Inside: This article is about foraging for Chaparral (Larrea tridentata), how to use this potent desert plant (benefits), as well as its controversial medicinal nature.

After living in the Mojave Desert for over 50 years, and having grown up with a father who loved taking me hiking and identifying the desert plants as a child, I first learned to turn to the plants around me for making my own plant medicines. Chaparral is one of the desert plants that grows in the Mojave and also the Sonoran Desert that has some pretty amazing therapeutic properties.

Come along with me and learn how to identify, harvest, and make your own plant medicine with chaparral!

It's true the Mojave Desert plants are VERY different from the herbs and shrubs found in lusher areas of the country, and they are often more difficult to forage and use....but they have been part of my personal medicine for many years. Now that I’m living in North Idaho, every spring I find myself missing my chaparral harvesting time.

What is Chaparral?

Chaparral (Larrea tridentata) is a desert plant indigenous to the Southwest, especially the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. It is also known as Greasewood, Creosote, and Chaparro.

Chaparral can be a short scrubby plant or grow to be a very large shrub, over six feet tall, depending on the growing conditions. It has small, waxy leaves that are a fresh olive green. The small five petaled yellow flowers turn into little puff balls as the summer months wear on.

Chaparral has always been one of my favorite desert plants, and if you live in the desert, it’s probably yours too! It has a very strong scent that is especially delicious after a desert rainstorm. It's been around a LONG time and has been used for medicines for thousands of years. Some sources even cite there is a stand of Chaparral in the Mojave Desert that is over 11,000 years old!

If you are ever able to stand and look carefully at an area covered with Chaparral, you will observe the plants are spaced quite far apart. This is because the plant secretes a chemical that kills off young Chaparral starting to grow too near. This is known as allelopathy.

There is so little water in the desert, you see, Chaparral has developed this merciless survival mechanism of killing off its young if they grow too close.

Although I grew up around Chaparral, loving its desert scent and lovely yellow flowers in the Springtime, it happens to be a rather controversial herb for medicinal use.

It has a long history of use by Native Americans. They used Chaparral for all kinds of ailments, including chicken pox, soothing skin issues, stomachaches, cramps, and to help alleviate mucous and cough. It’s a strong medicinal plant with some amazing properties.

Here are some things to know about identifying, harvesting, and foraging chaparral in the wild.

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Foraging for Chaparral

The best time to forage Chaparral is in the early spring, after the yellow flowers have emerged. This happens around February to March in the ecosystems where chaparral grows. The parts you want to use medicinally are the leaves and flowers. Small stems are ok too.

If harvesting in spring is not possible, it’s one of the plants you can harvest from all year long…just know the most potent medicinal qualities of this plant will be had during the spring when the desert rains come and fill the plant with much needed moisture and growth.

Depending on the stand of Chaparral you are harvesting from, be sure you take only a bit from each plant for sustainability purposes. The general rule is never to take more than a third of a plant when foraging, but I am WAY more conservative than this, taking only a sprig or two from each plant.

Note: If you are not able to forage for chaparral because you are in the wrong part of the country, you can also get it from Starwest Botanicals. That is what I will be doing after I move away, unless I can get back for occasional visits to S. NV and S. UT.

How to Dry Foraged Chaparral for Use

Chaparral is already a pretty "dry" plant, with its thick, waxy leaves, especially if it hasn't rained in awhile. I like to leave my sprigs of Chaparral on a towel on the table for a few days. Then I just remove the leaves and flowers by running my hands down the stem. They'll come right off.

Chaparral Preparations

Like most herbs, you can prepare chaparral in a variety of different ways. Here are my favorite things to do with Chaparral:

Chaparral Tea:

The tea of chaparral is how the Native Americans prepared this herb. Honestly, it tastes terrible, I'm not going to lie. You can use the tea as you would the liniment preparation (below), directly on your skin for irritations, or you can drink it. But, boy is it nasty!

Chaparral Tincture:

Fill a jar about a third to half full with dried Chaparral leaves and flowers. Cover with 80 proof or higher alcohol, like Vodka. Set aside to infuse over a period of four weeks or longer. Shake once in awhile during this process.

I use Chaparral tincture whenever I'm feeling a urinary tract infection coming on. It's one of the plants in this area that has strong anti-microbial properties, and is useful for a number of infections.

Another way I use Chaparral tincture is as a mouthwash. I rinse my mouth with it daily. There is evidence that Chaparral is so powerful it may be able to keep tooth decay at bay, and some even say it heals infections of the teeth and mouth. I can't personally attest to this, but I do like to rinse my mouth with it. And I don't have many dental problems, either.

If you'd like to find out more about tincturing herbs for health, you might enjoy this article all about tinctures, how to make and use them.

Chaparral Infused Oil:

Oh, my gosh----This is one of my favorite ways to prepare Chaparral for use. For one thing, the chaparral infused oil smells absolutely incredible. If you've ever smelled a desert rainstorm, then you probably know the scent.

Besides that, the infused oil is excellent for skin conditions, including eczema, soothing chicken pox, and even oil pulling if you have dental issues.

Here is some chaparral infusing in olive oil. When it is finished infusing, it will be a lovely dark green color and have an incredible scent---like a desert rain.

Chaparral Salve:

Chaparral Salve is similar to the Chaparral infused oil in that you use it nearly the same way---externally for skin conditions and helping speed recovery from wounds. It's a thicker preparation, so it's easier to use, in my opinion. It's a great substitute for Neosporin, too, due to the chemical composition of the plant.

You need to use the infused Chaparral Oil to make the salve, and here are excellent directions for how to make Chaparral Salve, along with more information about Chaparral.

Chaparral Liniment:

This is the tincture above, used externally on the skin for soothing skin conditions and speeding recovery of wounds, just like the infused oil. The liniment, because it's made with alcohol, will evaporate very quickly, leaving the chemical constituents of the plant to do their natural work. This is great for using on boils, cuts and scrapes, and other skin issues.

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Benefits of Chaparral for Health

Digestive Complaints:

Chaparral may help with cramps and gas. This is one of the Native American solutions to this uncomfortable problem. You would take about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of the tincture, or make a little tea to drink (Native American style--they generally made tea infusions). I've never actually used chaparral for digestion because I just love my ginger for this (and ginger is safer taken internally).

Cancer:

This is where chaparral becomes controversial. There have been studies pointing in both directions---that it can exacerbate certain types of cancers, yet may help improve other kinds of cancers. Skin cancer, especially, show very good results from using chaparral externally.

Again---I have no personal experience with this, having never suffered from cancer. I have read these facts in my studies. I can say this, however: If ever I suffer from skin cancer, I plan to use chaparral salve or tincture on it. Personal opinion only, and I am not a medical doctor.

Respiratory Infections:

Chaparral has expectorant properties as well as being anti-microbial. This is one of my personal favorite tinctures to use if I'm feeling congestion in my lungs and I've tried my other herbal antibiotics, like Goldenseal.

Urinary Tract Infections:

As I mentioned above, Chaparral (along with Juniper Berry) in combination, is one of my personal best natural remedies for a UTI. In fact, if ever I feel a UTI coming on, I immediately begin taking my chaparral tincture. I have not experienced a full-blown UTI in many years, and I used to have them chronically as a young school teacher many years ago (you know, because teachers can't just leave their students to use the restroom as needed).

I’ve found since using herbs exclusively for my wellness (no over-the-counter or prescription drugs in well over 10 years now), that many of my chronic health issues have simply disappeared. And I’ve seen this happen over and over again with clients and students too!

Here’s a short video I made discussing chaparral….

Safety Factors for Chaparral

You do have to be careful with Chaparral. It's some powerful plant medicine.

Chaparral is hepatotoxic, which means it can harm the liver if taken long-term or by people with liver disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, or are taking other drugs that are hard on the liver, or if you drink alcohol, or if you have liver or kidney problems, you should stay away from taking chaparral internally. Be sure to discuss use of chaparral internally with your medical doctor.

Some herbalists feel the evidence for chaparral being toxic to the liver is simply circumstantial. Modern herbalists like to make capsules out of herbs, and this creates a potentially stronger preparation, and it becomes easier to take too much.

The traditional form of using chaparral as a tea or tincture has not been thoroughly researched and may not be as dangerous.

In a nutshell---I definitely wouldn't use chaparral in capsule form, and if you do decide to drink the tea or tincture, please take it with a LOT of water so the kidneys are more protected.

I like to err on the side of caution with more powerful herbs like chaparral. There are many other herbs that act similarly on the body that are safer to use. In fact, webMD states chaparral is UNSAFE in capital letters.

This is an example of one of those areas, where as individuals, we must do thorough research before deciding to take or use any plant medicine, including essential oils.

My personal preferred method of application for chaparral is to make a salve….very safe.

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Final Thoughts on Foraging and Using Chaparral

It’s just amazing to know the old traditional herbalism skills and how to make plant medicine for my family with plants that grow around us.

I always think this as I'm watching the commercials on T.V., where the company is explaining about a new wonder drug...then the LONG list of side effects and warnings comes on at the end. I always have to laugh---because why on earth would anyone take THAT medicine? Jeesh!

With herbal medicine, just like with other medications, you MUST exercise caution, no matter what kind of herb you are using. Just as prescription and OTC medications have side effects, so do herbs. Even an herb as innocuous as peppermint can have negative reactions if too much is used.

However, in the big scheme of things, using the natural plants God has given us as is (in whole form) is the best and most certain way to avoid side effects and enjoy a healthy life….in my opinion. Think of it this way: Medicinal plants contain thousands of constituents, and honestly, God made them into a perfect little package! Much safer, in my opinion, than pharmaceuticals that pluck just the active ingredient from the plant. It’s best to use all the constituents together, the way God made them for us.

Anyway, I LOVE my chaparral. I tend to use it mostly externally, and mostly because I love how it smells. I have found that for me, it is highly effective to use in a pinch for helping knock out infection, but it's one of my heavy hitter herbs, and I turn to it last because of the safety issues. Gentle herbs first….then the others if needed.

I really miss living where this incredible desert plant lives. Luckily, I have made herbalist friends who live in various areas, and we do many trades for our herbs.

If you want to experiment with chaparral, you can purchase it at Starwest Botanicals. This is my favorite place to buy herbs.

Have you ever used chaparral? I'd love to know your experiences with this plant--so leave a comment!

You may also be interested in these related articles:

Tips for Wildcrafting and Foraging Herbs with Safety & Success,

Foraging for Juniper Berries: A Mojave Desert Herb.

Foraging St. John’s Wort: And How to Use It

Foraging and Using Wild Fennel: And a Fennel Seed Candy Recipe

And there are many, many more on my website and YouTube channel! I hope you’ll go explore!

Hugs, Health, & Self-Reliance,

Heidi

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How to forage, identify, and harvest chaparral (creosote). Find out some uses and benefits too, along with helpful remedies for wellness. #foraging #chaparral #creosote #benefits #uses #harvesting #edible #herbs #herbalism #healingsalve #wellness #h… — How to forage, identify, and harvest chaparral (creosote). Find out some uses and benefits too, along with helpful remedies for wellness. #foraging #chaparral #creosote #benefits #uses #harvesting #edible #herbs #herbalism #healingsalve #wellness #healingharvesthomestead

Resources:

Gladstar, Rosemary; Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide. 2012. Storey Publishing.

Moore, M., Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West, 1989. Museum of New Mexico Press.

Slattery. J., Southwest Foraging. 2016. Timber Press.

http://southwestherbs.freeservers.com/Chap.html

https://www.naturalalternativeremedy.com/11-chaparral-benefits-and-the-herbs-side-effects/

https://www.drweil.com/vitamins-supplements-herbs/supplements-remedies/cleansing-with-chaparral/

https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/chaparral-leaf/profile

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-791-chaparral.aspx?activeingredientid=791&activeingredientname=chaparral

https://www.emedicinehealth.com/drug-chaparral/article_em.htm

Foraging for Chaparral, Benefits and Uses (Larrea tridentata)