What is Mormon tea?

Mormone tea concerns several plants in the family ephedraceae - ephedra torreyan , efedra viridis and ephedra navadensis - commonly found in Southwest and Mexico. The stalks of plants similar to drinks are called Mormon tea and has been used as a folk remedy of indigenous groups and early American settlers. The herbal mixture was primarily used as a decongestant to alleviate respiratory diseases such as asthma. In addition, tea was used to treat disorders and hypotension of the urinary tract and the stems of the plant were chewed as a cure for burnt lips. Also known as Brigham Tea, Desert Tea and Popotillo, tea is described as a astringent but not unpleasant taste. The plant is sometimes called joint fir due to joints in the shape of a needle that gives a simuilar look of a small fir tree. It is a non -virtual plant that reproduces disputes instead, each plant bearing either male or female cones. These cones are made duringmonths of March and April.

There are different accounts about how the name Mormon tea got into use. The most commonly accepted version is that the Mormon morning settlers used a drink as a way to follow the rules of religion prohibiting caffeine consumption. Another, colorful story is that because tea believed that it was defending syphilis, it was often served in brothels. The drink was reportedly named Mormon's tea after John Mormon, a frequent patron.

Mormon Tea is related to Ma Huang or Ephedra Sinica , which has been used in Chinese medicine for several thousand years. Ma Huang contains alkaloids Efedrin and Pseudo-Uefedrin. These alkaloids have been shown to be the treatment of asthma and other bronchial disorders. Ephedrine has strong diuretic and stimulating properties and the alkaloid was used as a weight loss aid. Due to serious health risks in the range of increased blood pressure and increased heartbrowthFrequency has been banned in the United States (US) Dietary supplements containing ephedrine since 2006.

There are contradictory reports on whether Mormon tea plants actually contain ephedrine and pseudo-enjoined in Ma Huang. Clinical studies on the efficacy of Mormon tea did not bring any concrete results other than tea is a slight diuretic. Despite a long history as a folk remedy, the healing benefits of Mormon tea remain anecdotal.