[Wikipedia] Medicinal Uses: As a traditional Native American medicinal plant, the inner bark's sap that was used as a topical remedy for mucous membrane irritation and for gastrointestinal upset, by some of the indigenous peoples of California. The wood was also used by the Californian Yokuts and Kawaiisu peoples as a building and furniture material, and the bark for cordage and for nets used in acorn cache holding and snare hunting. It contributed cultural significance as Indigenous communities utilized the flexible nature of the wood to craft hoop-and-pole game materials (link added by Mary Ann Machi)