Klip Dagga (Leonotis Nepetifolia) flower petals

Klip Dagga - Leonotis Nepetifolia - "Lion's ear"

A Kichwa family goes up into the Andes mountains to harvest these lion’s ear flower petals.  It is a time-consuming job because the petals are hand-picked one by one. This is because the carpel (the part where the flower petals grow out of) is full of sharp thorns. They do the work with great attention to detail to ensure you are getting the best quality there is. Our Klip dagga is harvested from wild plants so it goes without saying that no fertilizers are used.

The harvest is focused on only the mature flowers. What’s interesting is that if you pick a flower petal, you see that a drop or two of sweet nectar comes out of it. It’s a natural sweetener! If you burn the flower petals, you will smell a pleasant sweetish odor.

Native use

This plant from the Lamiaceae (mint) family is native to higher altitudes of the Andes Mountain range. Its flowers are traditionally consumed as tea or smoked. They induce calming and sedating sensations according to traditional beliefs. It also has been studied for it's anti-microbial, antileishmanial, antitumor effects and traditionally it is used for many ailments (we advise to look into the plant further for its' applications in wellbeing). 

Caution: depending on the dose it can affect (hasten, or delay) menstrual cycle in women

Country of origin: Ecuador

Our products are sold for incense and soap making purposes, decorative purposes and/or legitimate ethnobotanical research. Our products are not intended for human consumption. The information given about the plants is for academic purposes only and not intended to be used medically. For medical issues, please consult a health professional.