Title: The Botanical Lore of the California Indians
Author: John Bruno Romero
Release date: June 30, 2017 [eBook #55009]
Most recently updated: October 23, 2024
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
by
JOHN BRUNO ROMERO
“HA-HA-ST OF TAWEE”
VANTAGE PRESS, INC., NEW YORK
COPYRIGHT, 1954, BY JOHN BRUNO ROMERO
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 54-8325
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
To My Uncle
Chief William Pablo
of Mahum and Guana-pia-pa
Of all the books written concerning the Indians of North America, I don’t know of one which treats of the Indians’ great knowledge of medicine, the vast store which was theirs of plants and herbs which possessed curative and healing qualities, many of them far superior, even today, to the medicine used by the white physician.
There is a reason. In some instances the white man did not get the correct information from his Indian brother due to the latter’s inability to make himself understood—this was, of course, also true of the former. Again, some information given was intentionally wrong due to the ill-feeling the Indian had for the white man. And again, many of those healing plants were held in such veneration by the Indians, that to impart their virtues to a white man was an unpardonable crime, and the punishment meted out to the offender was of the severest form.
I am an Indian, proud of it and of my forefathers, whose bitterness toward the white man was only too well justified. But time changes all things and bitterness and hatred never made for understanding nor happiness.
In this spirit I wrote this book, in the spirit of doing good. And in this I have the help and permission of my dear uncle, Chief Pablo, of the Mahuna tribe of Indians of Southern California, who permitted me to describe certain plants whose curative properties have been kept a secret by the Indians for over one hundred years. This is the first time they are made known.
The Indian, living close to and with nature—the greatest teacher of all for those who have eyes to see—became nature’s most intelligent pupil. Gifted with the keenest observation and the ability to reason, he searched the discovered plants which nature herself had provided for any ailment, sickness, or mishap which might befall him.
I am sending this book out into the world not for fame, but as a messenger of goodwill and peace. May it be received in this spirit and accomplish its mission.
A gruesome, terrible year, the year of 1825! The fatal year when thousands of Indians of the Pacific Southwest were destroyed by that merciless, frightful scourge, smallpox. And the tradition of its ravages is kept alive even today among the descendants of the few who escaped death.
The tribal herb doctors at that time were wholly unprepared to combat this disease which wrought such fearful havoc. Sweeping along the entire Pacific Coast, it exacted a heavy toll of human lives, so heavy, in fact, that the number of Indians destroyed exceeded that of the American lives lost on the battlefields during World War I.
The epidemic ravaged not only the Pacific Coast. It even spread over the adjacent territories, carrying death everywhere it struck.
Not until the end of that terrible year did some of the Indian herb doctors begin to devote their attention to the disease. And then, calling upon all there was in their knowledge of medicinal plants, the chieftains, accompanied by their medicine men, held a council at which the matter of curing this destructive disease was brought under serious discussion.
That memorable meeting took place in the world-famous Palm Canyon, bordering the eastern slopes of San Jacinto Peak—better known to us by its true native name of Tahquitz—situated at the extreme eastern part of Riverside County.
After the adjournment of the meeting the chiefs and medicine men dispersed, returning to their respective tribes to resume their regular duties, each one with instructions to study ways and means which would effectively eradicate the scourge so greatly feared by all Indians.
Now, among those who had attended the meeting was Senior Chief Andres Lucero, of the Mahuna tribe, who was looked upon by all Indians as the possessor of the greatest knowledge of botanical medicine, and a master-teacher among his fellow tribesmen who rightly considered him as being without a peer in his field—thorough research and experimentation. In his experimental work he was more successful than any other, having had many years of experience. In addition, he possessed valuable medical knowledge which for centuries had been handed down from generation to generation, each recipient becoming a true master in the field of Indian medical science.
The men trained in the science of medicine were those who had a natural aptitude and inclination for the care of the sick—that is, men worthy of being selected to be taught anatomy and the various ailments of the human body.
Evidence of this is to be seen in paintings and hieroglyphics found in our Indian caves, which, in due time, it will be my duty to use in photographic illustration in order to correct many erroneous interpretations existing in collections and writings.
To return to the beginning of our narrative, Andres Chino Pablo, while deeply pondering one day on the problem of what to give his stricken people, bethought himself suddenly of how in previous years he had treated violent fevers.
One was the fever which accompanied pneumonia and which was, at times, fully as dangerous as any fever known to mankind. But it was easily overcome through the administration of compounded herb steam baths.
In the course of time “Black Measles” made, by mere accident, its first appearance in the Pacific Southwest, again causing widespread terror among the Indians. However, Chief Andres Lucero had already decided what to do to check the epidemic. Standing calm and cool one morning and facing the rising sun, he called his people to him, everyone, young and old. Like a shaft of granite he stood, straight and erect, his eyes scanning carefully each member of his tribe. At last, with tears in his eyes, showing how deeply moved he was at the woe of his people, he announced his decision. His words were few:
“My sons and daughters, as the Great Spirit arises in the East, he comes to help us and he has given me the medicine and the power to cure all those of you who are sick. You will now go to the big cave where you will receive proper care and treatment. All of you shall go, even those who are not suffering from this devil’s disease. And you will all be treated alike so that your blood shall be purified to guard you against the disease.”
In other words, to render them “immune,” in our language of today.
Now, one of the many caves in the San Jacinto mountain range, one which formerly had been used for religious studies in Chino Canyon, was converted into a cave-hospital and thousands of Indians were treated therein.
Due to the supposition, at the time, that the measles, then an unknown malady among the Indians, was really another form of smallpox—the diagnosis made didn’t differ materially from the latter—the conclusion arrived at was to treat the disease accordingly.
A tireless and stubborn fight was waged by Chief Andres Lucero. Day and night he labored indefatigably, not only attending to his people, but also instructing other chieftains what to do and what to use, thus letting them share in his success in healing the sick.
Later on, the disease appeared in Twenty Nine Palms, in Borrego Valley, Indio, Coachella, Yuma, Temecula, Mojave, Tehachapi, Soboba—in fact, in all the small Indian settlements throughout the desert and mountain. Chief Andres Lucero was extremely satisfied with the results of his labors which had laid the cornerstone of knowledge and preparedness for the year of 1859, when a true epidemic of smallpox made its appearance again.
Investigations revealed that the scourge had started (Temamaka) to the north and had come (Kichamba) southward. Again the eye beheld the sad scenes of dead human bodies strewn along the valleys and mountains. The worst suffering was among the Indian tribes dwelling to the northward, who had shown a complete disregard of Chief Andres Chino Pablo, and paid no attention whatever to his messages and warnings.
However, the Chief stuck to his post until he saw his people safe. Those who died were comparatively few. The dead were those who, becoming panic-stricken through memories brought to their minds of former happenings, had fled into the desert. Had they but conquered their fears and obeyed the Chief’s orders, nothing would have happened to them. Those were the victims of the plague—the deserters from the tribes. The smallpox was kept well under control in the settlements with only a two per cent death rate, which means practically nothing when compared with a previous death rate of fifty per cent caused by the same kind of plague. In some localities it rose to almost ninety per cent. Truly those were dark days indeed for the American Indians.
I shall now give, roughly, the medicinal plants used then and again in the same manner in the year 1918 when the “Black Plague,” commonly known as “Spanish Influenza” was raging throughout the American continent and Europe. It was a strange coincidence, indeed, that a great many of those who escaped death from the enemy’s bullets on the battlefield perished from the “Black Plague.” The Indians, however, again won their battle against this frightful disease by the same means which had been employed against measles and smallpox with no loss of life whatsoever.
What a worthy and successful experiment it had proved to be under the wise guidance of Chief Andres Lucero, of the Mahuna Indians of Guana-pia-pa! He was truly a noble character whose labors, love for his people, and self-sacrifice saved the lives of thousands of Indians, and without whose loyalty and kindness to other tribesmen, the American Indian in the Pacific Southwest would be an extinct race of people today, with no one to tell what had actually taken place in the wild mountain regions and the desolate desert, which were neither inhabited nor trespassed upon by the white race.
The Indians compounded steam-bath herbs for the cure of “Black Measles” and smallpox from the following:
| Indian Name | |
| Artemisia tridentata | Ulu-ca-hul-vall |
| Larrea mexicana | Ato-col |
| Piperacea | Chu-co-pot |
| Eriodictyon glutinosum californicum | Ta-que-bel |
| Adiantum capillus-Veneris | Tal-wal |
Herb tea given to the patients was made from the following:
| Ephedra | Tut-tut |
| Sambucus pubens | Haa-saat |
Please bear in mind that the Indian name Tut-tut bestowed upon the plant Ephedra means something that pertains to the very sacred in Indian medicinal art. This sacred Indian name befitted the plant for the great medical value it possessed and for the important part it played in stamping out the horrible smallpox plague of 1857.
Thus came about the saving of Indian lives.
Help us save and preserve the wild plants for the benefit of mankind.
Chief William Pablo, III
Medicine Man
Mahum and Guana-pia-pa
meaning:
White Water and Palm Springs area, California
Commonly known as Blue Star Flower Grass. Found widely distributed along the rich southern slopes of the lower coastal ranges. Effective in the treatment of functional affections of the stomach. In the form of tea, the entire plant was used to eradicate all kinds of stomach worms. Flowering season from March to April.
Known also as Monkey Flower, a plant not indigenous to any particular soil, grows abundantly in California in the lower coastal ranges, and also in the upper regions. Leaves, flowers, and stems were taken in the form of tea, and effected a thorough cure in severe cases of diarrhea.
Also called Wild Grape. It occurs mostly along rich river bottoms and marshy soils generally. Usually associated with Wild Berry Vines.
The Wild Blackberry. The roots of either of the two genera, boiled into a tea and given the patient, will afford permanent relief in mild cases of diarrhea. The roots may be gathered and used at any time of the year.
Also called Shepherd’s Purse. Probably one of the most common of all plants in Southern California soils, growing throughout the year on irrigated lands and on arid soils. Boiled into a tea it is a certain cure for even severe cases of dysentery. No more than two to three cups should be taken. This little plant is a blessing to mankind and should be made use of. It is the medicinal queen, and surpasses all others in cases of dysentery and diarrhea.
American Pennyroyal. Considered as the greatest nuisance by farmers. As a curative agent in severe cases of dysentery it ranks next to Capsella bursa-pastoris. It is general throughout California, and blooms from August to September.
American Field Camomile. A very common plant growing everywhere in California. It was used extensively for babies suffering from colic, and also to regulate unsettled stomachs.
American Common Mallow, compounded with blossoms of California Wild Rose, or the seed.
American California Wild Rose. This beautiful wild rose-bush inhabits the coastal ranges, and may be found far inland along open spaces in heavy woodland abounding in rather rich and mulchy soil.
Used in cases of stomach fevers, the ripe seed is given in the form of tea to relieve the stomach clogged with food as well as in so-called cases of painful congestion.
Skirting for its habitat the high mountain lands, it is very seldom found anywhere else. It is a native of California, and is used chiefly for the relief of ordinary stomach-ache. When in bloom it is very fragrant and blossoms from late May till June. (American Horsemint—sometimes called Pennyroyal)
Its habitat is confined to a few localities in San Diego County, the coastal regions in Santa Barbara, Orange County, and in San Bernardino along the southern border of the Mojave Desert.
It was used in the form of an infusion in cases of constipation caused by fever of the stomach.
American Juniper Berry. Its habitat extends from our high mountain ranges in northern San Diego County to Monterey County. The berries have a short season, ripening in these regions from late in July until early in September. They were used for making tea or simply chewed in cases of La Grippe fevers. They may be gathered, dried, and stored for future use.
American Wild Peony. It inhabits shady canyons growing only on deep, rich, decomposed mulch. The blossoms are of deep red color, and the blooming season lasts from May until June. Its roots bear a strong resemblance to young sweet potatoes and were gathered to be used in the form of tea for complicated lung fevers. The tea has a decidedly bitter taste.
American Wild Vervain. Inhabits the lower coastal ranges and pasture lands. Its blooming period is from late in May until July. This plant is remarkable for bearing three different colored blossoms—in some localities white, in others, pink, and then again, blue—all this owing to the mineral soil formation. The root is used for complicated stomach fevers.
Grows along rivers and lake borders. This plant, being of a semiaquatic nature, resembles some of our wild orchids and blooms but a short season. The entire plant is used in cases of fevers complicated with headaches.
American Elderberry. Indigenous to the coastal regions. The yellow blossoms were extensively used by all Indian tribes only in cases of measles.
American Four O’clock. The root of this plant served the same purpose as American Elderberry. Its habitat is Santa Barbara County, Calif., and it is not found anywhere else in a wild state.
There are no records that it was used for other eruptive fevers such as smallpox, scarlet fever, etc. These were introduced into this country later on by white European adventurers and settlers, the first cases being recorded in 1825. These diseases were greatly dreaded by the Indians, and whenever any of them contracted this malady, they would invariably vacate the locality they were in, and move many miles away to virgin country.
And, as a warning of danger to fellow tribesmen and to keep them away from the abandoned camp, all the rock mortars and clay pots were turned upside down and partly buried in the ground.
Grows in alkaline soils and its blooming season is from August to September. The plant was used a great deal in cases of itching skin eruption caused by poison oak, and is a cure for such disorders. (American Gum Plant)
Botanical Serum. This is the poison oak itself, of which the roots, during the dormant period, are cut and properly dried. When taken in the form of tea in a quantity of not more than four ounces, it will render a person immune against any further poisoning. This is a bona fide Indian formula.[1] Blooming season from May to June.
American Cotton Weed. Its habitat is all along the Southern California hill slopes, and the beautiful pearly flowers are used for ulcers and sores of the feet which fail to respond to treatment by other medicaments. The blossoms must be boiled. The liquid obtained is used to bathe the feet, and all parts of the skin affected. A very effective cure. The blossoms are also ground into a powder and applied to the part affected.
American Western Goldenrod. Its habitat is the river and creek bottom lands. Quite common in California, this plant has great healing power, especially in cases of old raw burns that have failed to heal properly, as well as major rotten ulcers. The leaves of the plant may be boiled and the liquid used to bathe the affected parts; while the pulp, as a poultice, is to be placed upon the burns and ulcers to promote disinfection and to hasten a rapid growth of new healthy flesh.
Solidago nemoralis has one other great virtue of considerable value. Two to three baths in a strong solution, prepared by boiling, will cure the Seven-Year Itch and free the victim from that terrible malady.
American Wild Fuchsia. A native of the coastal ranges, northward from San Diego County to Monterey, Calif., this dark-green shrub is very attractive to the eye. It bears an array of deep-red blossoms, well-formed in clusters, at the very tip of long slender branches. It was used as a poultice and a wash for fistulas and deep, pus-running ulcers.
A native of California, it is quite common on our inland fields. It is used for minor skin eruptions and scalp diseases. Used as a wash only. It blooms from early May to July.
American Common Ragweed. Grows in abundance in swamps and along waterways. There are two distinct species of this worthy plant, the dwarf variety and the gigantic kind. Either may be used for the same purpose as mentioned for Euphorbia. In full bloom from July to September.
American Common Sage. Habitat, the California desert. For a good many years this plant has been used to restore the color of hair, but the method used and practiced is far from that of our people, the Indians. And this can be traced back to the misunderstanding of the people who first introduced this use of sage for that purpose. Of course, washing the hair with it as a scalp treatment will do no harm, because the plant itself has soothing and healing qualities; but to maintain the natural color of the hair, or to restore gray hair to its former color, one must drink the infusion when compounded in the way we know. The plant blooms from April to June.
Habitat, the coastal regions. The infusion made from this plant was used a great deal in cases of vaginal trouble. Blooming period from March to May. (American Wormwood)
American White Salvia, playing a very important part in healing internally and removing particles of the afterbirth. The infusion from the roots was given to the patient to drink regularly in place of water.
American Creosote Bush. Its habitat covers the entire length and breadth of the Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, and Riverside. This plant was used in cases of cramps of the stomach due to delayed menstruation, and in cases of this nature not more than one half of a cup of the tea was drunk. This plant is in full foliage from May to October.
Its habitat is in swamp bottom lands. The root of the plant was used in cases where the menstrual period had been overdue for five or as many as ten days. The plant itself has a rather offensive odor, but the boiled root is quite agreeable to the taste and very effective. The patient may drink as much of the tea as desired. Blooming season from March to late fall. (American Goosefoot)
American Garden Rue. A common garden shrub introduced into this country at the beginning of the early mission days.
Although the odor of this plant is quite disagreeable to the sense of smell, the infusion is very rich in flavor and not bad at all.
American Swamp Root. Habitat, swamps. This plant is plentiful in California—the territory where it grows wild could be measured in thousands of acres. When cut, dried, and powdered, it can be used for the disinfection of knife-cut wounds, and to draw and promote the growth of healthy flesh. (Spanish Yerba Mansa)
Habitat, low, sandy loam soils. For above-mentioned purposes this plant is very valuable from a medicinal standpoint, as it makes all wounds respond quickly to healing, when used as a wash and for disinfection of cuts. A wet pulpy poultice must be applied to the wounds for quick results. The plant blooms from June to August. (American Gum Plant)
American Deer Ears. Habitat, the high sierras and coastal ranges. The infusion is used for the treatment of infected sores.
American Green Sage. Its habitat is the Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County and north of the southern borders of the San Joaquin Valley. This plant is very valuable, being very powerful and of great medicinal use, and much attention should be given it by men of science.
The Indians used it universally in cases of serious and major wounds—the infusion being given the patient if symptoms of blood poisoning were present. Tetanus, commonly known as lockjaw, was easily overcome, thus eliminating the surgical operations so frequently resorted to by the medical profession. The infusion was also administered in cases of childbirth as a preventative of blood poisoning and gangrene with Ramona polystachya.
American Cactus Pear. Its habitat, the desert and dry lands. This plant was fully as important as Piperacea. The large leaves were scraped of their thorns and a plug made out of the leaf, according to the nature of the wound, and inserted into it, healing it quite rapidly—a first-class piece of botanical surgery.
American Plantain. Its habitat is swamps and localities where there is abundant moisture. The plant, like many others, was used to dislodge and draw deeply embedded poisonous thorns and splinters from the flesh. The operation was quite simple. It consisted of applying a light coating of suet on one of the leaves, this was covered with another leaf and then placed, tied down firmly, over the thorn or splinter to be removed. It usually requires about 10 hours for the thorn to appear at the surface of the skin. The same procedure can also be used by persons who have accidentally stepped on a rusty nail—thus avoiding danger of blood poisoning. The simple poultice described above will prevent that.
The California Clematis is a sister plant of the Eastern Clematis, a very good healer in the treatment of skin eruptions, the infusion to be used as a wash.
Inhabits the mid-coast and inland ranges, and, to the east, the territory where Daniel Boone’s activities played their part and took their place in American history. Nothing, however, is mentioned about this plant at the time the Indians were pursuing him in the wilds of Kentucky, and yet it was one of the strong vines of Clematis which enabled Daniel Boone to escape and save his life by cutting it with his hunting knife above ground and hurling himself far out, thus putting the Indians off his track.
Myself an Indian, I have always admired Daniel Boone for his cool presence of mind. He was brave and fearless, although not a showman like Buffalo Bill and others whose exploits were chiefly founded on personal motives.
American Wild Rhubarb. Thrives in dead, sandy soils, and is very common throughout Southern California. The roots are long and bear a close resemblance to sweet potatoes. The infusion made from it has an acrid taste, and, when used as a gargle several times in cases of cough and sore throat, it will be found to give complete relief. The plant blooms in June and July.
American California Wild Cherry. At home in the high mountain ranges. An infusion of the bark in spring or summer while the sap is running, or of the roots in winter when the tree is dormant, may be used for common coughs.
Holly-Leaf Cherry. Used for the same purposes as Prunus serotina.
American Queen of the Meadows. Its habitat is the low coastal ranges. The root of the plant was used for common coughs and chest colds.
American Joe-Pye Weed. It was used for the same purpose as Spiraea salicifolia in localities where that plant couldn’t be obtained, although the latter was greatly preferred for the extra medicinal qualities it possessed as a mild laxative. The root, when made into an infusion, is extremely pungent and rich in flavor, but agreeable in taste to most people.
American Horehound. Its habitat is the woodland. Although the infusion made from the leaves and flowers is rather bitter, it is very good for ordinary coughs and sore throats.
American Black Sage. This plant is one of the most valuable of all for the cure of deep dry coughs of long standing, which have settled in the bronchial tubes. This does not mean coughs of two or three weeks’ duration, but those which have existed for a period of from four to six months and which have, therefore, reached a chronic, dangerous stage.
The infusion was made full strength and given to the patient in small doses, hot—never cold—in the daytime, and one extra big dose before retiring.
American Hay-Scented Wild Fern. Its habitat lies in the high California mountain ranges. We are now coming to the tuberculosis line. Hemorrhages of the lungs, and common diseases which prevail to a great extent among people who, through neglect and irregular habits, intensify coughs and colds.
It was nothing to an Indian to overcome these maladies of the lungs, which in his case were usually due to accidental injury. This wild fern bears oil nodules on the crown of the root system and they are available only at a certain period, from May to June.
Commonly known as Yerba Santa, this plant proved to be possessed of great medicinal merits, and was very soon adopted by the mission friars for its outstanding qualities in the cure of coughs, asthma, rheumatism and pneumonia, being rightly considered as far superior in this respect to any of the other medicines brought by them from Europe. In fact, so great was the medicinal usefulness of these plants and hundreds of others known to the Indians, that they soon became the objects of study and investigation, which, however, met with failure, due to the severe punishment meted out to any and all Indians for divulging any secrets pertaining to the medical history of plants used by the tribes. A penalty which was sufficient to deter them from any further misdeeds in that direction, and which they always remembered. Quite a contrast to the modern, elastic laws of our present civilization.
American White Woolly Holly Plant is the sister plant of E. glutinosum.
American Bottle-Weed. Its habitat lies in the volcanic regions of the Mojave Desert. This plant is rather peculiar in its growth, thriving on poisonous volcanic soils, where no other form of plant life can exist. The Indians of the desert regions used the plant as a physic, and it outranks Rhamnus californica in this respect. The mission friars overlooked this plant for the reason that none of them ventured that far into the desert, valuing their lives above everything else.
The infusion obtained from the plant was used in very minimum doses, and when unable to do that, a small branch was cut and a very small piece was chewed by the constipated person.
American Coffee Berry. Its habitat is the canyons of high mountain ranges along waterway banks.
The bark was stripped off the trees, shade-dried and then ground in a ca-wish-pat-os-vaal, meaning the stone mortar and pestle generally used in those days, and even by druggists today, though made of different material. The prepared powder was used to a great extent at full strength in cases of constipation, and was administered in well-measured doses, but not in excess.
Owing to its medicinal properties this tree-plant was introduced into European countries where it gradually became the outstanding cathartic of all.
And this is the Rhamnus californica, the medicine of the Indians, named by Junipero De Serra Cascara sagrada—“Sacred Bark.”
Its habitat is confined to swampy lands. This plant is very fond of water, and attains a very vigorous growth under these conditions. Due to its aquatic nature, the plant, when fully matured, was gathered, shade-dried and an infusion made which was used solely in the treatment of prostate gland trouble. (American Horsetail)
Its habitat is the desert lands of California, northwestern Arizona, and Nevada.
This evergreen, shrubby plant was held in high esteem by all the Indians, and a good supply of it was always kept on hand for general use. The infusion made from it was used regularly to flush the kidneys. The tea is of a very delicious taste. A person cannot help liking it, and it also helps to purify the blood. (American Tea of the Indian)
American Purple Cliff Brake Fern. Its habitat: the high mountain ranges. This useful little fern grows abundantly on most of the limestone formations and is seldom found anywhere else. Like Ephedra it makes a delicious tea, which is used more or less for the same purpose, to flush the kidneys and to tone and thin the blood in severely hot summer weather as a preventative against sunstroke.
This plant is an inhabitant of the Mojave Desert. There are two different varieties, one of them being quite common on arid lands and side hills along our coastal highways. The other is the best, however, and, as a blood tonic, compares very favorably in medicinal worth with all others recommended.
The latter was used by the Indian for special cases of high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries.
It was generally used by Indian runners, and taken before and after a long-distance run over rough country.
American Speedwell.
American Garden Spearmint. Habitat, the lower marshy coastal regions.
American Mountain False Pennyroyal.
Both Ilysanthus (above) and Mentha Canadensis inhabit the high mid-coastal ranges and are frequently found lining the borders of mountain streams in beautiful settings of wild ferns. (American Mint)
Mint Family. A rare plant and found only in a few localities on the mid-coastal ranges, as in Orange County, San Juan Capistrano, at Hot Springs, situated on the southern slopes of the Trabuco mountains, Los Angeles County, Fish Canyon, Pasadena in Santa Barbara County, the heavy woodlands of Montecito Valley and in the Old Spanish Grand Rancho, San Leandro. It is also found northward as far as San Francisco at Angel Islands. The infusion was taken to soothe the nervous system in cases of insomnia.