Mexican tea is native to Baja Califormia, Chihuahua and Sonora in northwestern Mexico,
as well as to much of the American southwest. It is fairly common in desert scrub habitats.
Plants: Shrubs are up to 6½′ (2 m) high, made of erect, round,
jointed branches that look like someone plunged a clump of slightly crooked straws into the ground together.
The branches are pointed, and have fine grooves along their length, and
are light green at first, aging to yellowish, then greenish gray.
Leaves: Small scaly leaves poke out of stem nodes.
Flowers: This species does not produce flowers.
Fruits: Male plants produce pollen cones up to
⅜″ (1 cm) long, while female plants produce slightly larger cones containing
a seed in a papery envelope. Cones appear at stem nodes, in late winter or early spring.
Medical: Plants contain a small amount of ephedrine,
a drug that is used medically for relief of shortness of breath due to bronchial asthma. It
reduces swelling and constricts blood vessels. Ephedrine is dangerous for people with
some health conditions. The PDR for Herbal Medicines does
not list this species at all. Tea made from this plant is so low
in ephedrine that it is probably neither harmful nor efficacious. This doesn’t deter the snake oil sellers, though.