Opuntia speciesDescription: This cactus has flat, padlike stems that are green. Many round, furry dots that contain sharp-pointed hairs cover these stems.Habitat and Distribution: This cactus is found in arid and semiarid regions and in dry, sandy areas of wetter regions throughout most of the United States and Central and South America. Some species are planted in arid and semiarid regions of other parts of the world.Edible Parts: All parts of the plant are edible. Peel the fruits and eat them fresh or crush them to prepare a refreshing drink. Avoid the tiny, pointed hairs. Roast the seeds and grind them to a flour.CAUTIONAvoid any prickly pear cactus like plant with milky sap.Other Uses: The pad is a good source of water. Peel it carefully to remove all sharp hairs before putting it in your mouth. You can also use the pads to promote healing. Split them and apply the pulp to wounds.
Cereus speciesDescription: These cacti are tall and narrow with angled stems and numerous spines.Habitat and Distribution: They may be found in true deserts and other dry, open, sunny areas throughout the Caribbean region, Central America, and the western United States.Edible Parts: The fruits are edible, but some may have a laxative effect.Other Uses: The pulp of the cactus is a good source of water. Break open the stem and scoop out the pulp.... cereus cactus
If you feel like drinking an herbal tea with plenty of health benefits, you should try prickly ash tea. Even if the taste is bitter, the tea is bound to help you stay healthy. Find out more about it in this article!
About Prickly Ash Tea
Prickly ash tea is made from the bark of the prickly ash. The plant is also known as Devil’s Walkingstick, Hercules’s Club or Prickly Elder. The plant grows in the eastern parts of North America.
Prickly ash is a tall shrub, usually reaching 6m in height. It has a stem with large leaves, 70-120cm long. The flowers bloom in late summer; they’re small and creamy-white. Also, the fruits are a small, purple-black berry.
How to make Prickly Ash Tea
It’s easy to make prickly ash tea. Boil the necessary amount of water and add a teaspoon of chopped bark for each cup of tea. Let it steep for 5-7 minutes; then, strain in order to remove the herbs. If it tastes too bitter for you, you can sweeten the tea with milk, honey or fruit juices.
Prickly Ash Tea Benefits
Prickly ash tea gets important active constituents from the bark of its plant. These include chelerythin alkaloids, tannins, lignans, resins, and volatile oils.
You can drink prickly ash tea if you’ve got toothaches, abdominal pains (or any other chronic pains) or diarrhea. It is also used in killing intestinal parasites, and treating arthritis and rheumatism.
It is also useful in treating circulation problems and lowering blood pressure. You can drink it if you’ve got a cold or a sore throat.
Prickly ash tea can also be combined with other ingredients, for different health benefits. Combined with ginger, it alleviates chronic abdominal pains, and treats nausea and vomiting caused by long-term illnesses. It can also be combined with coptis or Oregon grape root in order to treat symptoms caused by roundworms.
Prickly Ash Tea side Effects
It is best not to drink prickly ash tea if you’re pregnant or breast feeding. It’s not quite sure how it can affect the baby, but it might, so it’s better to stop drinking it during these periods.
Be careful with the amount of tea you drink if you’ve got low blood pressure. Prickly ash tea helps lower the blood pressure, so it might end up causing some harm (hypotension). Also, if you drink this tea while taking medication (aspirin, warfarin, heparin, tinzaparin), the combination might lead to bleeding and bruising.
Also, don’t drink prickly ash tea if you’ve got stomach or intestinal problems: ulcerative colitis, peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, infections, and other digestive tract conditions. It’s bound to make your stomach and intestinal problems worse. Also, dopn’t drink this tea if you’ve got a fever with profuse sweating.
Despite its bitter taste, you should give prickly ash tea a chance, especially thanks to its health benefits. As an herbal tea, it’s bound to keep you healthy!... enjoy prickly ash tea
Mammilaria speciesDescription: Members of this cactus group are round, short, barrel-shaped, and without leaves. Sharp spines cover the entire plant.Habitat and Distribution: These cacti are found throughout much of the desert regions of the western United States and parts of Central America.Edible Parts: They are a good source of water in the desert.... pincushion cactus
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