Ethnobotany of the

Southwest
Medicinal Plants

Zia Sign
Five Directions Five Elements

North-South-East-West-Center
Spring-Early Summer-Late Summer-
Fall-Winter
Common Name: Chaparral -
Gobernadora
! Larrea tridentata: medicinal
! Also known as Hediondilla
! Influences the Liver; blooms
in Spring; purifies &
detoxifies.
! Leaves and flowers used in
teas, extracts and oils.
! Also used in skin remedies
and in baths.
! Should be used with in low
doses in a clear tea or
water
Common Name: Vervain - Dormilon
! Verbena coccinea
! Also known as: Sleepy
Head
! Influences the Liver;
cooling & calming; aids
in sleeping; assists in
drug detoxifying.
! Flowers & leaves can
be used in infusions-
hot or cold and liquid
extracts.
Common Name: Common Mallow
! Malva Neglecta: edible and
medicinal
! Leaves and young shoots of
common mallow are edible
raw or cooked. All parts of
the plant are astringent,
laxative, urine-inducing,
and have agents that
counteract inflammation,
that soften and soothe the
skin when applied locally,
has demulcent properties
and induces the removal
(coughing up) of mucous
secretions from the lungs.
Common Name: Stinging Nettles
! Urtica dioica: edible and medicinal
! Used for tea, stopping bleeding. Diuretic, brings circulation,
arthritis, joint tension, nourishes female reproduction.
! High in Iron, Chlorophyll and Formic Acid

Common Name: Purslane - Verdolagas
! Portulaca oleracea:
edible and medicinal
! Perennial and very
common
! Benefits the Heart and
kidneys; the expressed
juice, taken while fresh
is very cooling to hot
inflammations and
soreness.
! Can be eaten both raw
in salads and lightly
cooked with onions,
eggs, and many other
dishes.
! Very high in Vitamin A,
C, E, and omega fatty
acids
! A pleasant sour, juicy
flavor for summer

Common Name: Rose Hips Rosa
! Sp. Rosa: edible and
medicinal
! Cooling, refreshing,
tonic for the Heart
! A cousin of the
Hawthorn berry
! They are extremely high
in vitamin C
! Mostly used in tea but
also used in soups.
Common Name: Yerba Mansa
! Anemopsis californica: medicinal
! The whole plant is analgesic, blood purifier,
disinfectant, diuretic, stomachic and tonic for the
Heart; cooling.
! Excellent for cosmetic and topical inflammations
Common Name: Wild Currant -
Mora
! Ribes aurea: edible and
medicinal
! Blackcurrant fruits are
a good source of
minerals and vitamins,
especially vitamin C.
They have diuretic and
diaphoretic actions,
help to increase bodily
resistance to infections
and are a valuable
remedy for treating
colds and flu; a Heart
food
Common Name: Prickly Pear Cactus
Nopal/Tuna

! Opuntia sp.:edible and medicinal
! Cooling to the Pancreas/Spleen
! The entire plant can be used as a
food source. Contains large amounts of
B vitamins. Prickly Pear Cactus is
believed to lower blood glucose levels,
partly due to its coating of the
gastrointestinal tract. Prickly Pear
Cactus may also be effective in treating
gastrointestinal infections,
strengthening the tissues of the
digestive tract, and in lowering
cholesterol. It may be useful topically in
the healing of minor scrapes and
burns.
Common Name: Tomatillo
! Solanum: edible
! Tomatillos are a good source of vitamin C
! A relative of the tomato and member of the nightshade
(Solanaceae) family tomatillos provide that tart flavor in a host
of Mexican green sauces
Common Name: Anil Del Muerto
! Verbesina encelioides:
medicinal
! Also known as Flower
of the Dead
! Perennial
! Used as an anti-
inflammatory and
topically for; cold
sores, boils, pimples,
hemorrhoids and
spider bites. Topically
as a salve and its
flowers are used in
infusions.
Common Name: Poleo/Brook Mint
! Mentha arvensis: edible and medicinal
! Assists in assimilation and digestion
! The whole plant is anaesthetic, antispasmodic, antiseptic,
aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic, refrigerant, stimulant
and stomachic
Common Name: Mullein - Gordolobo
! Verbascum thapsus:
medicinal
! Benefits the Lungs; a tea is
used for hacking cough
and for soothing sore lungs
from infections; mildly
sedative
! May be smoked in place of
tobacco
! Markedly demulcent,
emollient and astringent
properties, cough of
consumption.
Common Name: Gumweed Yerba
del Buey
! Grindelia squarrosa: Medicinal
! Benefits the Lungs
! Use dried aerial parts for Anti-spasmodic, expectorant,
hypotensive. Can benefit asthmatics.
! Used in topicals to cool inflammation from poison ivy/oak

Common Name:
Snakebroom
Escoba de la
Vibora
! Gutierrezia sarothrae:
medicinal
! Known to induce sweating,
reduce arthritis, help joint
health, colds, indigestion,
stings, open sores and
baths.
! Use flowers for infusions
and stems for open wounds
esp. stings and bites.

Common Name: Wolfberry Mora
del Lobo
! Lycium sp.: edible and medicinal
! Benefits the Kidneys; moistening; tonic; a cousin of Goji Berry
! The berries appear to exert a beneficial effect on the kidneys, protecting it
from damaging toxins. The root stimulates the involuntary nervous system
that governs the internal organs. The root also relaxes the walls of the
arteries, allowing them to expand and thus lowering blood pressure.
Common Name: Horsetail Cola de
Caballo
! Equisetum arvense:
medicinal

! Benefits the kidneys;
clearing; detoxifying;
tonifying.
! A tea is diuretic and cooling
to urinary tract infections.
! Tonic to the Bladder
! May also help staunch
bleeding

! Very mineralizing for bones

Common Name: Willow - Jara
! Salix sp.: medicinal
! Assists the kidneys.
! Pain relieving quality
and cooling.
! Excellent in tea or
baths for pain,
backache, headache
! Can benefit cystitis,
urethral irritation,
prostatitis, ovaritis,
and kidney
inflammations.
Common Name: Canadian Fleabane
! Conyza Canadensis:
medicinal
! Dried pulverized flower
heads make a snuff that,
breaks up a head cold or
catarrh, Other uses and
teas for rheumatism,
lameness, and stomach
disorders, tanning hides,
lotions for body pain and
headaches, steam used in
ceremonies, smoke to ward
of insects. It was also used
to clear intestinal parasites,
hence the name.
Common Name: Four-wing saltbush
! Atriplex canescens:
edible
! No member of this
genus contains any
toxins, all our thought
to have edible leaves.
! Used for Dye; Drinks;
Leaves; Seeds; its Fire
retardant properties;
Hedges; Potash and its
soapy foam is used for
stings.
Common Name: One Seeded Juniper
! Sp. Juniperus monosperma: edible and medicinal
! Uses: Fruit, Gum, Antiphlogistic, Birthing aid, Diuretic,
Febrifuge, Laxative, Odontalgic, Pectoral, Poultice,
Stomachic, Beads, Dye and Wood.
Common Name: Four O Clock
! Mirabilis multiflora: dye or
medicinal
! The boiled flowers make a
light brown or purple color
for dying wool. The roots of
older plants make a blood-
strengthening tea for
pregnant women. Teas are
made to treat colic, eye
infections, muscle soreness,
body swellings, rheumatism
and indigestion. The leaves
are dried for smoking
material. Has a sedative
property.
Common Name: Dandelion
! Taraxacum officinale: edible
and medicinal
! The leaves are high in
vitamin A, vitamin C and
iron, carrying more iron
and calcium than spinach
! Diuretic, tonic and slightly
aperient. It is a general
stimulant to the system,
but especially to the urinary
organs, and is chiefly used
in kidney and liver
disorders
Common Name: Common Thistle
! Sp. Cirsium: edible and medicinal

! Can be eaten flowers, root, seed and
stem.
! Antihaemorrhoidal; Antirheumatic;
Poultice.
! The roots have been used as a
poultice and a decoction of the plant
used as a poultice on sore jaws.
! A hot infusion of the whole plant
has been used as a herbal steam for
treating rheumatic joints.
! A decoction of the whole plant has
been used both internally and
externally to treat bleeding piles
Common Name: Tomatillo
! Sp. Solanum: edible
! Tomatillos are a good source of vitamin C
! A relative of the tomato and member of the nightshade (Solanaceae)
family tomatillos provide that tart flavor in a host of Mexican green
sauces
Common Name: Willow
! Salix sp.: medicinal
! Assists the kidneys.
! Pain relieving quality
and cooling.
! Excellent in tea or
baths for pain,
backache, headache
! Can benefit cystitis,
urethral irritation,
prostatitis, ovaritis,
and kidney
inflammations.
Common Name: Yarrow
! Achillea Millefolium:
medicinal
! Diaphoretic, astringent, tonic,
stimulant and mild aromatic.
! Used in teas and compresses
to stop bleeding.
Common Name: Spearmint/ Yerba Buena
! Mentha spicata: edible and
medicinal
! Used mainly for digestion
problems.
! Leaves are bruised and infused.

Common Name: Cattails
! Typha latifolia: edible and medicinal
! Different parts of cattails should be harvested at different times of the year
and require different ways of processing. It is suggested to collect the
rhizomes and rhizome shoots in late fall to early spring. The fibrous outer
layers should be peeled off while still wet. In spring, the "bulbous" base and
shoots can be pickled. The shoot can be used raw as in salads or used in
stew. To make a flour, the rhizome is ground down and the fibers are
removed. The flour can be dried and stored for later use.
Common Name: Red Clover
! Trifolium pretense: edible and medicinal
! Treats skin inflammations as psoriasis and eczema, an expectorant and demulcent,
and is helpful in the treatment of bronchitis and spasmodic coughs, particularly
whooping cough. May stimulate the liver and gall bladder and has been used for
constipation and sluggish appetite. The blossoms were smoked as a remedy for
asthma. An infusion of red clover blossoms used as a skin wash, or a poultice
prepared from fresh blossoms, may relieve the irritation of athletes foot or insect
bites. As an eyewash, red clover tincture diluted with fresh water may relieve
conjunctivitis. More recently, red clover has been studied as an alternative remedy
for hot flashes in menopausal women as well as hot flashes in men following surgery
for prostate cancer.

Common Name: Potentilla
! Sp. Potential: Medicinal
! Also known as; Silverweed
! Used for lotion, haundice, loose
teeth, removing skin defects,
cramps, etc.
! # A tablespoonful of the herb,
boiled in a cup of milk, has
been recommended as an
effective remedy in tetanus, or
lockjaw. The tea should be
drunk as hot as possible.
! # The dried and powdered
leaves have been successfully
administered in ague (an acute
ailment that causes shivering or
alternating chills and fever), the
more astringent roots have been
given in powder in doses of a
scruple (about 1.3 grams) and
upwards.
Common Name: Barberry
! Berberis fendleri:
edible and medicinal
! Can be eaten cooked
or raw. Medically used
for an antibacterial;
cancer.
! A yellow dye is
obtained from the root.
Common Name: Tomatillo
! Sp. Solanum: edible
! Tomatillos are a good source of vitamin C
! A relative of the tomato and member of the nightshade (Solanaceae)
family tomatillos provide that tart flavor in a host of Mexican green
sauces
Common Name: Wild Lettuce
! Lactuca serriola:
medicinal
! The drug resembles a
feeble opium without
its tendency to upset
the digestive system.
It is used to a small
extent as a sedative
and narcotic.
Common Name: New Mexico Olive
! Forestiera
neomexicana:
edible and
medicinal
! The fruit is edible
Common Name: Horsetail Cola de
Caballo
! Equisetum arvense:
medicinal

! Benefits the kidneys;
clearing; detoxifying;
tonifying.
! A tea is diuretic and cooling
to urinary tract infections.
! Tonic to the Bladder
! May also help staunch
bleeding

! Very mineralizing for bones

Common Name: Cholla Cactus
! Sp. Opuntia: edible and
medicinal
! Also known as the Teddy Bear
Cholla
! Nopales (the edible species of
prickly pear and the harvested
whole pads of the same) are
very nutritious. Nopalitos
(small pads that are cut into
bite-size pieces) are
mucilaginous like okra, and
good for thickening broths. The
mucilage also helps control
blood-sugar levels associated
with adult-onset diabetes.