From the wiki:
“The plant is highly allergenic to humans, and can cause dermatitis if applied to the skin of sensitive individuals. The plant’s volatile oils are metabolized in the liver into toxic compounds which can cause internal blood clotting and the formation of micro-thrombi in the liver and digestive tract.
“Native Americans used sagebrush administered internally as a medicine to halt internal bleeding caused by battle wounds and childbirth. The plant is very toxic to internal parasites and was used to expel worms. The plant’s oils are toxic to the liver and digestive system of humans if taken internally, with the toxic symptoms subsiding 24-48 hours after ingesting the plant.
“A tea made from sagebrush was used internally and as a topical dressing to treat infections by Native Americans in the Mountain West of North America. Woven sagebrush was used to make sandals in prehistory.”
That must be why they’re all dead today.
Exactly. Whatever they were doing with their sagebrush mush, they weren’t using it for food. I know a guy who had an infected bite when he was a kid. His granny made him drink sagebrush tea. He held it down for almost 4 seconds before losing it, but his infection finally cleared up.