Greenthread Tea

Other Names : Navajo Tea, Hopi Tea, or Indian tea, Thelesperma megapotamicum (Bidens megapotamicum) , Thelesperma simplicifolium, Thelesperma filifolium, and Thelesperma subnudum.
Greenthread tea is a favorite herbal concoction of the Navajo tribe and sometimes referred to as "Navajo tea." Yearly, from March to June, new growth appears along canyon roads near Gallup, New Mexico with tiny yellow buds. At harvest, the Navajo pray to the Gods asking harmony and balance to the earth.

Health Benefits and uses of Greenthread Tea are

The tea has many nutritional benefits, such as soothing sore throats or pampering stomach woes. Known to calm nerves, the sweet and aromatic herb holds flavonoids that prevent inflammation and purify the blood. According to the Slow Food web site, the tea is currently in danger of extinction.

• In addition to the use of the herb as a beverage, greenthread is reputed to be beneficial for the kidneys (mildly diuretic), to alleviate digestive problems (especially stomach cramps), and to purify the blood. Little study has been undertaken to determine the active constituents of greenthread. Flavonoids have been found, and these include luteolin, which is likely the main yellow color of the flowers (used as a dye; see sample use next page); the plant also contains chalcone glycosides, notably marein. Greenthread is closely related to another herb, bidens, in the same plant family: T. megapotamicum is also known as Bidens megapotamicum because of the similarity of the genera, particularly for this species. Bidens plants contain both luteolin and chalcone glycosides.
• Bidens megapotamicum is widely used in Chinese medicine; the most commonly used species there is Bidens pilosa. Several of the flavonoids found in Bidens pilosa have anti-inflammatory activity as revealed in laboratory animal studies. The flavonoids from another species of Bidens, B. aurea, were found to inhibit stomach irritation induced by stress or by elevated levels of acid in the stomach in laboratory animal studies. Several species of Bidens in Africa were screened for ability to treat headache and inflammatory diseases, with the finding that the flavonoids inhibited cyclooxygenase (COX); COX inhibitors are a major area for research today in anti-inflammatory drug development. Mixtures of Bidens species have been used in treating cardiovascular disease in Taiwan, and it was found that these herbs lowered blood lipids in laboratory animal studies; they could also improve blood flow, reduce platelet sticking, and lower high blood pressure.
• Bidens megapotamicum is also used as an herbal tea, such as the Kookoolau tea from Hawaii. It is likely that greenthread has actions similar to the better-studied bidens, though this will only be assured with further investigation. Fortunately, the good taste of greenthread is adequate reason to consume it