Herb Crush: Shegoi a.k.a. Chaparral

With a piping hot cup of sorrel tea in hand, old school R&B playing ever so softly, and a sea of herbal books circled around me -- yep, this is what Saturday mornings are made of -- reading and cross referencing between herbal books.

I started my quest analyzing between Western Herbalism and Island herbalism, which lead me to learn about an herb I had never ever heard of (chaparral) while reading through Dr. Keefa's book, "Standing in the Majesty of Grace." I started hunting for more info and discovered its other names Shegoi, Creosote Bush along with its scientific name Larrea tridentata. This shrub grows in southwest America and is popularly used in Mexico and Native American natural medicine.

Turns out, it's great for improving circulation and combating bites, stings, scrapes, rashes, yeast infections, and so much more. Herbalist 7Song says he often turns to chaparral as a first aid to treat infections.  I've read quite a few testimonials of people using the herb to shrink or eliminate tumors, and chaparral has been touted for addressing cancer (specifically effecting the liver, kidney or stomach). Indigenous cultures consider the herb a "cure all" quite possibly due to its blood cleansing action.

Additional studies lead me to find that Shegoi contains all of the necessary ANTIs: anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and its rich with antioxidants. Loving to discover herbal antibiotics, chaparral had my full attention. So, I ordered some through Mountain Rose, which arrived much quicker than I expected.

Once the herb arrived, I had to test it out. After reading that the herb tastes super bitter and pungent I was real hesitant to taste it as a tea. Instead, I made capsules of it and took two. From a more personal experience I felt supercharged, as if I were the bionic woman and could punch through walls! The energy boost, for me, was immediate which seems fitting due to chaparral's immune boosting properties. I would also note that it helps keep the digestive tract running smoothly.

Healing skin wounds, rashes, bites, abrasions, sores, etc. are other known qualities. However, I don't have first hand experience with using it topically. I did however share the capsules with a couple of relatives, and they too felt the instant supercharged boost in energy, alertness, and improved digestion (eliminating toxins).

I did eventually drink it in tea form, and although it was uninviting flavor, it most definitely was not the worst tasting herbal tea out there by far.


Shegoi a.k.a chaparral is a great to have around. It's the type of herb you'll end up needing to use for some reason or another eventually.

Please note that this herb is high in alkaloids, so if you have a weakened liver, avoid use or take some serious caution. In general, avoid long term use and/or see a qualified natural health practitioner.

Avec Amour