Intro to Salal (Gaultheria shallon)

Suzanne “Queen Bee” Tabert 🐝

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The leaves of salal contain several phenolic acids including tannic and gallic acids. They dry out congested tissue.

Think of a sponge – when we squeeze a sponge, water comes out, it dries, and is then able to function better. The tannins in salal help to squeeze fluid out of the lungs and sinuses, as it were, bringing down inflammation and opening pathways to allow for better respiratory function.

The astringent and anti-inflammatory actions don’t limit themselves to the lungs and sinuses, but do affect the throat and upper intestinal mucosa, and through the bloodstream to the urinary tract. I put salal in my Pee Freely Tea formula to help keep urine flowing freely in both men and women.

Salal can be dried or tinctured fresh. Thanks! And as always, I love you and leave you WILD ABOUT PLANTS!

Suzanne "Queen Bee" Tabert 🐝

Suzanne Tabert, bioregional herbalist, speaker, and author, is director of herbal education and herbal mentor at the Cedar Mountain Herb School. An herbal medicine instructor for 35+ years, Suzanne teaches with great passion and excitement, bringing her wealth of herbal knowledge to students in an engaging and vibrant manner. She is the primary instructor at CMHS and an adjunct faculty at Bastyr University. Taking students to wild places and giving them tools to engage and connect with flora, fauna, and the exquisite beauty of nature is the icing on the cake of life, and one way that Suzanne is making a difference in the world, one person, one group at a time. Cedar Mountain Herb School is a member of the American Herbalists Guild, Partnership in Education with United Plant Savers, and the American Herb Association.