Herb Journal: Chaparral

Chaparral: Oooooh, how bitter you are, and oh, how I love thee. I remember when I first started taking this class, and our teacher would just go on and on about this herb Chaparral, and it frustrated me, first because it's an herb well known in the Southwest, but not at all, even UNHEARD of to the herbalist laypeople in the places where I was from, namely the midwest (Chicago) and the Southeast (Miami). Who do you think you are, Chaparral, and really, how much good can you serve if we don't even know about you anywhere else? Well, shucks. I have to say, I wish the rest of the world (my universe) knew about this herb. Apparently, having allegedly caused some serious liver problems for a few people throughout the years, when it was seen as this potent liver detoxifier, this herb was well, de-publicized, and made unavailable in commerce, as it is called, meaning, you just can't go out and buy it.. anywhere, in much of the country. But in New Mexico, well at least in Santa Fe, oh yes you can. And not only that, you can go harvest some yourself. After listening to how great it was for skin cancers and lesions and for all of these REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS, after noticing that there is a street named after it not far from where I was living, after having a debate with my car dealer about whether it was a plant or a region (it is both), I finally saw it in the wild (on our first field trip), tried it (it was strong) and then it became part of my vocabulary. I love this plant. It is a small, interesting looking plant, and the flowers get this fuzzy white stuff around them that makes it look like they are molding, but they aren't ... simply because I dont think mold could ever come near a chaparral plant, it would repel it and pretty much tackle it and kill it before it had the slightest chance since it is so incredibly potent antimicrobial and antifungal... i just love this stuff. My love affair with Chaparral began when I came back from having an unnecessary biopsy of my uterus, and I felt as if my insides were on fire, and that they might just come sliding out of my vagina in a steamy, bloody, melted goober. It was and has been quite possibly the most scary health challenge I have ever faced, well, as an adult, I will say that much, where it was up to me to figure it out, and not up to my parents to freak out and bring me to whatever doctor they thought could handle it best. Anyways, so here I am, studying herbal medicine, and I am trying this tea and that tea, and nothing was helping AT ALL and I mean NOTHING. Then.. it occurred to me, Chaparral. I made a strong decoction, had a few sips, and I mean, wow, my symptoms seriously calmed down. It was the first time I felt anything at all in terms of actual relief to any serious degree. Chaparral is incredibly strong. This thing lives in desert conditions that most plants cannot survive in, and it has the same kind of life saving abilities when it comes to healing your body. It is a champion. This herb basically serves to conquer an array of things that could have possibly been plaguing my body at the time, and this is why it was helpful, because well... i really couldn't figure out what it was that was plaguing me, the typical antibiotics weren't helping. Chapparal is a fighter for your body against so many ailments that can plague your female parts. It is antimicrobial, anti-fungal, antiseptic, antiparasitic, cooling and is used to treat infections that are hot and toxic. In my case, my pee felt like it had been simmered on low heat (meaning you have a hot condition). in cases of.. you name it: UTI's, HPV, chronic yeast infections, gonorrhea, vaginitis, herpes, staph, absesses, boils, low grade kidney infections, respiratory infections, parasites, cold & flu. I mean, watch out infection... Chaparral will kick your ass. And I thank the kind Southwest herbalists for introducing me to this powerhouse herb. Love it, don't care how it tastes. When something helps you that much, it tastes like life. And the little flower buds are so cute, and the stems a really neat wintergreen color that is pretty unique.