Yerba Santa - Respiratory Health
Yerba Santa
The holy herb and how it can help you through cold and flu season
Are you suffering from a wet cough that has stuck around after your cold has ran it’s course? Let me introduce you to Yerba Santa! Yerba Santa is a warming & drying herb native to Southwestern United States and some parts of Northern California and Southern Oregon. When the cold & cloudy season hits, it’s a great ally to have by your side. Yerba Santa works to dispel dampness in the respiratory system and will help you open up your breathing pathways, thin phlegm, and expectorate (cough up & spit out).
My favorite method for ingesting Yerba Santa is via an oxymel. Oxymel is a honey and vinegar extraction method that is particularly ideal for respiratory ailments. Plus it tastes great! If you are interested in making this super easy herbal wonder at home there are a few different methods. I’ve included directions on how to make a couple variations below.
If you’re not feeling like whipping up an oxymel today that’s totally okay too, Another great way to ingest Yerba Santa is via tincture. A tincture is often an alcohol based extraction. They are fairly easy to find and they store well. If you don’t have a local herb shop you can order it online. Mountain Rose is one of my favorite herb companies and you can order their Yerba Santa tincture here. It is typically suggested to take about 1ml 3x/day.
To make your own Yerba Santa Oxymel you’ll need:
1 pint or 1 quart Mason Jar with plastic lid (or add a square of wax paper if using a metal lid)
1/2 cup or 1 cup dried Yerba Santa
3/4 or 1 & 1/2 cups of honey
3/4 or 1 & 1/2 cups of vinegar (or 3 cups for vinegar reduction method)
Strainer
Cold Infusion Oxymel
Using a pint or quart size mason jar about a 1/4 of the jar with dried Yerba Santa and top with equal parts honey & apple cider vinegar. Put a label on it with the date! ( don’t forget this part, I swear you will regret it). Top with a plastic lid or if you choose to use a metal lid make sure to place a piece of wax paper in between the metal and the liquid. Vinegar will corrode the metal and ruin your oxymel. Give it a shake every couple days (and maybe even tell it you love it) for at least 2 weeks. 4-6 weeks is usually the recommended time. Strain the herbs out of the liquid and enjoy a shot or 2 of oxymel a day.
Vinegar Reduction
In this method we will end up using the same ratio as the cold infusion (1 part dried herb to 3 parts honey/vinegar blend) but you will want to make sure you have twice as much vinegar as honey to start because we will lose half of it in the reduction process. If you are using a quart size mason jar, you will want to begin with 3 cups of vinegar. Place the dried Yerba Santa (approx 1 cup) in a pot with 3 cups vinegar and simmer on low for approximately 30 minutes. When the vinegar has reduced by 1/2 let it cool, strain out the herbs and combine with equal parts honey. Voila! Pat yourself on the back and start sipping on your very own herbal masterpiece.
Yerba Santa - Eriodictyon californicum