Jun 29, 2009

Tribe uses native plants in spa productsBy Cathryn CrenoAZCentral.com

Creosote bush, the fragrant, yellow-blossoming bush that covers Valley mountainsides, is a key ingredient in a new line of spa products developed by the Gila River Indian Community.

Known to members of community by its Pima name, shegoi, creosote has traditionally been used in herbal teas, healing balms and even to cure ailments in animals, said Belen Stoneman, spiritual healer at Gila River’s Aji Spa at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort.

“My mother would keep shegoi in an old pickle jar,” said Stoneman, who grew up in the community and worked as a massage therapist and a cultural educator before moving to her present position 18 months ago.

“She would grind the leaves into a powder with a stone. She would take a tiny amount and make it into a tea. Or she would put it on our skin if we had a cut or sore. I find it amazing that one plant can do so many things,” she said.

According to Pima legend, shegoi was the first plant on Earth. According to Pima history, the medicinal plant played a major role in the development of the tribe’s civilization.

Stoneman said that at the same time she took the new position at Aji, Gila River’s Cultural Resources Committee, of which she is a member, was discussing ways to incorporate traditional plants into a line of spa products

Unlike other spas, Aji, which opened in 2002, did not have a line of signature products to sell in its gift shop. And the Aji staff had just starting developing massage oil for in-house use that included creosote, willow bark and other locally grown herbs, she said.

“We came up with the idea of finding a way for people to take a little bit of shegoi home with them,” Stoneman said. “We wanted to create products that would smell earthy, like the desert. We wanted something grounding. And we wanted our product to be different from anything other places offer. We wanted all of that combined.”

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