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Mormon Tea

A pleasant tea can be made with one handful of stems steeped in a cup of boiling water for 20 minutes or so, sweetened with sugar. Many tribes chewed the stems to relieve thirst when water was not available. The seeds were also roasted and ground for flour or made into a bitter mush.

The tea was said to cure canker sores in the mouth and kidney ailments, purify the blood, relieve cold symptoms, eliminate ulcers, and relieve stomach disorders. A decoction was strained through a cloth and the hot liquid was drunk, three times a day, as a cure for syphilis. It was also believed that the tea relieved fever. Dried stems were ground to powder and applied to open sores. Burns were treated by moistening the powder to use it as a poultice.