What is Yerba Santa?
Yerba Santa (aka bearsweed, holy herb or mountain balm) is a plant indigenous to the foothills of the Pacific Northwest, and has been used as an herbal remedy by many Native American tribes for centuries. It contains mucopolysaccharides which mimic the glycoproteins in normal mucosa and holds the aqueous component in contact with the tissue. Yerba Santa has been incorporated into all of Parnell Pharmaceuticals over the counter products and helps give them enhanced moisturizing and lubricating properties. Potential cancer chemopreventative agents have been isolated from Yerba Santa. Flavonoids in Yerba Santa have been shown to inhibit the metabolism of the carcinogen, benzopyrene, by hamster embryo cells in tissue cultures. Yerba Santa contains 12 flavonoids in high levels which act as anti-oxidants. There is a substantial body of basic research evidence which suggests that free radical damage (oxidation) to cellular components likely plays an important role in carcinogenesis, cardiovas
