Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon californicum) from the United States is often used as an incense or smudge for protection and setting of boundaries. The uplifting scent is also used for purification, love, empowerment, growth and beauty.
Yerba Santa is an evergreen plant that grows in Chaparral habitat and is native to California, northern Mexico and other areas of the Southwest. Other common names for Yerba Santa are Holy Herb, Mountain Balm, Bear's Weed, Gum Plant, Consumptive Weed, and Sacred Herb.
Toni Corelli writes in her book "Flowering Plants of Edgewood Natural Preserve" that not only was Yerba Santa used for respiratory ailments, but also for chronic gastritis and urethral irritation. This is also well documented in Michael Moore's "Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West". Toni continues to write about Yerba Santa's use as a poultice being applied to wounds to reduce swelling, as an aid in mending fractures as well as for pain relief. Another reference claims the sticky leaves were used to bind wounds in times before sterile bandages.
Medical Disclaimer: Our expertise lies in incense making and fragrance. Information contained on these pages is solely for your enjoyment. We can not provide medical advice or recipes as we are not health professionals. Before ingesting anything that is not food, we strongly suggest seeking counsel from a licensed health practitioner
