The Mesquite tree was a necessity to the survival of the Pima, Papago and Navajo native people. It provides shade, firewood, building material and it was an excellent source of food and medicine. The Mesquite is the most common tree in the Southwest, populating the lands North of the Chaparral desert and South of the Juniper/Pinon belt.

As a food, the seed pods can be opened and eaten when ripened. The pods are ripe when their color is a pale brown, not green. They also can be ground into a sort of flour and made into a flat bread. I have never made the bread so cannot give instructions, but I have eaten mesquite cornbread while staying at Reevis Mountain School of Self-Reliance…it was delicious!

A tea of the pods is a good eyewash for red, sore eyes. It can also be used in a netti pot to clear nasal congestion. The mesquite leaves are antiseptic and you can make a tea of the leaves and branches to clean wounds. Drink the tea for gastrointestinal bugs, food poisoning and the flu. make a strong decoction of the bark and soak your feet as a remedy for athletes foot. Internally, a tea of the bark will help with fever and diarrhea. You can also make a very strong decoction of the inner bark and use it as a black hair dye or body paint.

The Mesquite tree is an old survivor of the desert. If you get the chance to, I recommend sitting under it with an open mind and see what you learn. Every time I sit under Mesquite I feel intense warmth and love. This tree is a true nurturer and we are blessed to have it in our lives.

Herbalist Trent Siever