COMMON NAME
Mezquite // Honey Mesquite // Árbol de la Vida // Tree of Life
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Prosopis glandulosa
FAMILY
Fabaceae
BLOOMING SEASON
Spring, Summer
FRUITING SEASON
Summer
uses
TREE SAP:
Sweetener, eaten as a sweet treat
Eaten to treat stomach aches and diarrhea
Can be made into a tea with inner red bark to treat sore throats
Can be dissolved/boiled in water (leaves can be added to tea) to create an adhesive or can be used as a disinfectant on wounds, scrapes, and eyes. It can be used on chapped skin, sunburns, hemorrhoids, and to treat STIs
BARK/BRANCHES/TRUNK:
Used as a tannin for leather and fabric
Inner bark can be pounded into a fabric for clothing
Mesquite charcoal can be mixed with water to create a toothpaste
Thicker branches and trunk are used for furniture or as posts
Used as firewood
ROOTS:
The roots can be chewed to treat toothaches
LEAVES:
Can be made into a tea to treat stomach issues. Often this tea was drunk before meals to stimulate the appetite. This tea also helps heal painful gums and eye issues
Can be made into a poultice to treat wounds
Mesquite leaves mashed with water can be bound to the forehead to treat headaches
THORNS:
Used as an awl
FLOWERS:
Can be made into tea or eaten
Can be roasted and stored for later use
PODS:
Eaten raw as a sweet treat
Dried and pounded into mesquite flour
