A stream orchid (Epipactis gigantea) growing near the Santa Ynez River in late May of 2019.
Stream orchids grow where constant water is found at seeps, springs and perennial streams. The plant is known for its mood altering and sedative effects.
“Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West,” Michael Moore:
“I have seen it help depression resulting from cocaine burnout; it can also aid people with a lot of emotional stress, in whom every little ache and pain is magnified and whose tolerance for noises, smells, and bright light is virtually nonexistent.”
“Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada,” Ray S. Vizgirdas and Edna Rey-Vizgirdas:
“Native Americans made a decoction of the fleshy roots for internal use when they felt ‘sick all over.’”
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 
Such a interesting blog post.
This being such a beautiful and relatively uncommon plant around here, due it’s affinity for year round streams, I never advocate harvesting it for medicinal use since the root is the medicinal part.
Thanks, Lanny. I should have said as much.
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On Mon, Jul 1, 2019 at 12:46 AM Jack Elliott’s Santa Barbara Adventure wrote:
> Jack Elliott posted: ” A stream orchid growing near the Santa Ynez River > in late May of 2019. Stream orchids grow where constant water is found at > seeps, springs and perennial streams. The plant is known for its mood > altering and sedative effects. “Medicinal Plants of th” >