Eriodictyon angustifolium
Mojave Desert, NV
Lovell Canyon, May 2006

Eriodictyon californicum
Klamath NF, CA
Oak-manzanita woodland, along south Fork of the Salmon River, east of the Forks-of-the-Salmon. 
July 2006.

Eriodictyon crassifolium
San Diego Co., CA: near Valley Center, June 2006

Ley J. P., G. Krammer, G. Reinders, I. L. Gatfield and H. J. Bertram. 2005. Evaluation of bitter masking flavanones from Herba Santa (Eriodictyon californicum (H. and A.) Torr., Hydrophyllaceae). J. Agric. Food Chem. 53(15):.6061–6066. “Products made from Herba Santa (Eriodictyon californicum (H. & A.) Torr.) have been used as bitter remedies for some pharmaceutical applications for many years, but they are actually too aromatic to be useful for many food or pharmaceutical applications. In sensory studies flavanones homoeriodictyol (1), its sodium salt (1-Na), sterubin (2), and eriodictyol (4) could significantly decrease the bitter taste of caffeine without exhibiting intrinsic strong flavors or taste characteristics. Further investigations on 1-Na elicited a broad masking activity between 10 and 40% toward different chemical classes of bitter molecules (e.g. salicin, amarogentin, paracetamol, quinine) but not toward bitter linoleic acid emulsions. For caffeine and amarogentin, dose-response studies were performed; the masking activity toward bitter taste for both compounds reached a plateau at higher concentrations of 1-Na. Due to these facts, homoeriodictyol sodium salt (1-Na) seems to be a very interesting new taste modifier for food applications and pharmaceuticals.”

Liu Y. L., D. K. Ho, J. M. Cassady, V. M. Cook and W. M. Baird. 1992.  Isolation of potential cancer chemopreventive agents from Eriodictyon californicum. J. Nat. Prod. 55(3): 357–363. “Activity-based fractionation of Eriodictyon californicum resulted in the isolation of 12 flavonoids that inhibit the metabolism of the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene by hamster embryo cells in tissue culture. One was identified as a new flavanone, 3'-methyl-4'-isobutyryleriodictoyol [1], on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and alkaline hydrolysis. The seven other active flavanones were identified as eriodictyol [2], homoeriodictyol [3], 5,4'-dihydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavanone [4], pinocembrin [5], sakuranetin [6], 5,7,4'-trihydroxy-6,3'-dimethoxyflavanone [7], and naringenin 4'-methyl ether [8]. Four active flavones were also isolated: cirsimaritin [9], chrysoeriol [10], hispidulin [11], and chrysin [12]. The high inhibition of benzo[a]pyrene metabolism and the activation of benzo[a]pyrene to ultimate carcinogenic DNA-binding metabolites by cirsimaritin and chrysoeriol at a concentration of only 10 micrograms/ml indicates that these flavones warrant further investigation in vivo as potential chemopreventive agents.”

Salle A. J., G. J. Jann and L. G. Wayne.  1951.  Studies on the antibacterial properties of Eriodictyon californicum.  Arch. Biochem. 32(1): 121–123.