Yerba Santa, whole

Eriodictyon californicus

Origin: South-west America
Form: Whole leaf and some pieces
Unit size: 1 ounce
Other names: Bearsweed, Comsumptive's Weed, Gum bush, Holy herb, Mountain balm, tarweed, Sacred herb
Esoteric Uses: Exorcism, banishing, protection, animals
Esoteric Associations:  Saturn, Earth
Incense Aroma: Like mint-sage, without the bitterness, with a background of hemp

Yerba santa is a sticky-leafed evergreen that is native to the American Southwest. It was given its name ("holy weed") by Spanish priests impressed with its medicinal properties. The aromatic leaves were boiled to make a tea to treat coughs, colds, asthma, pleurisy, tuberculosis, and pneumonia, and a poultice of the leaves was applied to painful joints. Unlike many medicinal herbs, yerba santa actually has a pleasant taste. It has been used as a general food flavoring and in cough syrups to disguise the bad taste of other ingredients.

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