MISUNDERSTOOD tribal trick BANISHES common ‘cold’ symptoms
It’s that time of year…
When you’ve STILL got to cut the grass… but now the leaves are falling on top of it!
As summer comes to a close… and temperatures start to cool…
We’re looking down the barrel at autumn allergies… coughs and colds… and a myriad of upper respiratory infections.
Step foot outside once the weather changes… and BAM! You’ve caught the sniffles.
And if you’ve got a chronic respiratory condition… like asthma…
You may feel like you NEVER get a break from breathing troubles!
You’ve got your “go-to” remedies in your medicine cabinet… but here’s another option for you to consider.
You may have never heard of it by name… but you’ve likely already tried one of its ingredients… just in a different form!
The wild origins of your cold meds
Mormon tea has gotten a bad rap… despite its incredible power to HEAL your respiratory airways.
Its scientific name starts with the word “Ephedra”… and that’s got some people in a tizzy over its safety.
See, it’s RELATED to the Chinese ephedra plant – the one that contains the BANNED stimulant chemical, ephedrine.
But the AMERICAN species of this bushy shrub… like Ephedra nevadensis from Nevada, Ephedra californica from California, and Ephedra viridis from Arizona and New Mexico… don’t actually contain ANY ephedrine !
Their active compound is the respiratory medicine known as pseudoephedrine .
That’s right — the active ingredient in Sudafed .
But OTC cold remedies like Sudafed ALSO contain a number of additives… like dyes, stabilizers, fillers, and coatings.
And regulations sometimes require you get pseudoephedrine-based products from BEHIND the pharmacy counter… rather than straight off the shelf.
So, why not go straight to the source?
Native Americans used this shrubby plant’s leafless stems… which sometimes appear to be “jointed”… possibly HUNDREDS of years before European settlers caught onto it in the 16th century.
And MANY tribes of the American Southwest STILL use Mormon tea in their native medicines.
Pseudoephedrine has become a nearly UBIQUITOUS cold remedy… and for good reason, too.
It can help DECONGEST sinus and nasal passages… and WIDEN airways.
These actions also come in handy for seasonal allergies, like hay fever… bronchial asthma… and coughing fits.
As an alpha-adrenergic receptor stimulant, it can CONSTRICT blood vessels to REDUCE swelling… and allow your stuffed-up passages to DRAIN.
Plus, Mormon tea contains lots of astringent compounds called tannins… which can help DRY UP excess mucus.
You can even just CHEW the stems to get some relief!
Most commonly, however, Mormon tea is consumed just as the name suggests – steeped in hot water as a tea.
Spanish-speaking populations of the Southwestern U.S. and Mexico call it “popotillo,” or “straw tea.”
You can forage your Mormon tea from the wild… or purchase a liquid extract or pre-packaged tea (made from the dried herb) from your local health food store or online.
It’s known to have such LITTLE toxicity… you can drink it MULTIPLE times a day!
Just remember that although it’s FREE of caffeine, it does have the same “non-drowsy” action as those OTC pills that contain the same chemical.
To tea tricks for better breathing,
Melissa Young
P.S. You can also support your respiratory health with another tea – this one from the root of a flower that boosts lung power. Click here to find out more about what the Germans call “elephant root” tea.
