Spruce Tea for coughs
by Bob Brenner
Ingredients:
Equal volumes of:
New growth from the tips of spruce branches
Water
Preparation:
Due to allergies, I am plagued with chronic, although mild post nasal drip and the consequential cough. I'd read in a local ethnobotany publication that tea from the new growth at the tips of spruce branches was used by the original people here for soothing coughs. I was hiking in the mountains and when I stopped to rest, I recalled that article as I was looking at a huge spruce tree.
I gathered a handful of the new tips and put them in an oversized enamel cup 2/3 full of water and set it next to a small cookfire to get hot. (Incidentally, I didn't remember about using the new growth until I tried to pull off a mature twig. Those prickles kinda brought tears to my eyes.) After about 15 minutes, I tried a sip and found it to be bland tasting and a little stinky, not pitchy smelling like I expected. I finished it anyway because it was warm and the weather wasn't. I wasn't impressed.
Note: I put out the fire and moved on. About a half hour later it occurred to me that I hadn't been coughing and didn't again for a couple of more hours. The tea doesn't give that menthol or eucalytpus tingle like I've been taught by the Vick's company to expect but for me, it works much better.
Free Forum Hosting
Important Announcement
First 