|
|
Article: N.M. researchers hope to cultivate `calming herb'
- Article from:
- AP Online
- Article date:
- July 25, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. (Hide copyright information)
|
The plant has been described by local residents as magical, its qualities almost mythical.
The native herb yerba mansa, translated from Spanish as the "calming herb," has been used medicinally for centuries throughout the Southwest by American Indians and Hispanics to treat ailments ranging from toothaches to sinus infections.
Though the herb is relatively unknown outside the region, experts in the medicinal herb industry say yerba mansa could become as popular as goldenseal and echinacea.
But before the ancient medicinal herb can get its day in the sun, researchers must find a way to protect the ecologically threatened plant from depletion by habitat loss and ...