Salal (Gaultheria shallon) is a shrub native to North America and naturalized in Britain that has leathery leaves and one-sided racemes of urn-shaped pinkish white flowers followed by blue fruits.
The berries are sweet tasting and juicy and are enjoyed raw or in preserves or cooked into foods.
It has a long history of use by Native Americans, and consumed as part of their diet, fresh or as dried cakes. They are also important wild foods for wildlife.
Salal leaves were also consumed in foods, or as food wraps, for making mats or baskets, as a tea or in soups.
Both the fruit and leaves are reported to be appetite suppressants.
Salal is also enjoyed as an ornamental, especially popular in native garden design, and sometimes sold as ‘lemon leaf’.
It also has a significant industry in the cut flower industry for the use of its greens used in floral arrangements and wreathes.
In Native American traditional medicine, Salal leaves are considered astringent, and used for inflammation, diarrhea, bladder health, heartburn and indigestion, sore throats and menstrual cramps. It is used as a poultice (after toasting or chewing) for cuts, burns or sores, and the tea of the leaves is also used as a tonic for the stomach.
Through scientific investigation Salal has been found to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities.
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The Floral Greens Enjoyed as a Tea!
