Yerba Santa Leaves 100g, 50 g, 25 g

Yerba Santa Leaves – 100 g ($24.99), 50 g ($14.99), 25 g ($9.99)

Benefits:
Yerba santa actually denoted the ‘holy weed’ and the Spanish missionaries gave this name to the herb when the Native Indian tribes introduced them to the several health benefits offered by it.

Chemistry  The five main elements of the yerba santa are phenolic bodies, flavonoids (eriodictyol), homoeriodictyol, chrysocriol, eridonel and zanthoeridol.

Chemical analysis of the yerba santa has further confirmed that the herb contains free formic and other acids, glycerides of fatty acids, yellow colored unstable oil, a phytosterol, some amount of resin, volatile oil, and some glucose.

The herb is balsamic and sweetish to taste and later unpleasantly pungent, but not sour. The substance reminds one of dulcamara (a homeopathic remedy prepared from the woody nightshade) and is used to enhance the secretion of saliva.

The herb has an aromatic essence and bears leaves that are fragile when dehydrated, but supple in a warm and humid atmosphere. The Eriodictyon Californicum has been officially approved by the United States Dispensary for medical use.

Respiratory The compound eriodictyol has an expectorant action.(Khan 2010) Yerba santa has also been investigated for treating xerostomia, as a substitute for tobacco use, for reducing skin or mucosal irritation, and as a moisturizer.(Coy-Herbert 2002, Lewis 1977, Parnell 1993)

Yerba santa is an undersized perennial shrub that is native to the arid hilly regions of southern California as well northern Mexico. Natives of America either smoked or chewed the yerba santa leaves in the form of a cure for asthma. In effect, this shrub continues to be used by aficionados for bronchial congestion, hay fever and asthma. Yerba santa offers several other health benefits too.

Yerba santa is known to ease irritating cough, facilitate in clearing phlegm from the chest as well as alleviate congestion caused by allergies. In effect, yerba santa may be employed either in the form of a dehydrated herb or an extract.

The yerba santa is a fragrant herb with an enjoyable sweet taste. The herb is considered to be a precious expectorant (a medicine that cures coughs) and is used to cure ailments like tracheitis, bronchitis and asthma. It is also useful in treating all similar respiratory tract disorders. Herbal medicinal practitioners recommend the yerba santa or medicines prepared with it or its extracts to treat COPD, bronchial and laryngeal problems.

In addition, in combination with other herbs such as Grindelia robusta, yerba santa is also effective in curing insistent pulmonary infections, hay fever and asthma. Many people smoke yerba santa leaves to treat asthma.

Yerba santa is a well-known home remedy from the south-western region of North America, where people regard this herb to be particularly effective in the form of an expectorant. In fact, yerba santa forms an active ingredient of several patented cough remedies. The leaf of this tonic herb, which has a pleasing aromatic taste, helps to bring out phlegm and also reduce fevers.

A steam bath prepared using the branches and leaves of yerba santa has been traditionally used to treat rheumatism. A bitter tea prepared with the leaves of yerba santa has also been utilized in the form of an astringent stimulant as well as an invigorating soothing or healing expectorant. A decoction prepared with yerba santa leaves has been employed in the form of a rinse for painful areas and tender exhausted limbs. The leaves of this shrub can be rolled to form balls and dried up in the sun to prepare a natural mouthwash.

Subsequently, these dried leaf balls of yerba santa are chewed. Initially, they have a bitter or astringent taste, but this flavour soon changes into sweet taste akin to drinking sugary water. Generally, the leaves of yerba santa are picked during the summer, dried out and stored for use when needed afterward.

Alzheimer’s  In vitro studies suggest that sterubin, found in E. californicum, is a potent neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory compound with possible benefits in Alzheimer disease. (Fischer 2019) The activity of sterubin was investigated for the first time in vivo using an Alzheimer disease mouse model. Sterubin had a positive impact on short- and long-term memory at low dosages. (Hofmann 2020)

Anti-Inflammatory  Anti-inflammatory effects have been proposed for Eriodictyon extracts based on screening studies(Mazzio 2016, Walker 2016); it has been suggested that the chemical constituent eriodictyol can inhibit mast cell degranulation.(Yoo 2012)

Cancer  New studies undertaken with yerba santa have brought forth as many as 12 latest flavonoids, which have demonstrated potential as being anti-cancerous, and it is believed that this shrub may also possess chemo-protective attributes.

In animal models, eriodictyol has been used as an effective chemopreventive agent against dimethylhydrazine-induced colon carcinogenesis.(Mariyappan 2017)

Hair Pigmentation  Eriodictyon angustifolium extracts, but not E. californicum extracts, have been shown to reduce human hair graying. It has been proposed that an E. angustifolium extract, which is abundant in sterubin, may be suitable as a potential cosmetic and medical agent for the prevention and improvement of hair graying. It is unclear why E. californicum, which also contains sterubin, did not have a comparable effect, though the difference is possibly explained by the difference in quantity of the flavonoid.(Taguchi 2020)

Weight   In a study evaluating in vitro and in vivo models (in an oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay and in Caenorhabditis elegans, respectively) to determine whether santa herba exerts caffeine-like energizing effects, an E. californicum extract was shown to bind to adenosine receptor A_2A, stimulate C. elegans motility (+7.5%) and locomotion, and yield high antioxidative capacities.(Mӧdinger 2021)

In a study evaluating effects of yerba santa on body weight and appetite-related parameters in women who were overweight (body mass index [BMI] 25 to less than 30 kg/m²) or obese (BMI 30 to 35 kg/m²) (N=50), participants received either 400 mg of an E. californicum extract containing at least 4% homoeriodictyol (n=25) or placebo capsules (n=25) twice daily for 12 weeks with main meals. While a nonsignificant trend toward body weight reduction was observed in the overall study population, E. californicum consumption resulted in significant reductions in body weight (P=0.042) and body fat (P=0.044), as well as a tendency toward reduced leptin levels (P=0.065), in women with obesity compared to placebo. The authors concluded that daily E. californicum consumption may aid in weight management, particularly in individuals with a BMI exceeding 30 kg/m².(Mӧdinger 2021)

Appetite  Besides being effective in treating problems related to the bronchi, yerba santa has traditionally been employed in the form of a tonic to increase appetite as well as a digestive stimulant.

Skin  In earlier times, yerba santa was also utilized in the form of a poultice to treat acne and sores. Native tribes in America also employed this herb in the form of an anti-inflammatory agent as well as to cure colds, rheumatism and allergic reactions.

Spiritual Healing  Using Yerba Santa is not merely about lighting a bundle of dried leaves and letting the smoke swirl around a space. It’s an ancient, mindful practice that invites you to align your heart, mind, and spirit with the energy of the herb. Each ritual, from smudging to meditation, is a journey — a moment of communion with something greater, a tangible step toward reconnecting with the essence of the Earth and the wisdom of those who have used this sacred plant for centuries.

Smudging and Energy Clearing  Smudging with Yerba Santa can be a deeply spiritual experience, if approached with intention and care. Begin not with the herb itself, but by grounding yourself in the present moment. Close your eyes and breathe, letting go of any distractions. Ask yourself: What energies am I trying to release? What clarity do I seek?

Once you’ve set your intention, take your bundle of Yerba Santa and light the tip, allowing it to smolder and create smoke. Gently wave your hand over the smoke, guiding it toward your body or into the space around you. As the smoke rises, visualize it carrying away the stagnant, heavy energies that no longer serve you. Feel the air lightening, your thoughts quieting. Let the scent of Yerba Santa fill the room, anchoring your intention.

Many believe that the smoke from Yerba Santa doesn’t just purify, but also blesses — it invites higher vibrations, filling the space with positive energy, protection, and calm. If you are clearing a space, move mindfully through each room, paying attention to corners where energy often collects. Speak words of release or affirmation if you feel called to do so, allowing the ritual to evolve with your energy.

As you finish, express gratitude to the plant for its service. Acknowledge the transformation that has begun, and trust that your space is now aligned with peace, clarity, and protection.

Spiritual Protection  Beyond smudging, Yerba Santa can be used as a powerful tool of protection. The idea of protection isn’t always from external threats, but often from the unseen energies that quietly disrupt our lives — doubts, fears, negative emotions, and influences. Yerba Santa offers a kind of shield, but it is not an impenetrable wall. Rather, it serves as a guardian, a force that helps you hold space for your own strength.

To use Yerba Santa for protection, start by placing small bundles or loose leaves in areas where you seek spiritual security. Doorways and windows are symbolic thresholds, and placing Yerba Santa there can serve as a boundary between you and unwanted energies. As you place the herb, focus on your intention to create a safe, sacred space. Envision these points as portals of light, where only love and positive energy may pass through.

You can also create a personal talisman by carrying a small pouch of dried Yerba Santa leaves. Hold the pouch in your hands and speak or think your intention: I am protected. My energy is safe. I welcome only what serves my highest good. Feel the energy of the herb infusing your intention with strength, grounding you in a protective field throughout your day.

Meditation and Prayer  Incorporating Yerba Santa into meditation and prayer can lead to profound shifts in your practice. This herb, connected to the heart chakra, invites deep emotional healing and personal empowerment, helping you reach a state of centeredness and clarity.

Before beginning your meditation or prayer, take a few moments to prepare your space. Light a Yerba Santa smudge or place dried leaves on an altar. As the smoke rises or the scent fills the room, reflect on what you seek from this practice — is it peace, wisdom, emotional healing? Set a clear intention, grounding yourself in the moment.

As you meditate, hold a leaf or small bundle of Yerba Santa in your hands, feeling its texture and connecting to its energy. If your focus is emotional healing, visualize the energy of Yerba Santa flowing through your heart center, clearing away emotional pain, grief, or fear. Allow it to create space for forgiveness, love, and acceptance, letting each breath deepen your connection to your heart.

If your practice is focused on spiritual growth, envision Yerba Santa as a bridge, guiding you from the physical world into the spiritual. With each breath, imagine the herb helping you ascend to a higher frequency, where your thoughts become clearer, your intuition sharper, and your sense of purpose more profound.

Whether used in short, mindful moments of prayer or in deep meditative journeys, Yerba Santa can become an ally for transformation, healing, and connection.

Yerba Santa isn’t just a tool — it’s a guide, offering protection and support as you explore the depths of your own spirituality. As you begin to use it in your practices, allow its energy to deepen your connection to yourself, the Earth, and the spiritual realms, bringing healing, clarity, and empowerment into your life.

Yerba Santa in Healing Rituals  Yerba Santa is not only a sacred plant for spiritual purposes, but it is also a profound healer of the mind, body, and spirit. For centuries, it has been used by Indigenous healers to address ailments that transcend the physical, embracing the holistic nature of wellness. When we explore the intersection of spiritual and physical healing with Yerba Santa, we find that this herb does more than soothe a cough or calm the nerves — it taps into deeper emotional layers, clearing what is unseen and guiding the body toward true balance.

The Intersection of Spiritual and Physical Healing  The belief that physical and spiritual healing are interconnected is deeply rooted in ancient traditions. Yerba Santa exemplifies this connection. In traditional healing practices, it was understood that illness or emotional distress often stemmed from imbalances in the spiritual or energetic body. The plant was used not only to address physical symptoms but to remove the energetic blockages that may have contributed to them.

When using Yerba Santa in healing rituals, it’s important to recognize the herb’s dual capacity. Physically, its leaves have been known to soothe respiratory issues, aid digestion, and alleviate inflammation. Spiritually, it clears negative energies, unburdens the heart, and restores emotional clarity. Healers would often begin by burning Yerba Santa to cleanse the energy field of the person receiving the treatment, allowing for a deeper, more effective physical healing to occur. In this way, Yerba Santa creates a bridge between the spiritual and physical realms. By addressing both the soul and the body, it helps restore harmony, guiding the individual toward a more complete state of wellness.

Botanical Name: Eriodictyon Californicum
Common Name: Yerba Santa
Also Known As: Bear’s Weed, Consumptive’s Weed, Eriodictyon, Eriodictyon californicum, Eriodictyon glutinosum, Gum Bush, Gum Plant, Herbe des Montagnes, Herbe à Ourse, Herbe Sacrée, Herbe Sainte, Hierba Santa, Holy Herb, Holy Weed, Mountain Balm, Sacred Herb, Tarweed, Wigandia californicum.
Origin: USA
Harvested: Cultivated (Hand Picked)
Parts Used: Sticks with leaves

General Information:
Yerba Santa or Holy Herb is an evergreen plant that is native to California, Oregon, and Arizona. It is used for its ability to uplift, encourage, enco and strengthen your inner self. When burned, it makes a nice and purifying scent. We bring you yerba santa smudge sticks for protection, purification, growth, love, courage, and empowerment. Each stick measures approximately 4 inches long by 1 inch thick. Each yerba santa bundle is grown, dried, and hand-tied with cotton strings in the United States.

The yerba santa is indigenous to the California and Oregon regions in the United States and is also found in the northern parts of neighbouring Mexico. The herb grows naturally and thrives on arid mountain slopes. The yerba santa normally grows at altitudes of approximately up to 4000 feet or 1200 meters above the sea level.

In order to flourish well, yerba santa needs to be grown in a place receiving total sunlight as well as a sandy soil with proper drainage. This shrub is unable to endure the climatic conditions in the relatively colder regions of North America, but is able to put up with temperatures as low as roughly -5°C.

Perhaps this shrub thrives best when it is grown against a wall receiving full sunlight. In case the plant needs to be pruned, you ought to maintain it within limits and early spring or summer is probably the best time to carry out the pruning.

It is advisable not to cut the wood back that is over two years old. Yerba santa is extraordinary for the coating of a resin akin to varnish, which swathes the upper surface of the leaves. The undergrowth of yerba santa is extremely fragrant.

Yerba Santa is propagated by its seeds that are sown in a greenhouse in spring. When the seedlings have grown sufficiently to be handled, prick them out individually and plant them in separate pots.

It is advisable that you grow the young plants in a greenhouse at least for their first winter and plant them in their permanent positions outdoors during the later part of spring or early summer next year.

 

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. So you make once /week and just eat each other day.
In addition to its therapeutic utilities, yerba santa also has culinary uses. The fresh leaves of this shrub are chewed for their energizing flavour as well as to ease thirst. The fresh or dried up leaves of the herb may also be used to prepare a sweet, fragrant tea. An extract obtained from yerba santa leaves is also employed in the form of a flavouring agent in sweets, baked foods, soft drinks and ice cream.

Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

How Much To Use
It is common that 10g of a fresh herb = 1g when dehydrated.
Recommended daily amount: 1 -2 tsp of yerba santa (1-2 g)/use, up to 2 times/day. This herb is commonly used to burn and smolder, providing benefits via smoke. This can be added to food, drink or to make tea.