Mormon
Tea, or "Ephedra" plants (Ephedra trifurca) cover much of
the rocky slopes of the Southwestern U.S. A Chinese relative of this shrub,
Ma-Huang, is the original source of the ephedrine alkaloid found in this herb
which is so important to hay fever sufferers as a decongestant.
Mormon Tea is a member of the ephedra family, which is in turn related to other cone-bearing groups such as the pine family. Ephedra plants have male and female flowers on separate plants. They look like little more than bundles of stems, since the leaves are very tiny and scalelike at the nodes of the stems. In Ephedra trifurca, or Longleaf Ephedra, the stems are green in color. They are edible, and are grazed by deer and cattle. The plants help hold down the soil, acting as an anchor for sand dunes in the desert, and as a common growth on mountainsides.
Known effects1 of the use of Mormon Tea include:
- Stimulates central nervous system
- Increases blood pressure
- Increases heart rate
- Helps body dispose of excess fluid by increasing amount of urine produced
- Elevates mood
- Treats congestive heart failure, kidney failure, liver failure
- Decreases appetite
- Stimulates energy
- Treats fatigue
Warnings and Precautions - Don't take if you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or plan pregnancy in the near future; if you are breast-feeding; or have diabetes mellitus.
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