Chaparral: An Enduring Plant of the Lower Desert

Chaparral (Larrea tridentata) is an evergreen native shrub, predominating in the lower desert regions of the Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts in the Southwestern and Western USA. It is also known as Creosote Bush or Greasewood, referring to its impressive resinous leaves and flowers. The olive-green Chaparral bush is sparse, with leathery tough features, and stark in appearance. It grows up to 10 ft (3 m) tall, able to survive very harsh desert conditions. The impressive and penetrating aroma of creosote emanating from Chaparral is often likened to the smell of rain. Its sun-like yellow flowers appear in spring, characterized by five petals and sepals and 10 stamens, producing a five-fold seed capsule.

A Long Tradition of Herbal Healing with Chaparral

The leaves and stems of the Chaparral have long been used by Native American tribes, valued for antiseptic, diuretic, purgative and expectorant attributes. More recently, herbalists have discovered remarkable blood cleansing properties in the Chaparral. It is regarded as a dramatic healer for immune dysfunction and stagnation, particularly for conditions involving chronic infection, lymphatic blockage and destructive cellular proliferation, such as typified in cancer.

The Intriguing Gesture of the Chaparral Flower

The Chaparral flower shows an especially strong alignment with the solar light element. Its radiant yellow blossoms first open in chalice-like form, receiving the full intensity of the light. Then the flowers assume a second dramatic form, as they turn perpendicular to the plane of the flower. Here we see a dynamic star gesture, a pronounced movement of cosmic forces that can be felt, even with the physical senses. This Star form is a mighty astral force, turning and whirling, working intensely into physical matter. These uniquely vivid aspects of form in the blossom, along with the capacity of the Chaparral shrub to remain resilient in severe desert conditions, and its piercing, pungent aroma, give the picture of a powerful and penetrating plant. Indeed, the Chaparral flower essence is filled with fierce solar fire, capable of bringing its purgative and purifying forces of light into the deep recesses of the soul, where darkness, chaos and entrenched trauma reside.

The Purgative Qualities of Chaparral Flower Essence

As a flower essence, Chaparral’s strongly purgative qualities and intense astral forces work to dislodge recessive, latent trauma locked into both body and psyche. It is used in a wide variety of circumstances to address post-trauma stress, disturbing sleep disorders, and violent or frightening experiences that continue to haunt the soul. Chaparral flower essence frees the individuality from many aspects of psychic imprisonment and harrowing memory fixation, so that new freedom and potential can be realized. The ultimate gift of Chaparral flower essence is the restoration of inner peace and equilibrium, allowing the soul to move positively forward in its journey rather than continue to be chained to the past.