Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

Cavity-Preventive Mouthwash

Family: Zygophyllaceae; (includes Caltrop, Star Thistle, Bean Caper)

Genus and Species: Larrea Divaricata, L. Tridentata

Also known as: Stinkweed, Greasewood, Creosote Bush

Parts used: Twigs and leaflets

Chaparral stinks. Literally. And it tastes downright unpleasant. So the herb’s major healing benefit comes as something of a surprise-it’s a mouthwash.

We’re not talking minty fresh here. You wouldn’t want to reach for it before puckering up for your morning kiss. But don’t let that stop you-the unassuming chaparral shrub, native to the American Southwest, contains a chemical that may spell death to some of the germs that cause tooth decay. It owes its use in healing to a chemical called NDGA (nordihydroguaiaretic acid), which kills the bacteria and other microorganisms that turn fats and oils rancid.

Stinkweed

If, as some people believe, effective medicine smells foul and tastes terrible, chaparral should be a terrific healer Its leaves exude a waxy resin that smells like creosote and is the source of its popular names: stinkweed, greasewood, and creosote bush (though the plant contains no creosote). The Southwest Indians rubbed chaparral resin on burns. They used chaparral tea to treat colds, bronchitis, chicken pox, snakebite, and arthritis And they heated the tips of its twigs and applied the hot resin to painful teeth.

White settlers adopted the plant and used it externally for bruises, rashes, dandruff, and wounds, and internally for diarrhea, stomach upset, menstrual problems, venereai diseases, and cancers of the liver, kidney, and stomach.

Chaparral was listed as an expectorant (to clear mucus from the respiratory system) and bronchial antiseptic in the u.S. Pharmacopoeia from 1842 to 1942. But today, few herbalists mention it. Those who do suggest using it externally to prevent wound infections, and internally for intestinal parasites and bacterial and viral illnesses.