View photos of the medicinal plant Purshia stansburiana (Stansbury cliffrose).

View photos of the medicinal plant Purshia tridentata (Bitterbrush), profiled in Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States.

A passage from Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States:

Smaller therapeutic doses tend to be stimulating to gastrointestinal function and can be used like any other bitter (see Gentian or Green gentian). Also, small to moderate amounts of the leaf (or root) are surprisingly useful as an antibacterial expectorant and mild cough suppressant. It can be used in a wide range of bronchial complaints when there is need of an agent that loosens phlegm, reduces coughing, and inhibits microbes. If the bitterness of the tincture is overwhelming (even mixed in a little water) try combining it with equal portions of Yerba santa – an herb that fits many bronchial complaints as well, but also is superb at masking bitter flavors.