YERBA SANTA
Eriodictyon californicum (H. and A.) Greene. Pharmacopoeial name.-Eriodictyon. Synonym.-Eriodictyon glutinosum Benth. Other common names.-Mountain balm, consumptive's weed, bear'sweed, gum plant, tarweed.
Description.-This evergreen shrub, a member of the waterleaf family (Hydrophyllaceae), reaches a height of from 3 to 4 feet, bearing glutinous leaves. The stem is smooth, but exudes a gummy substance.
The dark-green leaves are from 3 to 4 inches in length, placed alternately on the stem, oblong or oval lance shaped, leathery, narrowing gradually into a short stalk, and with margins generally toothed, except perhaps at the base: the upper surface is smooth, with depressed veins, the prominent veins on the under surface forming a strong network and the spaces between the veins covered with short felty hairs, giving it a white appearance.
The leaves are coated with a resinous substance, making them appear as if varnished. The rather showy whitish or pale-blue flowers are borne in clusters at the top of the plant, the tubular, funnel-shaped corolla measuring about half an inch in length and having five spreading lobes. The seed capsule is oval, grayish brown, and contains small, reddish-brown, shriveled seeds.
The leaves are the parts collected for medicinal use. Yerba santa has expectorant properties and is employed for throat and bronchial affections. It is also used as a bitter tonic. The odor is aromatic and the taste balsamic and sweetish.
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YERBA SANTA
Plant resins with chemicals toxic to insects can scent foliage strongly, as with our native tarweeds, and chaparral shrubs like chamise and yerba santa. The same goes for other Mediterranean-type plants like garrigue, maquis and fynbos. "The Corsican ...
Read moreScratch 'n' sniff - aromatic foliage for the garden - San Francisco Chronicle
At 9:56 a.m., the helicopter crew spotted someone in the water south of Yerba Buena Island and west of Alameda Point in Oakland, Pichette said. A small boat was directed to the area, where the crew recovered a woman from the water and began ...
Read moreWoman dies after falling from ferry into San Francisco Bay - Santa Cruz Sentinel
Greg Hamik, Gilroy basketball: The guard had 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and seven steals in a CCS Division I quarterfinal victory over Carlmont. Hamik is averaging 16.4 points and 4.3 assists. Michael Hodgman, Los Gatos basketball: The ...
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