Ethnobotany of southern California native plants:

Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata)

What is the creosote plant used for?

Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) is an extremely tough and drought resistant plant. This evergreen shrub, often called ‘greasewood’ flourishes under the intense daytime heat of the Sonoran, Chihuahua and Mojave Deserts. Creosote bush thrives under 5,000 feet. The plant displays green, waxy leaves and small yellow flowers. These flowers mature into into small grey fruits that are enjoyed by desert mammals.

A strong scent emerges from this plant. This pungent odor is a combination of hundreds of volatile compounds secreted from the plant. This smell was one of the cues that led Indians to test this plant for medicinal properties. For millennia, leaves from this plant have been used to prepare medicinal teas and a creosote bush salve.

creosote bush medicinal uses

The drought tolerant creosote bush.

Creosote Bush Medicinal Uses

Historically, creosote bush has served many medicinal purposes. Indigenous people rely on creosote as a ‘cure-all’ plant with wide reaching applications. Ethnobotanical notes mention creosote was used as a cure of fever, colds, stomach pains, a general pain killer, diuretic, arthritis, sinusitis, anemia and an anti-diarrheal.

Creosote bush is also antimicrobial. Thereby the plant is useful for cuts and bacterial or fungal infections.

Tea was made from the plant. The waxy leaves and small branches were gathered, dried and stored in the sun. When dried, the material was pulverized and steeped into tea.

Parts of the Creosote plant were also smoked for various reasons. In northern Mexico, the Seri smoked insect galls that grew as infectious growths from creosote branches. These galls were caused by an infestation of a desert midge. Apparently, inhaling this smoke offered the Seri great pleasure.

The Pima of North America, also called Akimel Oʼotham, inhaled smoke from burning creosote as a remedy for laziness. Another North America tribe, the Papago held their feet above smoldering creosote branches to ease the pain from sore feet.

After learning of the medicinal use of creosote from Native Americans, scientists began to explore the medicinal nature of this plant.

One of the many bio-active plant compounds isolated from this plant is called, NDGA – or nordihydroguaiaretic acid. Clinical studies have demonstrated the ability of this compound to inhibit cancerous growth. However, other studies have shown detrimental effects, such as toxicity. Hopefully, future studies will further elucidate the benefits of this plant. It is possible, that dosage is the difference between benefit and detriment.

2022 update: This Nature paper describes how NDGA works on mechanism that relate to increasing lifespan.

creosote bush uses

A creosote shrub in bloom in the Sonoran Desert National Monument – south of Phoenix, AZ.

native plant King_Clone creosote

King Clone in the Mojave Desert. This is a 11,700 year old creosote bush ring. All sections of this enormous plant community are genetically identical.

creosote bush uses

photo credit: Eric in SF,CC BY-SA 3.0

Yellow creosote bush flowers.

Non-Medicinal Creosote Bush Uses

Creosote bush was used as firewood, feed for livestock, and thatch material for the roofs of adobe homes.

After burning, the creosote plant smolders down into charcoal, which has a green, blue color. This colored charcoal was applied to the skin to decorate tattoos.

creosote bush

Creosote bush after a winter freeze.

One more thing…

For the past three years, we’ve been drinking a green plant powder mix that combines high fiber and lots of superfood nutrients.

The fiber part curbs the appetite throughout the day.

The superfood, green plant powder part fills the body with vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, antioxidants and other phyto-nutrients.

Most importantly, this drink is for people who don’t want to spend too much time preparing healthy foods.

Here is our special green drink for lazy people.

best plant powder supplement

For this green powder concoction, we just add powder to water, stir and drink!

References:

  1. Castetter, Edward F. and Ruth M. Underhill 1935 Ethnobiological Studies in the American Southwest II. The Ethnobiology of the Papago Indians. University of New Mexico Bulletin 4(3):1-84 (p. 64, 65)
  2. Tezil, Tugsan, et al. “Lifespan-increasing drug nordihydroguaiaretic acid inhibits p300 and activates autophagy.” NPJ aging and mechanisms of disease 5.1 (2019): 1-11.

Please return to our main Ethnobotany of southern California page.

On our main ethnobotany page, we present a clickable list of the southern California native plants that became a part of the culture of Native Americans and early European settlers. These plants were used for medicine, food, shelter, drink, tools and art.

 

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