Desert Tour with the Herb Mother!

My Friend Latisha hosted a desert walk recently, showing us the plants most abundant in the desert and the most helpful, here's what I learned...

Creosote or Chaparral plant;

yellow small flowers, vibrant tiny green leaves, fuzzy seeds and tastey unopened flower buds.

Native peoples would pickle the unopened flower buds and use them like capers.

I will be posting about how to make oils, tinctures and teas from this plant because it is so important and healing.

Creosote 

I'm posting more about Creosote tomorrow so check back then.

This dull colored leafed sage looking plant is great for using in tincture form as an antihistamine. 

It's called brittle bush. Here's more info. and more images too.

This one is called Bursage. 

Bursage

Bursage

Bursage

This one is actually the best antihistamine but once it flowers you should NOT collect the leaves because it's too hard to separate the flowers/pollen and the leaves.  And, the flowers will make allergies worse!

More info here.

This is desert lavender. {Hyptis}

It smells divine.  Well the leaves do, the flowers have no smell.

Helps with sleep, anxiety, stomach acid problems and good as a salve for bites and stings.

Make as tincture with honey to drink and amazing as incense.

More info here.  I can't explain how amazing this smell is.

Hyptis

Hyptis

Hyptis

Hyptis

Cute little weed called Scorpion Weed.

The leaves look like scorpion tails. Had to take a photo since you know Scorpions are my power animal.

This sad little plant is dehydrated, but see that red dot below? That's a Wolfberry.

It's a super antioxidant, cousin of the tomato and eggplant family.

It's the desert's equivalent to the goji berry.

It tastes so good! But don't eat too many you'll get nauseous. 

and by too many I mean a whole bush in one sitting.

Wolfberry.

And that was most of the tour.

She shared so much information I couldn't possibly tell you everything I learned.

But I hope if you're in the desert you'll