Navajo Tea

Navajo Tea is known by many names including Dep’E Tewa (meaning Coyote Plant), Green Thread, Indian Tea, Hopi Tea, Navajo Tea, Zuni Tea, Pueblo tea, and Cota.

This is an attractive plant with finely divided thread-like leaves and yellow coreopsis-like flowers. Native to the plains of the Central US, the herb grows wild over much of the plains and mountain states, reaching north into Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota. It grows prolifically on the Navajo, Hopi, and Pueblo lands, as well as throughout much of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and Colorado. Its elevation ranges from coastal Texas to mountainous areas over 7,000 feet.

Revered since ancient Puebloan times and still widely used by the Native American community today.  The flavor is distinctive and well-rounded, mellow, with a bit of natural sweetness.  Some say it is similar to a young green tea. Traditionally the dried stems and leaves are brewed into a tea, but if you harvest your own, add a couple of the delicate yellow flowers to your brew for an added layer of flavor and aroma and a nice reddish color.

The entire plant – flowers, stems, and leaves – makes a light yellow to orange dye. The dried flowers give a light yellow tint, while the whole dried plant gives a reddish-yellow to medium yellow color. One grouping or planting can provide enough growth for both tea and dye in a single season.

Medicinally, one of the main active ingredients is luteolin. Dr. James Duke ascribed a wide array of medicinal effects to luteolin in his book Handbook of Phytochemical Constituents of Herbs and Other Economic Plants published in 1992. Effects include anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antispasmodic, antitussive (against coughs), antiviral, diuretic, and hepatoprotective (liver protective), among others. The leaves make a tasty tea, which has been used traditionally for mild urinary tract problems.

Thanks to its prolific flowers, this plant is a prime nectar source and larval host plant for several butterfly species, particularly the Sulphur butterfly and Dwarf Yellow butterfly, while the ripe seed is food for smaller birds, specifically the painted bunting.

The plant is quite drought hardy once established. It prefers a sandy soil and full sun. Perennial. Hardy to zones 3-11.