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Eriodictyon californicum

Common name:	Yerba Santa	Family:	Hydrophyllaceae
Author:	(Hook.& Arn.)Torr.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Eriodictyon glutinosum
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-western N. America - Oregon to California.
Habitat:	Dry mountain slopes at altitudes up to 1,200 metres[254].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	E. californica[E,Sdg,Smap] E. glutinosa[Smk]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	California Yerba-santa [B], California Yerbasanta [P], Herbe De Santa [E], Santakraut [E], Yerba Santa [H,FEIS,S,E], Yerba Santa, Sticky [S],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Solanales. Waterleaf family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	France Germany Us Us(Amerindian)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 2.25m by 2m . It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to August. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Condiment Leaves Tea.

The fresh leaves are chewed for their refreshing taste and to relieve thirst[183].
An aromatic sweet tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves[183].
An extract of the leaves is used as a flavouring in baked goods, sweets, ice cream and soft drinks[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiasthmatic Expectorant Pectoral Tonic.

Yerba Santa (the name means Holy weed) is a famous domestic remedy from south-western N. America where it is considered to be especially useful as an expectorant[238]. It is an ingredient of many patent cough medicines[238].
The leaves are an aromatic pleasant tasting tonic herb that reduces spasms, expels phlegm and lowers fevers[238, 254]. They are especially recommended for treating diseases of the chest and respiratory system, including asthma, and are also used in the treatment of hay fever[4, 200, 238]. A bitter tea made from the leaves has been much used as a bitter tonic and a stimulating balsamic expectorant[207, 213].
A steam bath made from the branches and leaves has been used in the treatment of rheumatism[257].
A decoction of the leaves has been used as a wash for sore areas and painful fatigued limbs[257].
A natural mouthwash is prepared by rolling the leaves into balls and allowing them to dry in the sun[213]. These are then chewed and at first have a bitter flavour but this is soon replaced by a sweetness if a drink of water is taken[213].
The leaves are harvested in the summer and dried for later use[238].
The plant has been smoked as a remedy for asthma[213].

We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.

Other Uses

Weaving.

The leaves have been woven into skirts and aprons[257].

Cultivation details

Requires a position in full sun in a well-drained sandy soil[200].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to about -5° c[200]. It is probably best grown against a sunny wall.
If the plant needs pruning to keep it within bounds, then this is best carried out in spring or early summer. Do not cut back to wood more than 2 years old[238].
This plant is remarkable for the coating of varnish-like resin that covers the upper leaf surface[200]. The foliage is very aromatic[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse[200]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow on the young plants for at least their first winter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring or early summer. Give some protection from the cold for at least their first couple of winters outdoors.

Scent

Leaves: Crushed: The foliage is very aromatic.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for Eriodictyon californica (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine

References for Eriodictyon glutinosa (a possible synonym).

[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine

References for Eriodictyon glutinosum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for the family Hydrophyllaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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