Saw a lot of this plant on my recent
Passover Village Experience.
I am researching a memory
that this plant is used to fight cancers.
This mentions this.
I seem to recall a different name for
this plant, but this is the plant.
http://www.death-valley.us/article652.html
http://www.jhu.edu/gazette/janmar96/jan0296/02creos.html
Native Americans have used leaves from the strongly scented
olive-green creosote bush to treat a variety of health problems,
boiling its leaves and branches to make a liniment for bruises
and rheumatism. The Pima and Maricopa Indians boiled the
branches, producing a hot tonic for stomach trouble and diarrhea.
They treated toothache pain by sharpening young creosote
branches, heating them in a fire and inserting them into
cavities. They also used an extract, called Sonora gum, to treat
a variety of respiratory ailments such as bronchitis and the
common cold.
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060101/COLUMNS08/512...
Creosote bush: Ancient antibiotic
James Cornett, Special to The Desert Sun
The creosote bush is the most widespread perennial in the deserts of North America. Known to botanists as Larrea tridentata, the creosote grows up to 12 three to twelve feet high.
James Cornett
Special to The Desert Sun
January 1, 2006
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The creosote bush is the most widespread perennial in the deserts of North America. From our own California deserts to Big Bend National Park in western Texas, this shrub reigns supreme. Given its vast range and abundance, it's not surprising that the creosote bush is one of the most important food plants for desert animals. Less known is its historical importance for Native Americans living in the deserts of the Southwest.
The strong scent of the creosote bush has long reflected the unusual chemical composition of its foliage and foretold of its medicinal value.
In fact, it was a veritable medicine chest. Southwestern Indian tribes used the creosote bush in the same ways modern medical practitioners use antibiotics.
A dry powder made from the leaves was discovered to be an effective antibacterial agent when applied to cuts, abrasions and burns.
The pain of rheumatism and sciatica was reduced when the afflicted area was rubbed with a compound of crushed creosote stems and water.
Indians with tuberculosis were given a drink made from leaves and stems boiled in water. This "tea" (it tastes horrible) was said to cure simple respiratory infections, constipation and cramps associated with delayed menstruation. Some Indian groups used the tea to treat venereal diseases.
As another remedy for respiratory problems, the Cahuilla Indians would inhale the vapors produced from boiling the leaves in the confines of a structure known as the sweathouse.
An important chemical compound in creosote leaves is called nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA). In one clinical study this substance was shown to inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors in laboratory animals. Unfortunately, a second study suggested that the substance appeared to accelerate the growth of tumors.
Known to botanists as Larrea tridentata, the creosote bush grows up to 12 feet high. It can be identified by its small, yellowish-green leaves and dime-sized, yellow, five-petaled flowers that develop into small fuzzy white fruits. It is usually the most common shrub on the well-drained flats and hillsides of the Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts.
It is also called Chaparral:
http://www.kitchenherbalist.com/recipes/homecare/recipe-11.html
Here in the desert southwest, rain is a most welcome happening. I am sure you have noticed the wonderful scent in the desert air after a rain. It is fresh, green and somewhat indescribable. Much of that aroma comes from a very prevalent plant called Chaparral, or Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata). The reason you smell it in the air almost immediately when it rains, is because the oils of the plant extract very easily with water. That is also why it is so easy to capture this wonderful aroma in a room mist that is made of water.
To give you a little history about Chaparral, it is one of the oldest living bushes still alive today. There is one plant in California that has been carbon dated to around 13,000 years old! The bush can be found growing all through the desert and up to 4,000 feet at times. From eastern San Diego County to central Texas, you are likely to find Chaparral growing. Chaparral likes to be a loner, it puts off oils into the soil around it that makes it difficult for a seed to sprout or for a seedling to live, even of its own kind. The bush has small leaves and many branches. It is highly likely there are many in your neighborhood if you live here in the Phoenix valley!
REMOVING ENVIRONMENTAL Toxins:
http://www.kroegerherb.com/hi_env-toxins_0405.html