Solstice Silence

This is the moment of the year when the long darkness starts to ebb, and the light slowly begins its return. The cycle of life's renewal is both blindingly obvious and perpetually mysterious.

In this time of stillness, may we remain united in our hearts, sharing intentions for a just and peaceful world, acting in harmony with nature, and connected with our fellow beings on the planet. 

Warm wishes for serene and beautiful winter holidays, from all of us at Em's Herbals!

Delightful Talys Lip Balms:

Super Last-minute Stocking Stuffer!

It's not quite too late to order one or more of our excellent Talys lip balms—the perfect stocking stuffer gift!

One size fits all... three great flavors... these organic lip balms help heal and moisturize dry, cracking lips, as the heated indoor environments of the colder seasons take their toll.

Red Velvet: with a bit of Rose scent, and a hint of natural red color.

Mocha Suede: a touch of Cocoa powder, and a nice neutral shade of tan.

Creme Brulee: our newest option, with a lovely Vanilla note.

All available as single units, or in packages of three or six.

Pamper your friends and loved ones with these and other selections from our line of fine body care products!

And don't wait too long—the post office is busy these days!

Fall 2020 Newsletter

Despite the challenges we’ve all been facing...  2020 has actually been a busy and productive year for Em’s Herbals.
In the current situation, selling organic body care products and healing herbs online has offered great opportunities. We feel blessed with the continued progress we’ve seen in our business during this period, and we’re so grateful for the support of our loyal customers!

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Fresh space, fresh team

Early in the year we moved into a new facility for manufacturing and shipping our products. The larger space and improved conditions have made for welcome changes!

2020 saw the hiring of new employees, including our terrific new shop associates, Lana (pictured above) and Mary. John, production and facilities manager, has also joined the team, bringing his training and experience in industrial processes.

Of course, we were unable to carry out our plans to host exhibits at fairs and festivals in the Pacific Northwest region this year, but we’re hoping to get back out there in 2021.

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We’re excited...

about the growth of our wholesale business, which has led us to order larger quantities of selected herbs. This enables us to offer lower prices on many items, including Elderberries, Rose Petals, and Hibiscus Flowers, to all of our customers.

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You may want this... now!

We’re selling a popular new product, Happy Hands hand sanitizer, featuring Aloe Vera juice and fragrant disinfecting essential oils, plus isopropyl alcohol, in a convenient travel-size (2-ounce) spray bottle.

 

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More specialities!

Featuring exceptionally high quality Premium Harvest herbs, including local Calendula Flowers and Blue Cornflowers, and remarkable batches of wild-harvested Chaparral, Yerba Mansa, Osha Root (plant shown below), and Ocotillo Bark from the Southwest desert zones.

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Holiday Mailing Reminder

With all the online shopping that’s taking place this year, holiday mailing times may run longer than usual. So if you’re thinking about herbal gifts for the season—especially if your plans involve DIY projects—do yourself a favor and order early!

DIY herbal projects? Yes, your homemade herbal tinctures, infused oils, syrups, salves, special tea blends, and so on, can make great gifts for friends and loved ones! Bear in mind, though, while most recipes for these items are simple enough, many of them require extra time for steeping or infusing—meaning additional delays, on top of intervals needed for ordering and shipping.

Our stock of bulk herbs, essential oils, and compounding ingredients can “help to make the season bright”! (Hint: just adding a little of one or more of your favorite essential oils to one of our infused oils or salves is a super easy way to create unique, delightful body care concoctions.) But don’t wait too long to get started…

Happy and healthy holidays to all!

Herbal Wisdom for the Cold and Flu Season

What do we know about herbs and the viral respiratory infections which always accompany cooler weather and dry indoor conditions beginning in the fall?

First, this is the single most common type of acute illness affecting humans, so it’s hardly surprising that a huge number of herbs have been traditionally used to treat colds, coughs, and flus.

Second, the symptoms of viral infections are mainly or entirely due to the body’s inflammatory response to increased concentrations of a particular virus. (Unimaginable numbers of viruses, both “benign” and “pathological,” are normally present in our bodies at all times, without noticeable effects.)

Inflammation and immune response are terms for closely related events in the workings of the complex system that maintains the body’s dynamic, constantly shifting homeostasis. Most of us are able to maintain a state that we experience as “normal health,” most of the time, amidst the vast universe of microscopic and submicroscopic life that constantly teems around and within us.

Third, when we hear that an herb is “antiviral,” we may imagine that it literally kills viruses, something like the way that some antibacterial herbs or drugs directly kill bacteria. But viruses are not composed of living cells, and are actually kind of not quite alive, in the sense that bacteria, plants, or animals are. They are essentially bits of genetic information, RNA or DNA, sheathed in a protein/lipid coat. (Incidentally, this description also applies to exosomes, which are a normal and important part of the molecular communication that constantly happens within and between organisms, and are about the same tiny size as viruses.) Their ability to reproduce depends on penetrating the living cells of bacteria, plants, or animals, and using the resources of the cell to replicate.

“Antiviral” herbs generally work either through:  

• making it harder for a virus to enter your cells                                            
• impairing the process of replication once it has penetrated                              
• cuing immune responses to repel or inactivate a virus, or                                
• some combination of these three.

Along with those actions, healing herbs can also regulate the accompanying inflammation, in ways that allow your body to combat viral infections while reducing the uncomfortable, and occasionally dangerous, inflammatory symptoms that we may experience along the road to recovery.

Medicinal herbs tend to be useful for multiple purposes, helping to balance the ever-present populations of microscopic life forms (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, etc.) and submicroscopic viruses, while keeping inflammation—from all causes—down to sustainable levels, in ways that work to our advantage. These multiple modes are possible in part because plant chemistry includes many, many different compounds that act together to minimize side effects and confer combined benefits.

Science is barely beginning to understand exactly what’s in plant medicines, and how some of those compounds work, separately and together. Meanwhile, research into healing herbs generally confirms their traditional uses, and often finds promising new ways to employ their powers.

Unfortunately, some people take bits of information from the swirling pool of emerging knowledge, and put them together in ways that seem logical, but are actually untrue. A current example is the mistaken idea that taking immune-enhancing herbs like Elderberry or Echinacea is dangerous now, since they allegedly might increase the risk of cytokine storm, a late-stage inflammatory event associated with some of the most severe cases of viral infection, including Covid-19.

Here are two important points to understand about this misconception.
•    Herbs like Elderberry and Echinacea are prized for preventing and treating colds and flu largely because they safely modulate the inflammation that can accompany viral infections. There is simply no history of of sick people getting sicker from taking these healing herbs!
•    The dreaded cytokine storm takes place when people are extremely sick and very unlikely to be at home, taking herbs! As Paul Bergner ND writes, “Cytokine storms are a phenomenon of the critical care unit or the ICU. Here patients with advanced respiratory disease are losing the battle against the viral infection, and have acquired pneumonia, or other complications such as multi-organ involvement or sepsis during the late stage of the disease… At this point, the herbalist will not be likely given access to the patient anyway, so what to give or not give them will not be an issue.”

Actual science opens up views of the world that are bewilderingly complicated! It’s seductively simple to think in black-and-white terms: “virus: bad!” “inflammation: bad!” “cytokines: bad!”, and so on, imagining that such slogans reflect “Science.” But viruses are far older than plants and animals, and have always been an integral part of every life form on earth. Inflammation is troublesome in some instances, yet necessary and beneficial in many others. Certain cytokines can be harmful, even deadly, while others are helpful.

In every moment of our existence, we depend on an amazing matrix of natural processes that take place almost entirely without our awareness. Lucky for us, most of the time, all we have to do is stay out of the way, and not make things worse by overthinking it and trying to fix what’s not broken! We rarely go wrong by staying with good, basic self-care: eating natural food when we’re hungry, drinking when we’re thirsty, sleeping when we’re tired, staying connected with the people and critters we love, doing good work when we can, and avoiding things that are obviously bad for us.

When we do get sick, very often our grandmothers’ plant wisdom can help us recover. Elderberry and Elder Flowers (Sambucus nigra) and Echinacea (E. purpurea and E. angustifolia) are among the most thoroughly researched plant allies for addressing colds, coughs, and flus.

So many others deserve attention for the roles they can play in staying well and aiding recovery! A brief list might include Astragalus Root, Boneset, Chaparral, Coltsfoot, Eleutherococcus Root, Eyebright, Ginger, Hawthorn, Licorice Root, Lobelia, Marshmallow Root, Meadowsweet, Mullein Leaf, Ocotillo Bark, Peppermint, Reishi, Rhodiola Root, Rosehips, Rosemary, Sage, Slippery Elm Bark, Thyme, Yarrow, and Wild Cherry Bark.

And don’t forget our Winter Defense Tea, an excellent and good-tasting blend that works well both for warding off colds and coughs, and relieving symptoms when they occur.  

Stay well this season, take good care, and fear not!

Ocotillo: Desert Jewel

We’re always excited to learn about less common plant medicines, and to offer quality wild harvested herbs. And while our main focus continues to be herbs grown in or sourced from our zone, the Pacific Northwest region, valuable remedies can be found everywhere, naturally. We’ve highlighted harvests of Chaparral and Yerba Mansa in recent months, and recently we received a shipment of Ocotillo Bark link from the same experienced collector based in southern New Mexico.

Folks who live in or visit the US Southwest or Northern Mexico desert areas, especially the Sonoran, Mojave, and Chihuahuan Deserts, will surely have noticed the Ocotillo plant! In dry times (much of the year) it looks like a cluster of thorny dried-up sticks, reaching around nine feet in height, occasionally as much as thirty. When the miraculous spring and early summer rains come through, its spines sprout leaves, and bright red flowers may bloom.

Ocotillo flowers, flower nectar, and seeds have been part of the diet of native groups living in its habitat, and its bark, roots, and flowers have been used as medicine. Ocotillo Bark is used by herbalists to boost immunity for colds and sore throats, and as an expectorant for dry coughs. It has also been found helpful for stimulating lymph flow in a great many conditions where swelling and congestion are present, especially in and around the abdominal and pelvic areas: cardiovascular edema, hepatitis, alcoholic cirrhosis, PMS, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, cervical varicosities, prostate enlargement and BPH, orchitis, recurrent bladder infections, chronic constipation, hemorrhoids, impaired fat absorption, deficient libido, varicose leg veins, mononucleosis, and psoriasis. The bark is most often extracted as a tincture.

Reducing lymphatic congestion is a key element of effective detoxification and optimizing immune function. Fatigue, stress, infection, inactivity, trauma, and chronic dehydration can all lead to clogged lymph vessels, which in turn may result in a buildup of protein and fluids, impairing cellular function and overall energy and health. Ocotillo Bark is sometimes paired with Cleavers or Astragalus in formulas addressing these issues. Some herbalists also prescribe Ocotillo Bark as an emotional remedy for wounded or broken hearts.

The PubMed database—where a surprising amount of peer-reviewed research about many herbs can be found—offers nothing about Ocotillo, but searching there uncovers a number of studies that reference one of its constituents, a saponin called ocotillol. This compound was first extracted from Ocotillo, and closely related compounds, found in certain ginseng species, exert neuroprotective, anti-myocardial ischemia, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-tumor effects.

We’re pleased to be able to provide this safe, valuable, and hard-to-find herb for use in your healing practice or family wellness care, while supplies last!

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: A Season for Open Air Tea

Spring and summer were slow to heat up in our corner of the country this year, and we had hoped to avoid the episodes of intense wildfire smoke that made for some really strange and unpleasant days in 2017 and ’18. Now the smoke is here — not as bad as parts of California and Oregon right now, but unsafe levels prevail, even many miles away from the flames. The air tastes like burnt trees, and stings the throat and eyes.

Those at greatest risk from wildfire smoke include people with heart or lung disease, or diabetes; older adults; pregnant women; and babies, children, and teenagers, whose respiratory systems are still developing. Much of the health threat related to smoke exposure has to do with the inflammatory effects of fine particles and gases on your lungs and other organs. Your immune system may also be compromised, reducing resistance to viral and other infections.

Many of us are already stuck at home, and hereabouts (in the zone of mild summer weather), few have air conditioners. While we’re waiting it out, at least there’s time to enjoy some herbal tea! Here’s a formula designed to help you breathe easier: Em’s Open Air Tea.

This tasty tea combines two outstanding herbs that are well-known for healing lung conditions, organic Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) Leaf and organic Mullein (Verbascum spp.) Leaf, along with organic Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis) Leaf, organic Licorice  (Glycyrrhiza glabra) Root, and organic Rosehips (Rosa spp.).

Every one of these herbs has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to combat the ravages of smoke inhalation, and each one acts in various ways to help guard your body against viruses and other microbes, and bolster your immunity. Coltsfoot, Mullein, and Licorice are all notable for their soothing demulcent and expectorant actions. Rosemary, Coltsfoot, and Mullein can also help ease that irritated cough with antispasmodic properties.

The taste profile of the tea is enhanced by the sweetness of the Licorice, the delicious, crisp herbal note of the Rosemary, and the pleasant tang of Rosehips, rich in ascorbic acid and bioflavonoids. Of course, smoke also tends to dry you out, so rehydrating with plenty of warm or chilled herbal tea is a really smart move from that standpoint as well.

We’re looking for some rain up this way soon… California may not be so lucky. This wildfire season is likely to persist for quite some time in many regions, they say. Stay indoors when you can, filter your air if you’re able, and take advantage of our 10% discount on Open Air Tea, through the end of this month—it just makes sense!

Flavonoids and Dementia: Plants Help Save Our Brains!

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) devastate millions of people, in the US and worldwide, and their incidence is predicted to nearly triple within the next few decades. Few chronic illnesses are more dreaded, or less treatable, than the slow decline and destruction of memory, thinking, and nerve function that come with these conditions.

A recent epidemiological study of 2,800 people, ages 50 and up, led by Tufts University scientists and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, focused on the intake of flavonoid-rich foods among older adults over a 20-year period, and how that factor correlates with the incidence of ADRD.

Quoting from the study, “Flavonoids are naturally occurring bioactive pigments found widely in plant-based foods… Common sources of flavonoids include anthocyanin-rich berries and red wine, flavanone-rich citrus fruits and juices, flavan-3-ol-rich teas and dark chocolate, flavone-rich parsley and celery, flavonol-rich onions and apples, and isoflavone-rich soy products.”

What did the scientists discover in this careful study? The group of individuals with the highest intake of flavonoid compounds, based on the study protocols, experienced two to four times less ADRD than the group consuming the lowest amount of these phytochemicals.

What makes this study particularly stand out is its duration, Many researchers have reported clear short-term benefits from a variety of plant foods and herbal medicines for preserving or enhancing cognitive function, but this one takes a longer view of ultimate outcomes—appropriate for a disease that typically progresses over many years.

Of course, preventing dementia is just one benefit among so many that are associated with dietary flavonoids! Flavonoid compounds offer us antioxidant activity that helps to modulate inflammation throughout the body, reducing risks from cancer, infections, diabetes, aging, etc. In fact, controlling inflammation is now understood as the indispensable key to better health and longer life.

Medicinal herbs are naturally rich sources of phytochemicals, of course, and a great many of them are known to contain health-preserving flavonoid compounds. A regular intake of herbs can greatly bolster the protection afforded by a well-balanced diet that includes a wide variety of plant foods. While some herbs are best used as targeted, short-term treatments for specific problems, most are safe for regular or frequent consumption.

Now think about that over a nice cup of herbal (or green or black) tea!

Here’s an incomplete list of some of our herbs with significant flavonoid content:
Boneset
Chickweed
Blue Cornflowers
Calendula Flowers
Skullcap
Orange Peel
Sage
Celery Seed
Chaparral
Goldenrod
Corn Silk
Pipsissewa
Rosebuds and Rosehips
White Oak Bark
Artichoke Leaf
Cacao Beans
Helichrysum Flowers
Sarsaparilla Root
Eyebright
Alfalfa
Spearmint and Peppermint
Pennyroyal
Stevia
Cleavers
Elder Flowers and Berries
Horse Chestnut Seeds
Passionflower
Horsetail
Oat Tops
Meadowsweet
Eleutherococcus Root
Lemongrass
Yarrow
Rhodiola Root
Raspberry Leaf
Juniper Berries
Hawthorn Berries, Flowers, and Leaves
Nutmeg
Licorice Root
Feverfew
Figwort
Fennel Seed
Thyme
Lapsang Souchang Tea
Sencha Green Tea
Jasmine Pearls Green Tea 

If you’re interested in amazing Calendula Flowers for your tea, or your home-made tincture, oil, salve, or soap, you’re going to be delighted with these choice Premium Harvest blossoms. Available for a limited time—don’t miss out!

Now That's Really Cool: Herbal Iced Tea for Summer Heat!

Summer weather has been intense in many parts of North America this year for quite awhile already... but slow in arriving here to the maritime Pacific Northwest. Finally, now, it's warmed up, and we’re eagerly brewing up some of Emily's tasty Hibiscus Cooler Tea. We're loving Em’s suggestion—mixing it up with equal parts of lemonade, to make a delicious herbal Arnold Palmer!

Hibiscus Cooler Tea is plenty appealing for its flavor alone. What I wouldn’t have realized, just a couple of years ago, is that its ingredients actually offer significant benefits, both for general well-being, and specifically for coping with hot weather! (Check the links in the bulk herb write-ups elsewhere on this website if you’d like to look at some references from the medical literature.)

Let’s start with the beautiful red Hibiscus Flower. Yes, it adds a nice tangy flavor and bright color—and that’s all I knew about it for decades, despite my long interest in herbal medicine, and a fair bit of training in the field. In fact, Hibiscus helps lower blood pressure and blood sugar, both of which can go up in conditions of high heat and humidity. It can help with weight loss, a special concern in the season of bathing suits. It calms the nervous system and improves sleep—a great thing on those hot nights!

A 2016 laboratory study comparing the action of 11 herbs against highly pathogenic avian flu viruses revealed Hibiscus Flower extract as the standout in the group, by far, with the strongest action for inactivating the viruses tested, and inhibiting their replication.

Lemongrass is another great tasting herb that many of us are only acquainted with through its role in Thai cuisine. In addition to its cooling and calming actions, it’s renowned in much of the world (lots of the hotter places!) for aiding digestion, counteracting obesity, and promoting perspiration.

Rosehips, a third ingredient adding that refreshing tang to the Hibiscus Cooler mix, brings in additional immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and liver-protective effects as well.

Finally, Spearmint is well known for its pleasing flavor, cooling qualities, and for aiding digestion and metabolism. More recently, it has begun to gain recognition as a nootropic herb, enhancing memory, mental and physical performance, and reactive agility in particular .

Each ingredient in the tea has a part to play, for function as well as flavor. Chill out with our Hibiscus Cooler tea—you really will feel better!

By the way, Emily is brilliant at blending herbal teas—that’s just a fact. She has a knack for coming up with formulas that are both effective and easy to drink. Members of my family have been really pleased with every one they've tried, including
    •    Aller-Geez Tea for seasonal pollen allergies
    •    Happy Tract Tea for digestive upsets
    •    P.P. Tea for bladder inflammation
    •    Time Out Tea for anxiety and insomnia
    •    Em’s Herbal Tea as a nourishing hot or cold beverage
    •    Nursing Support Tea for bountiful lactation
    •    Winter Defense Tea for fending off and treating colds and flu

And any of these can be enjoyed chilled! Brew it, steep it, and keep it in your fridge for up to 48 hours.
 

At Home in the Microbiome

The critical event that has dominated the news since March of this year has become a lightning rod for controversy and polarization, evoking many feelings including compassionate concern, fear, anxiety, anger, and confusion. For businesses like ours, based online and offering products that enhance health naturally, opportunity is in the air. Many herbs are said to be antiviral, and this action is well documented for a number of them, as recent posts here about Elderberries and Chaparral show.

We may do well, however, to step back and look at a larger context—beyond seeking protection, advantage, or easy explanations. Readers exploring herbal options for healing might probe a bit more deeply, and consider a more wholistic framework for evaluating the situation.

What’s important for us to understand about viruses in our world? What’s the bigger picture?

Two contrasting scientific approaches to health were highlighted in the work of the 19th century French pioneers Louis Pasteur and Antoine Béchamp. Pasteur is well known for his influential work in developing germ theory, emphasizing the role of microbes as causes of disease. Resulting methods for identifying and combating infectious organisms have led to many beneficial discoveries.

Yet limitations and problems related to the dominance of this theory in medicine are becoming increasingly clear. While many infectious illnesses are far less common, some are rebounding as resistance to antibiotics becomes more widespread. Life expectancy in prosperous countries is longer, yet chronic diseases—many linked to immune dysregulation—are pervasive, often agonizing to live with, and expensive to treat.

Béchamp, a contemporary of Pasteur and a groundbreaking scholar of biology, chemistry, physics, and pharmacy, and a practicing medical doctor, took a different view. He pointed to the fundamental importance of the underlying terrain, meaning the overall state of health, determined by diet, environment, and lifestyle, that bolsters or undermines the body’s response to challenges such as infection. From this perspective, harmful infections are best understood as the result rather than the primary cause of illness.

Germ theory shapes conventional ways of looking at illness, including responses to this year’s episode. There’s an assumption that we’re under attack by microbes that are foreign to our bodies and lurk about, seeking to do harm. The idea of microbes as alien invaders to be avoided at all costs is simply obsolete, as science now recognizes that our bodies teem with innumerable bacteria, viruses, and other organisms, both in health and sickness.

In fact, our health and functioning depend on a balance of internal micro-life, found mostly, but not exclusively, in our guts, as well as our skin, mouth, respiratory tract, and urogenital system (even in blood, long believed to be normally sterile). We have many more bacteria in our bodies than human cells, always, and hundreds of trillions of viruses, likely as many as ten times the number of bacteria.

The microbiome—this highly diverse community of life forms, including fungi, protozoa, and parasites, as well as viruses comprising the virome—is drawing intense attention from researchers. As a review article in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology notes, decades of experimentation with germ-free animals “…has revealed that the microbiota is necessary for normal aging and immune, metabolic, digestive, GI, and nervous system function.” 

The microbiota of healthy people does not exclude critters from families that we think of as real bad actors—the strep clan, the herpes team (CMV, Epstein-Barr, chicken pox, etc.) and many others—yet when our internal environment is in balance, these are evidently not harmful, and may even perform useful roles in our bodies’ ecology. The immensely complex exchanges of signals and molecules among all this micro-life, closely connected with the life of our cells and organs, our immune function and metabolism, and the unfolding of our mortal fate, is a tale without end.

Encouraging beneficial microbial populations, with diet changes including fermented foods and probiotics, for example, is a promising path toward overcoming imbalances related to unhealthy lifestyles, antibiotic treatments, toxins like glyphosate, and other factors. A more diverse microbiome appears to correlate with better health, just as the richer and more stable ecosystems in the visible world are those with higher numbers of species. A century and a half of “standard Western medicine,” devoted largely to killing “enemy” species, might just be at the verge of a transition toward more sustainable methods, if enough of us seek that kind of change.

Kids who grow up with dogs (and the germs they carry) are healthier. Getting our hands in garden soil, rich in microbes, measurably improves our moods. The forest exhales essences that calm and uplift us as we walk through the woods.

We need trees, roots, fruits, seeds, leaves, mushrooms, and flowers, bees, birds, and bugs, creatures great and small, predators and prey, the familiar and visible, and the weirdly uncanny and invisibly tiny, to thrive, all together, and to keep our lovely planet alive for our children and their children.

We’ll never understand it all, but we’ll never stop learning. We are inescapably part of nature, in a world saturated with living beings around us and within us! Living in appreciation of this truth, consciously, gratefully, and fearlessly, is the road to health and sanity.

Premium Harvest Chaparral: what it is and why you want it

Em’s Herbals is an established source for Larrea tridentata, the herb known as Chaparral. We include it in our Toenail Fungus Foot Soak, since it’s long been known as one of the most effective anti-fungal plants. And right now we’re especially pleased with a fresh, fragrant batch of Premium Harvest Chaparral, recently gathered for us in New Mexico!
 
Most people who have hiked in desert areas of the southwestern US and Mexico will be familiar with the evergreen Creosote Bush or Chaparral plant. It ranges from shrub to small tree in size, and exudes an unforgettable creosote-like scent. Some native tribes living in that zone believe that Chaparral was the first plant created. It is clearly one of the most long-lived plants in existence, with some clusters thought to be nearly 12,000 years old.

Local indigenous healers hold Chaparral in highest regard, using it for numerous conditions including chicken pox, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, menstrual pain and premenstrual symptoms, snake bites, colds and flus, sinusitis, diabetes, skin sores, arthritis, gout, anemia, fungal infections, cancer, allergies, autoimmune diseases, and gallbladder or kidney stones.

A 2015 review article offers fascinating details from studies on Chaparral and its constituents, noting significant activity against herpes virus, HPV, HIV, cancer,  and neurodegenerative diseases. The authors suggest that a "cocktail" of extracts from Chaparral (excluding its volatile oils) might play a major role in preventing and treating many types of cancer and viral illness.

They note, “Viruses such as HIV, HSV, influenza viruses, and cold viruses infect and kill millions of people every year. Severe acute respiratory syndrome, avian flu viruses, Middle East respiratory syndrome corona virus, Ebola virus, and many others are still without treatments and some may become global pandemics if not urgently addressed …this class of plant lignans could represent a breakthrough for viral treatment as penicillin became for bacteria since World War II.”

One of the plant’s major constituents is nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), a lignan said to be one of the most powerful antioxidant chemicals known. Chaparral also contains a number of other lignans as well as many other active compounds, including flavonoids, essential oils, saponins, sterols, and tannins.

It’s helpful to understand why antioxidant and anti-inflammatory are terms that come up so often in discussing healing herbs and healthy foods.

Oxidation is a normal part of the chemistry of living organisms. Plants and animals have many ways of controlling the buildup of oxidative compounds, since they may threaten normal functioning and can damage tissues when present at sustained high levels. Oxidative stress can result from internal processes, or exposure to disease microbes, dietary and environmental chemicals, or both.

Oxidative stress is closely associated with the inflammatory response, in complicated ways, as both cause and effect. Medical students traditionally learn about the signs of inflammation as "rubor, calor, dolor, tumor": redness, heat, pain, and swelling. Often, plants with antioxidant properties provide protection against or relief from inflammation, and most medicinal herbs fit that description.

Inflammation matters, a lot—it's the common factor involved in pretty much every disease process that’s been studied, from Alzheimers and arthritis to cardiovascular disease, obesity, depression, and cancer. In the short term, inflammatory processes are the major source of harm from infections. In the long term, the aging process itself is basically the result of inflammation.

Once this basic principle is understood, the frequent finding that a particular plant medicine has been prescribed for many different illnesses is no longer surprising! Choosing herbs and foods that decrease inflammation is a key strategy for living longer and better. That said, of course, the vital details of how specific herbs and foods act in various parts of the body, and affect various health conditions, are endless. With Chaparral, the connection between uniquely strong antioxidant effects and medicinal power is undisputed. 

For strong medicine, dosage is a concern. High doses of NGDA and Chaparral have been connected to toxic effects, particularly affecting the liver, anecdotally and in animal experiments. While experience and a retrospective clinical study have shown that moderate, short-term use of Chaparral for people with normal liver function seems to be harmless, we suggest consulting with a knowledgeable herbalist before ingesting the herb. Topical use for infections or skin conditions, on the other hand, is safe and effective.

When this special harvest of Chaparral is gone, we may not come across another quite like it. If you already know what this very potent plant can do, or if you’re intrigued by its lore, you won’t want to miss the chance to order some for your own herbal tool kit!