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Herb library · Herb · Larrea tridentata

Chaparral

Leaves of the creosote bush of the American Southwest, sold as tea, tablets and salves. LiverTox says it has not been shown to be effective for any medical condition, and it has been linked to serious liver injury, including liver failure that needed a transplant.

Serious warning

Chaparral has been linked to serious liver injury. LiverTox reports more than two dozen published cases, some leading to acute liver failure and emergency liver transplant; an FDA review of 18 reports found liver injury in 13, with cirrhosis in 4 and transplants in 2.

Traditional use

Chaparral comes from the evergreen creosote bush of the southwestern United States and Mexico. LiverTox records that Native Americans brewed the leaves as a tea for centuries for respiratory illness, chickenpox, snakebite and arthritis pain. Today it is sold as tablets, salves and concentrated tea extracts for weight loss, "liver wellness," "cleansing the blood," immunity, skin disorders and aging. A 1916 study of Tewa plants notes that the Yavapai at McDowell, Arizona, used the leaves and twigs to steam women after childbirth and drank a decoction of the leaves for internal chill.

What studies show

  • Insufficient

    Any condition: LiverTox states that chaparral preparations have not been shown to be effective in any medical condition. Its main ingredient, NDGA, is a strong antioxidant in the laboratory, which is not the same as a benefit in people.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • ConditionLiverTox says liver injury usually appeared 3 to 12 weeks after starting daily use or raising the dose, with a hepatitis-like illness and jaundice. Stop it and get medical care if you notice yellowing of the skin or eyes, loss of appetite, nausea or unusual tiredness.
  • NoteLiverTox notes that liver injury has come back when people took chaparral again after a reaction. It also notes that chaparral products are still sold over the counter and online.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

From the old books

What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.

“The Yavapai at McDowell, Ariz., who now use the leaves and twigs of the creosote bush (? Larrea glutinosa) to steam lying-in women four days after childbirth, and also drink a decoction of the leaves as a remedy for internal chill, say that they used juniper (tjóka) for these purposes as long as they lived in the mountains.”
Wilfred William Robbins, John Peabody Harrington and Barbara Freire-Marreco, Ethnobotany of the Tewa Indians (1916), p. 40, note 2. See the page of Ethnobotany of the Tewa Indians, p. 40, note 2 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from Ethnobotany of the Tewa Indians, p. 40, note 2

Sources

  1. Chaparral (LiverTox) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  2. Chaparral-associated hepatotoxicity (Arch Intern Med, 1997) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  3. Chaparral-induced toxic hepatitis, California and Texas, 1992 (MMWR) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.