Herb of the Month – Hierba Santa (Eriodictyon angustifolium)
A dryland shrub, Hierba Santa is sturdy and aromatic. Its’ high resin content is sweet smelling during the summer months which reveals many of its healing properties. The leaves are an effective expectorant and bronchial dilator, useful in chest colds, bronchitis, asthma, and hay fever. It has mild decongestant properties, all valuable as we enter the cool fall season when allergies can flare up or throats become raspy and phlegm-based. The tincture is most effective at 30 drops up to 4 times per day. For a great allergy tea Hierba Santa can be combined with nettles, mullein, and spearmint.
It is also valuable in smoking mixtures for lung congestion or for folks who are trying to quit tobacco but still need something to smoke (more benign). Mix it with mullein leaf and lavender flowers; take internally in tincture to break nicotine tar off the lung walls and begin detoxing from tobacco addiction.
A dryland shrub, Hierba Santa is sturdy and aromatic. Its’ high resin content is sweet smelling during the summer months which reveals many of its healing properties. The leaves are an effective expectorant and bronchial dilator, useful in chest colds, bronchitis, asthma, and hay fever. It has mild decongestant properties, all valuable as we enter the cool fall season when allergies can flare up or throats become raspy and phlegm-based. The tincture is most effective at 30 drops up to 4 times per day. For a great allergy tea Hierba Santa can be combined with nettles, mullein, and spearmint.
It is also valuable in smoking mixtures for lung congestion or for folks who are trying to quit tobacco but still need something to smoke (more benign). Mix it with mullein leaf and lavender flowers; take internally in tincture to break nicotine tar off the lung walls and begin detoxing from tobacco addiction.
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