay fever. Special note is taken of its value as an aromatic syrup used as a vehicle for bitter-tasting quinine (which, as Jesuit’s bark, was also associated with the Spanish priesthood). The part of the plant used is the leaves, and the extraction is best made with alcohol. It is said that an excellent treatment for asthma is to smoke cigarettes made from the dried leaves.