If you spend time outdoors on the California coast you will likely encounter a common and wonderful native plant, Artemisia californica. This fragrant herb is known as California sagebrush, or coast sagebrush. It has a fantastic, sage-like aroma, although it is not in the sage family. This native medicinal herb is quite common in the San Francisco Bay Area, and throughout California.
For me, the smell of this aromatic herb perfectly embodies the positive attributes of the coastal California climate. It is cool and cleansing, invigorating and inspiring, like the breeze on a misty morning by the sea. I found delight in this plant long before I ever studied herbalism or Chinese Medicine. Here are some images to enjoy, then I will present this herb’s therapeutic functions and its interpretation according to Chinese Medicine herbology.
The California indigenous people up and down the coast use this herb for many important medicinal functions. A few common therapeutic uses include dysmenorrhea and induction of labor. Artemisia californica is used as a respiratory tonic, to clear various fevers and infections. It is also used as a potent topical analgesic for muscle pain, rheumatic conditions, and arthritic pain. Native people have used the herb for spiritual ceremony and in daily life.
Modern research supports the therapeutic benefits of this plant. Artemisia californica produces potent aromatic terpenes, similar to conifer or camphor resin. It boasts a range of powerful alkaloids and flavonoids. These chemical compounds create a distinctive aroma and contribute to its therapeutic functions. Research links California sagebrush with significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, specifically when prepared and applied as a topical liniment.
I have yet to find a reference to this plant in any of my Chinese Medicine texts or resources, so I will venture a few comments based on my own experience. We can classify Artemisia californica as cool-natured, with a bitter, spicy, and slightly sweet taste. We can categorize this herb as a medicine to clear heat and regulate the Qi.
Its therapeutic functions according to Chinese Medicine include clearing heat, resolving pain, spreading the Liver Qi and resolving stagnation, and harmonizing the interior/exterior Qi (known as the “Shao Yang”).
At our acupuncture clinic in Berkeley, California, we make a potent topical liniment from wild-crafted Artemisia californica. We have not experimented with using this herb internally as a decoction or in an herbal formula. I would be very interested to try working with this herb as a decoction, particularly for symptoms of dysmenorrhea, respiratory symptoms, and early to middle-stage febrile symptoms.
The wonderful thing about studying herbal medicines is that there is always more to discover and learn. Working with a local native plant brings us closer to the ancestral culture and ecology of the land we live on. I hope that someday I can learn more about the role this beautiful plant plays for the indigenous people of California. They are the original communities and the original medical practitioners for millennia in this region.
As we move into another summer in Berkeley, Oakland, and the greater California coast regions, I invite you to join me in enjoying and celebrating the native plants in our neighborhoods, hills, and coastlines. If we keep an eye out, we will likely find our friend, Artemisia californica, reaching out its fragrant fingers to us as we walk by. Let us take those moments to refresh, feel grateful, and be inspired!