How to Use Mormon Tea
Answered by: Richters Staff
Question from: Glenn Hill
Posted: Before April 1998
Do you have any information on the above herb? I now live surrounded by it and I want to know how to use it medicinally. Thanks for your help.
‘Mormon tea’ most commonly refers to Ephedra nevadensis, but other species such as E. viridis are also known by the same name. It is good idea to establish first what species you have growing in your area. A botanist at your local university should be able to help you to identify your plants. The whole above-ground parts have long been taken as a pleasant beverage. The alternate names, ‘Brigham Young weed’, ‘desert tea’, ‘squaw tea’ hint of the herb’s popularity among the Mormons and native Indians of Utah. Its folkloric uses include treating kidney and bladder problems, fever, syphilis and to ‘purify’ the blood. For further information, consult John Lust’s "The Herb Book", available from Richters or your library.
| | |
|
