Creosote

Larrea tridentata is known as Creosote bush as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and as "gobernadora" in Mexico, Spanish for "governess," due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of nearby plants.

Many people who are new to the desert notice the peculiar odor on the rare occasions when we have rain. People ask, "What is that smell?" It is the creosote bush. It is a very unique odor, and although many people don't care for it, some seem to like it just because it conveys a positive message - RAIN! Although some refer to the odor of the crushed leaves as the "heavenly essence of the desert," the Spanish word for the plant, hediondilla, means "little stinker," signifying that not everyone considers the odor heavenly or pleasing to the senses.

As the Creosote Bush grows older, its oldest branches eventually die and its crown splits into separate crowns. This normally happens when the plant is 30 to 90 years old.

Larrea tridentata was used by Native Americans in the Southwest as a treatment for many maladies, including sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, chicken pox, dysmenorrhea, and snakebite. The shrub is still widely used as a medicine in Mexico. It contains nordihydroguaiaretic acid.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has issued warnings about the health hazards of ingesting chaparral or using it as an internal medicine, and discourages its use. In 2005, Health Canada issued a warning to consumers to avoid using the leaves of Larrea species because of the risk of damage to the liver and kidneys.

BEWARE !