Ethnobotany And Plant Medicine Resource Page

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BLACK SAGE

Salvia Mellifera

WHERE DOES IT GROW:
– Coastal Sage Scrub
– Chaparral

HEALING PROPERTIES:
– Pain relief

 EXTRA NOTES:
– Very beloved plant by butterflies and bees
– has monoterpenoids
– Often found near Buckwheat and Sagebrush

CALIFORNIA BAY LAUREL

Umbellularia californica

WHERE DOES IT GROW:
Chaparral, Oak Woodlands and Riparian Habitats

HEALING PROPERTIES:
– Headaches
– Migraines
– Useful for toothaches

EXTRA NOTES:
– Break off a piece and hold the tip under your tongue to remove your migraine.

CALIFORNIA BLACK WALNUT

Juglandaceae californica

WHERE DOES IT GROW:
– Slopes
– Canyons
-Valleys

HEALING PROPERTIES:
– antioxidants and antibacterial compounds in outer shells
– Good for treating infection
– antioxidants
– Omega-3 Fatty Acids

EXTRA NOTES:
– Black dye was made from the inner hull.

CALIFORNIA EVERLASTING

Pseudognaphalium californicum

WHERE DOES IT GROW:
– On slopes and in Chaparral ecosystems

HEALING PROPERTIES:
– Anti-Viral, Ciatica, Colds, Coughs, Stomach Ailments

EXTRA NOTES:
– This plant is extremely fragrant. First it smells like strong flowers then it smells like curry!

CA SAGEBRUSH

Artemesia californica

WHERE DOES IT GROW:
– Coastal Sage Scrub Ecosytems
– Chaparral ecosystems
– near water

HEALING PROPERTIES:
– Leaves are used for a cold remedy and to make a tincture out of.
– Pain Relief
-Insect Deterrent
– Fever reducer
– Respiratory tract infection
– Skin lesions
– Bandaid out of spit poulstice

EXTRA NOTES:
– Nicknamed “cowboy cologne or cowboy perfume”

COAST LIVE OAK

Quercus agrifolia

WHERE DOES IT GROW:
– Riparian ecosystems
-Oak Woodlands
– Chaparral ecosystems

HEALING PROPERTIES:
– Tannic Acid- Dries out wounds
– Nutritional Acorns
– Bark used to treat toothaces

EXTRA NOTES:
– Wood is hard
-Leaves have tiny spines and are boat shaped
– Acorn Woodpeckers love this tree because they love getting acorns and storing them in other trees as granaries.

Mugwort

Artemisia douglasiana

WHERE DOES IT GROW:
– Often grows near poison oak where there is a lot of water

HEALING PROPERTIES:
– Rashes (such as Poison Oak)
– Menstration Cramps
– Aides in Dreaming

EXTRA NOTES:

Mugwort
Artemisia douglasiana
WHERE DOES IT GROW:

– Often grows near poison oak where there is a lot of water

HEALING PROPERTIES:
– Rashes (such as Poison Oak)
– Menstration Cramps
– Aides in Dreaming

EXTRA NOTES:
– Often found near water. When dry, you can slide your hand up the stem and gather the dry leaves to make a fuzzy smudge ball.

Prickly Pear Cactus

Opuntia

WHERE DOES IT GROW:
– Slopes
– Coastal Sage Scrub Habitats
– Desert
– Chaparral
-Grasslands

HEALING PROPERTIES:
– Burn relief
– Diabetes
– Almost entire plant is edible
– Diarhea
-Obesity
– Hangovers

EXTRA NOTES:
– The fruit (tuna) has tiny glochids you can barely see so you must be careful when harvesting the fruit.

Toyon

Salvia Mellifera

WHERE DOES IT GROW:
-Riparian
– Chaparral

HEALING PROPERTIES:
– Preventative Medicine for Dementia
– Bark and Leaves make a wound wash
– Stomach remedy from leaves

EXTRA NOTES:
– Drought Tolerant
– Deep Roots
– Can grow taller than 15 ft.
– Perennial Shrub
– Hollywood was named after this

WHITE SAGE

Salvia apiana

WHERE DOES IT GROW:
– Dry areas
– Slopes
– Coastal Sage Scrub ecosystems

HEALING PROPERTIES:
– Rash
– Throat
– smudging with burned leaves
– Reboot energy in the room
– Cleanse and detox air in the rooms

EXTRA NOTES:
– This is a very strong plant and one leaf is enough for tea or tinctures.
– Do not harvest from the wild.

PLANT MEDICINE EXPERTS in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Dr. Jim Adams

Dr. Jim Adams has a PhD in Pharmacology and teaches at the USC School of Pharmacy. He was also taught for 14 years by a Chumash Indian Healer. Dr. Adams studies the medicinal plants of California and educates people about how and why to use them. Dr. Adams is an expert on the treatment of pain and chronic pain.

EMAIL: jadams@usc.edu
WEBSITE: https://profiles.sc-ctsi.org/james.adams

PLANT COMPILATION ETHNOBOTANY:
https://www.wilderutopia.com/health/self-healing-with-chumash-native-plant-medicine/

Michelle Wong

Michelle Wong MSOM LAc Specializing in Women’s Health, Cosmetic Acupuncture, Allergies, Stress Management, Mental & emotional balance, Detox & Pain Management Acupuncture – Serving the DTLA & Echo Park as well as Culver City, Beverly Hills, and West LA. Lifestyle Medicine, Functional Medicine, Chinese Herbal Medicine – Worldwide

EMAIL: michelle@longlivebeauty.com
WEBSITE: http://www.longlivebeauty.com

SHANA LIPNER- GROVER

Shana Lipner Grover is a Certified Herbalist and Health Educator, who has been working with plant medicine and nutrition for 20 years. She is the founder and primary educator of Sage Country Herbs School of Botanical Studies and has written and teaches 350 hours of classes in San Diego and Orange counties on herbal medicine and nutrition with Healing Hands School of Holistic Health. She has taught throughout the western US at herb festivals and conferences, like Traditions in Western Herbal Medicine, and has been a guest lecturer for higher learning establishments including Bastyr University and CSULA. Shana loves going hiking and studying ecology as well as offering plant walks; teaching about edible and medicinal plants. She has a clinical practice in North County San Diego with a focus on empowering people and their health through nutrition, lifestyle, and herbal medicine.

Website: http://www.sagecountryherbs.com

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