(ledum latifolium or l. Groenlandicum)
Other names for this plant are continental tea, swamp tea, marsh tea, bog tea, Hudson’s bay tea, and moth herb. During the revolutionary war, this herb was a popular substitute for china tea. Native to Canada and Greenland, where it grows profusely (hence one botanical name, groenlandicum), it can also be found in cold, moist places in the northern areas of the United States, Europe, and Asia. Eskimos and the Indians of eastern Canada used this tea extensively; as did explorers, trappers, and settlers who found imported teas hard to come by. An untidy-looking shrub, labrador tea is similar in appearance to a straggly rhododendron. Its tea stimulates the nerves, and is believed to alleviate the pains of rheumatism, gout, and arthritis.
Part used for tea: leaves gathered throughout the year, except when the plant is flowering. Flowers.
Taste: delicate, fragrant. Similar to china tea.
Caution: more than 1 or 2 cups of this tea can cause drowsiness and possible poisoning.
Flowers, by infusion: steep 1 teaspoon of dried flowers, or 2 teaspoons of fresh flowers, in 1 cup of boiling water.
Leaves, by decoction: crush 1 tablespoon of dried leaves, and add to cup of boiling water. Cover and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
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