New Jersey Tea
Parts Usually Used
Bark of the root
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
New Jersey tea is a small, low, bushy, deciduous shrub 1-2 feet tall; the large root is red inside and is covered with brownish or reddish bark. The round, slender, reddish stems bear alternate, ovate or oblong-ovate, finely serrate leaves which are dull green on top, 2 inches long with 3 prominent parallel veins, and finely hairy beneath. Small, white, showy flowers grow in dense, long-stalked, cylindrical, clusters from the axils which form large panicles at the ends of the branches from June to August.
The three-celled drupaceous fruit when dry separate into three stone-like seeds.
Where Found
Common in dry, gravely banks, open woods at low elevations, in well-drained coarse soils all across the United States. Maine to Florida; Oklahoma to Minnesota.
Medicinal Properties
Astringent, expectorant, sedative
Biochemical Information
Ceanothic (emmolic), succinic, oxalic, malonic, malic, orthophosphic, and pyrophosphoric acids; 8% tannin in the root
Legends, Myths and Stories
The nearest American plant equivalent in flavor to oriental tea. Contains no harmful stimulants, thus is an excellent tea substitute. Used during the American Revolution for this purpose. New Jersey tea got its name from the fact that the leaves of it were used as a tea by the soldiers in the American Revolution and early settlers in the United States.
Uses
Historically, the leaves were brewed as a beverage tea. Native American traditions utilized root tea as a blood tonic and laxative, and administered it for colds, fevers, snakebites, stomachaches, and lung ailments. They also prepared a tea from the whole plant for various skin complaints. Traditional herbalists recommended a tea made from the root bark for chest and respiratory complaints such as chronic bronchitis, whooping cough, and lymphatic congestion, and considered root alkaloids to have blood pressure-lowering properties.
Root bark preparations were also employed as a gargle for throat inflammation and mouth irritations, including tonsillitis. Additionally, historical practitioners utilized the plant for dysentery and piles, or combined it with fringe tree and goldenseal for sick headaches, acute indigestion, and nausea associated with sluggish liver function.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, first printed by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, in 1928, this Dover edition 1974 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992).
The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974