As a native plant landscape designer, one of my greatest joys is celebrating the unique plants that thrive in the regions that we live in and serve- California and Oregon. Throughout the year, I delight in the sights, scents, and tastes of my favorite native plants, and making herbal teas with the edible species is one way I deepen my appreciation and connection to them. From leaves and flowers to bark and roots, different parts of these plants can be used to create delicious teas. With so many plants to explore, the flavors are endless — and most come with positive health benefits too! Native plants have not only shaped the landscapes we know and love but have played an essential role in the lives of native peoples for generations. Cherished for their medicinal properties and cultural significance, they continue to offer nourishment and healing today. By growing these native plants in your own garden, you can experience their benefits firsthand while helping protect wild populations from overharvesting. It is also quite rare to find many native California and Oregon herbal teas commercially available, making it even more essential to grow these plants yourself to enjoy their unique flavors and benefits.
Over the next six weeks, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite native plants for tea, highlighting one each week. The plants in the series are all native to the Western U.S., and I’ll highlight the specific regions and plant communities they come from. They all are proven to thrive in garden settings, are generally available from native nurseries, are drought-tolerant and wildlife-friendly— making them excellent choices for sustainable landscaping. Let’s start with Yerba Buena!
Yerba Buena (Clinopodium douglasii) – A Delicious Medicinal for Your Native Tea Garden, with Beauty to Match
Yerba Buena is a delightful member of the mint family, offering a lightly sweet, vibrant, spearmint-like flavor. The tea made from its leaves is calming to both the respiratory system and stomach, while also being uplifting to the spirit. In After the First Moon in April: A Sourcebook of Herbal Medicine from a California Indian Elder by Josephine Peters and Beverly Ortiz, Yerba Buena is recommended for treating colds and flu, reducing fevers, and addressing some lung-related issues. It can be brewed with fresh or dried leaves, with the strength easily adjusted by varying the amount. I’ve enjoyed it both as a light brew with a small fresh sprig and as a bold, flavorful pot steeped with a handful of dried leaves.
How to Grow Yerba Buena in Your Native Garden:
This easy-to-grow groundcover thrives in shaded areas, making it perfect for woodland gardens, trailing beneath larger shrubs or trees, or cascading over pots on shady patios. Its shiny green leaves and small, delicate white flowers make a beautiful addition to the garden, especially near walkways and seating areas, where the plant releases a pleasant scent when brushed against. While Yerba Buena can grow into a nice green mat over time when happily situated, it isn’t invasive like other non-native mints. Adaptable to a variety of soil types and watering regimens, it is also quite drought tolerant. It naturally occurs throughout the Western United States from California up through Oregon, Washington and even up into Alaska in chaparral, coastal scrub, and a variety of forest environments.
If you’re interested in incorporating more native, medicinal, and tea plants into your landscape, Earth & Spirit would love to help! Whether you’re looking for a consultation to brainstorm ideas or a full landscape design, we can help create a space that’s beautiful, functional, and full of plants you can enjoy year-round — all while supporting local wildlife and the environment.
As always, proper plant identification is essential before harvesting or consuming wild or homegrown plants. While many native herbs offer wonderful benefits, it's important to consult a healthcare professional if you are pregnant, nursing, or have underlying health conditions before consuming herbal teas regularly.
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