Page 39 - the NOISE APril 2013

Yerba Mansa (Anemopsis californica) AKA: Yerba del Manso, Manso, Lizard Tail,
Swamp Root.
Yerba is a Spanish word for herb and man-
sa is actually the feminine form for the word manso in Spanish which means calm or tame.
Family: Saururaceae(lizard’stail)
Where Found: Yerba Mansa, a native of Arizona, is a perennial plant that generally grows in riparian areas. Years ago, I first came upon a rather large colony of Yerba Mansa in Southeastern Arizona where it grows abun- dantly in stands in its natural habitat near hot, bubbling springs. Yerba Mansa thrives here in its swampy, boggy environment where the water at the ground surface is acidic and low in nutrients. The ground that surrounds the Yerba Mansa colony is clay- like and alkalinized. It has been fascinating to see this colony continue to expand over the years, and for the Yerba Mansa roots to take hold in an environment which other plants do not survive.
I’ve also come upon Yerba Mansa plants, a few at a time, growing along the Verde River near the Verde Valley, and also some very small colonies growing near various springs throughout the state.
Flowering season: Late spring, Summer
Physical Makeup
Flower color: Strikingly white bracts and yellow flowers
description: The flower heads are yellow, cone-shaped, and surrounded by 5 to 8, un- equal, 3/4-inch (2 cm) long, petal-like white bracts around the flower base. The flower resembles a coneflower.
height: To 18 inches (46 cm) tall, generally grows in low growing stands.
leaves: Basal, oblong in shape, rounded, thick, lush and succulent, 2” to 6”
long, characterized as an inflorescent sil- very reddish lining on the stem and edges of the leaves.
root: The root is especially succulent, juicy, filled with powerful aromatic proper- ties. Roots are spongy like and grow in mass- es, rooting at the nodes of strong rhizomes and intersecting with other roots, thus form- ing colonies that continue to spread. The color inside the fleshy root varies from a pinkish to an orange-red.
In the Fall, Yerba Mansa turns brick-red. 12” – 18” seed stalks blend into its brick-red basal
leaves, eventually leaving behind its dead fo- liage. Then in early spring, new leaves begin to grow from its root crowns.
Aromatic: Even if you first don’t notice the Yerba Mansa, most likely you will smell it. Powerfully aromatic from its root to its flow- ers, Yerba Mansa’s stimulating woody bou- quet reminds me of a blend of menthol and eucalyptus. It is fresh and clean, increasing mental alertness and awareness. Its deodor- izing scent gives off as being an antiseptic
and anti-fungal, clearing the nasal passages, cooling the throat, & invigorating the body.
taste: In tasting Yerba Mansa, you con- nect with the sense of the healing properties it provides. It tastes as fresh and clean as it smells, and once taken, you know that it will support the clearing of germ infestations in your throat, nasal passages, and sinuses. You can feel and taste its antiseptic cleansing ef- fects in your mouth and when you swallow.
Medicinal Uses:
• Inflammation of the mucous membranes, swollen gums, sore throat, sinus infections, irritated cough, laryngitis, and ulcers of the stomach and duodenum. Drink as a tea or take as a tincture, gargle and rinse. Prepare a nasal spray for hay fever and head colds: a water percolation of 1:10, with 20% glycerin and 10% alcohol (Michael Moore, Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West).
• As a diuretic, Yerba Mansa relieves the build up of water causing inflammation in the joints by stimulating the excretion of nitrogenous acids, especially uric acid. It’s known for its aspirin like anti-inflammatory affects. (Michael Moore, Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West).
• As an antibacterial and antifungal, use drops of tincture for use on external injuries (such as skin abrasions, cuts) as a first aid treatment.
• As a powerful astringent, Yerba Mansa also cleanses acne. (A sitz bath made with 1tsp tincture:1 quart water in the bath will treat boils, chronic hemorrhoids, anal fis- sures, muscle and joint pains.)
• Using the dried roots to make a salve, Yerba Mansa is a powerful healer, treating unusual skin infections, skin boils and ab- scesses. (I made a salve for one particular case study in which the salve cured a skin abscess on a person’s wrist who had the ab- scess for over a year, and it was spreading out into a larger circle. She religiously ap- plied the salve 2x – 3x times a day, covering the area with gauze. The abscess came to a
“point” oozing out, and by the end of the sec- ond week, it cleared up. No more abscess.)
Collection: The best time to collect is in the Fall after the first freeze when leaves have died back into brown. Dig roots with a shovel.
Doctrine of Signatures: Yerba Mansa loves swampy, boggy ground. This signature relates to the conditions in which it treats such as slow healing and boggy symptoms of the mouth, throat, lungs, intestinal and urinary tracts.
| rhonda Pallas-Downey is the founder of Living Flower essences and the Center for Plant Studies and healing arts. author of the Healing Power of Flowers and Voices of the
Flowers. info@centerpsha@com.
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