Looking for Ephedra to Grow for Sinus Congestion
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Don C. Leatham
Posted on: February 21, 2001

Just discovered your site.....nice job, will keep it in my preferred bookmarks....

I would like to grow some Ephedrus Californicus or Nevadensis, but have no source of seeds, except possibly among some of the herb I have in a box that was hand-picked for me in Arizona.

We offer seeds of E. nevadensis and E. viridis. Ephedra seeds have a hard seed coat and are slow to germinate, but otherwise once they start growing they are relatively easy to grow provided they are given dry conditions.

I used to pick my own in the deserts of Southern Utah, but have long since moved away from that area.

The stems/leaves are boiled into tea, and I use it to relieve my sinus congestion. Works much better than the commercial nose drips – at least for me. Don’t use it often, maybe 5 or 6 times a year during sinus season, but would like to have a reliable source of my own, among my thyme and oregano.

Yes, we have heard many people say the same thing, that ephedra (also known as Mormon tea) is very effective for sinus problems. The interesting thing is that although E. nevadensis and others American species contain only traces of ephedrine, they have large stores of related compounds and they may be safer and more effective than the derivatives used in over the counter drugs sold at the pharmacy.

Also I need a grinder that will handle the hard tough stems. My coffee grinder won’t do it, and my blender does work, but not well.

Are you filling your own capsules and need a fine powder, or are you making a tea? As a tea made as a decoction (herb cooked in boiling water) you should not need to grind the herb much more than what you are doing with your blender.

There are some home grinders that work better than others at grinding herbs. We have not experimented much with them, but we have heard that there are some makes and models that are quite good. Sorry, we do not have the specifics.

I have a small dry-ish plot that gets a lot of sun that should work out ok.

Make sure the soil is very well drained. Plant at a slight elevation so excess water drains away, and add sand to heavy clay soil if that is what you have.

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