Traditional Medicinal Herbs with Brophy Toledo

There is medicine growing everywhere around us, from our backyards, to forests and open spaces around the country, so long as you know what to look for. In this video, Flower Hill Institute’s Cultural Advisor, Brophy Toledo of Jemez Pueblo, describes two medicines readily found throughout the Southwestern United States. Brophy names these in the Towa language, which is spoken in the Jemez Pueblo. Due to cultural protocols, there is no written form of Towa, so we will refer to these medicines by their English names: Cota and Ephedra.

Cota

Readily found in dry fields and meadows around the Southwest, Cota is an important medicine and sacred herb for Indigenous communities throughout the Southwest. Each community has a different relationship to Cota and uses it in different ways. Brophy describes Cota as a stomach medicine, a “gut-feeling medicine” that can help people figure out what’s going on in their bodies and bring things back into balance.

If you wish to prepare Cota, you must first find it. There are a number of subspecies of Cota that cover a wide range of habitats and environments, from Arizona to Nebraska, as far North as South Dakota and as far South as Mexico. Cota is a perennial wildflower that can tolerate very dry conditions and loves sun, so it often inhabits upland plains, open fields, and desert scrubland, and seems to particularly like limestone, even growing in the cracks and crevices on limestone cliffs. It can also be easily cultivated in most backyards.

Cota is most commonly ingested as a tea. To prepare Cota tea, harvest the plant by cutting it several inches above the soil, just as the flower buds open. If you are not growing it yourself, don’t take more than you need and be sure to leave more than enough plants to sustain the population. A good rule is no more than 1/12th. Allow the plant to dry completely. Make bundles of the leaves, stems, and flowers by folding them together into uniform lengths, and tie the bundles with string. These can be steeped as an herbal tea and then consumed.

Brophy suggests use of Cota in the evening or at night, when the Cota does its job best, in order to wake up refreshed and balanced.

Ephedra

Cota and Ephedra, also known as Mormon Tea, are complements to one another. Ephedra can balance blood cells, and improves resilience to the disruptions of daily life by inducing a calming and grounding effect.

Ephedra grows across the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, from New Mexico to Washington. It thrives in dry environments, and can typically be found in the deserts, mountains, and rocky woodlands in its native ranges. Junipers, creosote bush, four-wing saltbrush, galleta grass, and pinyons are common allies, and are often found growing near Ephedra.

Ephedra is typically prepared as tea. In order to do so, harvest new, green twigs and allow them to dry. Steep these in boiling water for a while. Enjoy the Ephedra’s strong aroma, and think about how you and these medicines belong together.

Please consult a doctor before ingesting any of these medicines, and abide by all rules and regulations when foraging or gathering.

If you’re interested in learning more about these plants, check out the following sources: