Many moons ago, when I was a college kid I lived in Las Cruces (go Aggies!) for about a decade so I got to know some of the Chihuahuan Desert flora. Most notably of course is ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), which I think is one of New Mexico’s most amazing low desert plants.
The flowers, which are astringent, diuretic, and mucilaginous can be used as a tea to push fluids through the system and soothe inflamed membranes.
We’ve made a tincture with the bark of ocotillo that we harvested in the Chihuahuan Desert. Ocotillo is revered for its ability to treat pelvic inflammation by helping to clear out congestion and stagnancy. It’s a “mover of stagnation.” Ocotillo moves the lymphatic system/fluid and it really has a particular affinity for the pelvic region. And if you suspect that your health issues in that area of the body stem from stuck energies due to sexual trauma, ocotillo just might be the plant medicine you’ve been waiting for.
I sort of think of Ocotillo as the “osha of southern NM” – not medicinally, but in the sense that there are concerns about overharvesting it. In fact, in Arizona it’s protected under the Arizona Native Plant Law. Seeing the urban sprawl in Las Cruces makes me wonder just how many ocotillo plants were clear cut for all those cookie cutter houses.
On another note, in late spring 2023 we bought two ocotillo plants from a vendor that sells cacti and other plants in the parking lot of Tesuque Village Market. We love ocotillo so much, so even though we know our Santa Fe County high desert habitat is not well suited for ocotillo, we decided to give it a shot since our USDA zone was recently moved from 6b to 7a.
We planted one in the ground and the other in a pot to bring inside for the winter in case the outside plant didn’t make it through the winter. It’s now fall 2024 and still neither of them have leafed out, but they are both still very much alive. Knowing we don’t have the right conditions for them to thrive, I may just end up harvesting them for tincture. To be continued.