Chaparral is a shrubby desert plant found in the southwestern U.S., Mexico and Argentina. The bush is also known as grease wood and creosote, which reference the characteristic tar-like odor the entire plant exudes after it rains.
Internal use is not recommended due to potential kidney and liver toxicity, but may be used to produce tinctures for topical applications.
Chaparral, also known as creosote bush because of the tar-like odor it exudes after a rainfall, is a perennial shrub found throughout the southwestern United States, most notably in California. The plant has also earned the nickname gobernadora, which means “governess” in Spanish, because it ensures its survival by drawing a greater share of available water away from neighboring plants. There’s little doubt that this ability has enabled one variety of this herb to survive in the Mohave Dessert for more than 11,000 years
