This morning we did a steam distillation of coyaye harvested from our front yard. Also called snakeweed / escoba de la vibora / Gutierrezia. Surprisingly this distillation is yielding a decent amount of essential oil, so we’re thinking of using it to create an arthritis relief salve.
This special and abundant plant has a wide range of applications across time and cultures — possibly most known for its external uses: its tea is added to a bath for arthritis and rheumatism; and it’s also used as an antiseptic to cleanse and treat wounds like snake bites, for example, which I believe is how its name was derived.
I’m curious what coyaye means — it’s the name my parents always called it. It definitely seems to be a lesser known common name.. but growing up it’s the name I was taught, so it’s my personal preference.