just use 60% bougainvillea leaves and 40% eucalyptus . bring it to the first boil and stop ! don't over boil . Add honey if you want.
This is perfect for cold season . therapeutical .
bougainvillea reliefs throat issues and coughing in a magical way .
eucalyptus clears the airways and detoxes .
I want to make clear that I do not recommend to plant any tree or bush that is not native for your region.
There are always great local plants to make lots of nice teas.
Mexico , and many regions, suffered a history of eucalyptus plantations for several reasons. One of them was that more than 100 years ago , an eucalyptus plantation campaign took place to prevent malaria and such mosquito-related illness. Other reasons where paper and pulp industries , like in the amazons in brazil.
You can read short and concise about the role of eucalyptus plantations as an epidemiological prevention measure , en español. http://www.ejournal.unam.mx/cns/no58/CNS05808.pdf
in short , there were like 60 million eucalyptus planted just in the valley of mexico. in the center of the country. But it is a really destructive plant if set in a foreign environment . as well as the fucking ficus, it should be forbidden in monterrey but its widely spread, even in public spaces.. although no one has seen a ficus last long. they always get cut off or die.. wonder why ? they don't belong there , and they destroy while they are there… i really hate ficus in mexico and ficus lovers . fick u ficus!
In my street there is one eucalyptus tree … and the bougainvillea bushes are in every mexican park.
So , if you live in northeast mexico you'll probably have a lot of chances to do this tea… hope you know how to identify the eucalyptus tree. the trunk is constantly loosing its bark and showing its fresh white trunk and they are normally big … if you are not sure.. take the leaves and smell them… or use your smartphone for good.
Hey! ficus are not that bad! Mexico do have a lot of endemic ficus! and what about Amate! not sure if its endemic but surely has been used for a while by indigenous people!
ResponderEliminarBut if you are only talking of those used just for "embellishment" purposes, I complete agree! Although it kind of makes me happy when I see those destructive roots making a mess on a side walk... a little bit of nature territory claim!
In Celaya there was a boom of ficus plantations in the late 80s and 90s! even the front of my house has a ficus ja!:(
Anywaaaaaay great blog my Liebe Gibran!! Hugs and Kisses from The Hague! :)
thanks for you comment pili !! you are right !! Ficus is a great genus with a lot of species, i should clarify that !!! like the fruitful ficus native to mexico , they are delicious and super nutritious fruits !! but I am talking about the mexican northeast… where I guess no ficus in its tree form is native… And , as you say , the ficus used for urban dasonomy its normally Ficus elastica or similar destructive ficus and ephemeral ficus… You know whats the problem ? People spend 10 or 15 years taking care of them , wasting water and such… and then , one winter , they die , one wind and they are gone… the last harsh winter we lost 40% of our urban biomass… you can imagine the impact to the heat in the summer and the pollution as well !!! Those beautiful messy roots breaking the sidewalk represent also an unnecessary waste…more cement is needed a new tree will be planted requiring water and care till they give a good service… etc…. although I agree, Natural claims are always appealing… but if they are unplanned, they would end up being a problem and being cut down anyways. IF you want to learn more about the impact of ficus in mty city , read this nice interview with a great botanist, author , activists and loved professor of our faculty,Glafiro Alanis : http://red-crucero.com/2011/03/¡alto-ni-un-ficus-mas-en-monterrey/ =) thanks again for your comments and feedback !!
ResponderEliminarCame here for, the tea; obtained a life lesson. This is just another example of the "fö∅D 4 Lôk0Z effect".
ResponderEliminarKeep it up homz.