Trichostema lanatum explained

Trichostema lanatum, the woolly bluecurls, is a small evergreen shrub or sub-shrub native to arid coastal chaparral regions of California down to the northern tip of Baja California.

Trichostema lanatum is many-branched and grows to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, with narrow, pointed green leaves. The smooth-petaled blue flowers are borne in dense clusters, with the stem and calyces covered in woolly hairs of blue, pink, or white. Flowers are present from March to June.[1]

Spanish explorers in California called the plant romero, the Spanish term for rosemary, and that common name is still sometimes used.[2]

Uses

Trichostema lanatum is cultivated as an ornamental plant, and several cultivars have been developed.[2] It attracts hummingbirds and bumblebees.[3]

It is aromatic and glandular. Native Americans used it for a variety of medicinal and other purposes.[4]

Its leaves and flowers make a flavorful tea.[2]

Indigenous medicinal use

Trichostema lanatum was incorporated by the Chumash to help facilitate the healing process of menstruation and birth.[5] When tested against an E.Coli ▵tolC mutant, woolly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum) exhibited anti-bacterial properties.[6] [7] Studies have also shown anti-inflammatory properties against pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-ɑ and anti-bacterial properties against macrophages and gram-postivie bacteria, corresponding with the use of woolly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum) as a disinfectant and treatment for rheumatism by the Chumash peoples of California.[8]

Trichostema lanceolatum was used by California Indigenous tribes in the form of tea or crushed leaves to treat a range of ailments including common olds, body aches, skin disorders, digestive problems, and malaria.[9] Trichostema lanceolatum and Trichostema lanatum are both a part of the Lamiaceae family. They differ in smell, smell, and location found.[10] [11] Indigenous tribes used Trichostema lanatum to treat the same ailments as Trichostema lanceolatum. Woolly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum) and other native plants have historically been used by Indigenous peoples in a holistic approach to medical care, which typically considers patient health and well-being at the intersection of biology, psychology, and culture, and manipulating the biochemical properties of native plants to treat the ailment.[12]

Future studies of woolly bluecurls and other plants used by Indigenous peoples for medicinal purposes will need to focus on the use of such plants in a broader cultural system of care. Such work can be challenging, given the historical, systematic erasure of Indigenous wisdom that has been a primary function of settler colonialism.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Calflora: Trichostema lanatum. www.calflora.org. en. 2017-06-16.
  2. Rogers, D. (2001). Romero or Woolly Blue Curls. Double Cone Quarterly.
  3. http://www.smmtc.org/plantofthemonth/plant_of_the_month_200607_Woolly_Blue_Curls.htm Santa Monica Mountains Plant of the Month
  4. http://naeb.brit.org/uses/species/3994/ Ethnobotany
  5. Adams . James D. . Garcia . Cecilia . March 2006 . Women's Health Among the Chumash . Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine . 3 . 1 . 125–131 . 10.1093/ecam/nek021 . 1741-427X . 1375244 . 16550233.
  6. Allison . Brittany J. . Allenby . Mark C. . Bryant . Shane S. . Min . Jae Eun . Hieromnimon . Mark . Joyner . P. Matthew . 2017-03-19 . Antibacterial activity of fractions from three Chumash medicinal plant extracts and in vitro inhibition of the enzyme enoyl reductase by the flavonoid jaceosidin . Natural Product Research . en . 31 . 6 . 707–712 . 10.1080/14786419.2016.1217201 . 27482826 . 45752002 . 1478-6419.
  7. Fleming . Matthew . 2014-03-21 . Extracts of Trichostema lanatum inhibit the growth of gram-positive bacteria and an Escherichia coli ΔtolC mutant strain . Seaver College Research and Scholarly Achievement Symposium.
  8. Fleming . Matthew C. . Hester . Victoria . Allison . Brittany J. . Foster . Majie C. . Nofziger . Donna . Joyner . P. Matthew . 2018-03-21 . Immunomodulatory and Antibacterial Properties of the Chumash Medicinal Plant Trichostema lanatum . Medicines . 5 . 2 . 25 . 10.3390/medicines5020025 . free . 2305-6320 . 6023444 . 29561753.
  9. Web site: USDA Plants Database . 2023-12-18 . plants.usda.gov.
  10. Web site: Plant of the Month Page . 2023-12-18 . Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council . en.
  11. Web site: bluecurls (Genus Trichostema) . 2023-12-18 . iNaturalist . en.
  12. Koithan . Mary . Farrell . Cynthia . 2010-06-01 . Indigenous Native American Healing Traditions . The Journal for Nurse Practitioners . 6 . 6 . 477–478 . 10.1016/j.nurpra.2010.03.016 . 1555-4155 . 2913884 . 20689671.