curlycup gumweed
sticky
Grindelia squarrosa is a very interesting member of the asteraceae family and is very easy to identify in the wild. The sticky resinous centers of the blooms are hard to miss and they are also a fantastic docterine of signature to show us it’s uses. A good example is the stickiness within the lungs in times of illness. Working with this plant gets interesting as you try and keep yourself from being sticky all over from this plant. Luckily, the scent left behind with the resin, has a pleasant sort of incense smell. I was visiting family in Utah, when I came across this wild medicine on roadsides, and in disturbed soils all over the place. I knew right away what it was because I had just been studying this plant. I was so excited, I ran up the road and jumped right in the middle of tons of bushes growing wild, and yelled to my partner, “Look at all this Curlycup Gumweed! It’s everywhere!” He looked at me like, I don’t know what you just said, but okay! Let’s harvest! It was a fun way to introduce him to this wild medicine.
skin and lungs
Many different Native American tribes used this sticky lady in the treatment of sores and rashes by either boiling the resinous flowerheads, or picking the fresh blooms and pounding them, and creating a poultice to spread over the infected areas. They also made a tea in the same way to treat cough and congestion. These methods are still very acceptable uses for this plant. Today, we still use Curlycup Gumweed in the same way, especially to treat poison oak, poison ivy, and other skin conditions. Another wonderful way to process Curlycup Gumweed is to make an extract using the fresh leaves and flowering tops. This method is a great way to keep the medicine for long periods of time for use whenever needed. This extract has sedative, antispasmodic and expectorant properties that are used in modern herbal medicine for treating asthma, bronchitis, and the lingering dry cough that lasts a long time after a cold. When we have an unproductive cough like this, it can be hard on the body, leaving us tired and miserable. This Curlycup Gumweed extract helps us to cough up that phlegm that is buried deep within the lung to finally begin feeling better after a long lingering cold and cough.