Tansy Tea
We realize that this is probably in poor taste, but we found some dried tansy at a medieval market a few weeks back, and just couldn’t help ourselves.
Full Disclaimer: Nobody should try this using this tea for its Westerosi uses. Nor should you drink it in any great quantity. To be safe, you probably just shouldn’t drink it at all…
Our Thoughts:
The taste of the tea on its own is light, with a faintly medicinal herbal quality that is not entirely unpleasant. However, a dash of honey banishes the tiny traces of a lurking bitterness. Given that there is no evidence of proper tea plants in either Westeros or Essos, it seems safe to say that the noble houses, such as, say, the Tullys, would have enjoyed herbal teas. In such a case, one heavily honeyed herbal brew might easily be substituted for another on the sly, if a noble daughter needed to be available to make a good match…
And just to make certain, for those less familiar with herbal medicine; this -is- a powerful abortificent, and should not be taken lightly, and the dosage required for that use can get rid of the mother as well.
Also, -very- bad for anyone with hayfever and sililar allergies
Ow! So bad idea in general to ingest, eh?
Pretty much.
Sure,it´s not actually toxic (compered to the nightshades and other proper poisons), but it´s not really a necessary or altogether healthy part of a herbal tea blend, either
I am blown away by your presentation. The broken cup in the back speaks volumes.
I dunno… I hope they didn’t break the teacup just solely for presentation. I mean, what did the poor teacup ever do to them?!
:) No, sadly it was the casualty of some overzealous washing up one evening. Just four left, now!
Yeah Ladies, both my Nursing Professor mother, and I as an EMT would STRONGLY urge you to clearly list in your post that this is an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS tea. Your current warning sounds like a joke, like something someone would write about alcohol.
Furthermore you do not make it obvious for most people that “Tansy Tea” is “Moon Tea”, only to those of us very familiar with the books.
Finally fantasy / medieval books tend to make light of it, making Moon Tea seem like a safe and effective contraceptive, not pointing out its potentially fatal side effects for the mother. Tansy tea is essentially poison. In its contraceptive / abortive uses it poisons the mother, hoping that the dose is low enough to kill the baby without killing the mother.
There have been many reported cases of Tansy Tea being fatal to adults.
I do love your recipes, your blog in general, and will be one of the first people in line to buy your book. But I think you’re underestimating human stupidity, and your liability, by not being very clear and open in your labeling of this one as dangerous.
Moon Tea is actually a mix of Tansy and Pennyroyal, both very poisonous herbs. But, yeah, you might actually want to warn eventual stupid people not to brew this stuff.
And especially not drink it added Pennyroyal…
This is very very good for rumatisim
Dang, that’s crazy! I agree, the presentation is amazing!
Never drink this…check!
There’s a good chance that Moon Tea might refer to Silphium, a roman contraceptive plant.
Normally I would say that is likely, but at one point Lysa actually describes the ingredients.Tansy and pennyroyal and all sorts of other unpleasant. Just looked up some side effects; “an incorrect dosage can be highly toxic, causing hallucinations, spasms, convulsions, and even death.”
I agree with TheStargazer. You guys have a responsibility to make it VERY CLEAR not to play around with this particular recipe.
If you don’t drink it, but rather scatter it around your cupboards, Tansy is a very effective “drives-away-mice” herb.
Let’s be grateful some of us live where modern contraception is legal, hm? For now. Being as that the medieval alternative is poison
I would stay away from Tansy, unless you are an experienced herbalist. While Tansy may have some medicinal effects, taken in large dosages it can cause violent reactions and seizures. These reactions are caused by chemical Thujone; which inhibits GABA receptor activation in the brain, causing neurons to fire more easily, resulting in muscle spasms and convulsions. Thujone can be found in a number of plants, most notably Tansy and Wormwood. The problem with Thujone and Tansy is that you don’t know what amount of the chemical you have in any given plant. Be aware that self poisoning is a reality. Headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, upset stomach are the most common symptoms of self poisoning.
A further note on self poisoning is that Tansy and Pennyroyal are deadly poisons if ingested in the essential oil form, even in small amounts. It is an awful way to die. In 1978, a young woman from Denver, Colorado died from ingesting one ounce of pennyroyal oil and doctors were helpless to save her, as her organs failed. DO NOT make a tragic mistake like that.
I have had a personal experience with tansy, and other abortifacients, when I was just learning about herbology almost six years ago. I thought I knew enough about the herbs to help me make an educated decision, but I ended poisoning myself and had an awful near death experience. Do not risk your life. Seek medical help if you find yourself in a situation where you are contemplating an herbal abortion. Herbal abortifacients can be extremely taxing on the kidneys and liver and are 45% effective. Most fantasy books do not explain the scary side effects, incomplete abortions, and possibility of death.
Bottom line, don’t ingest Tansy or Pennyroyal.
Yep, it doesn’t get much more plain than that. NOBODY should drink this stuff! Thanks for your input!
Funny how the Amish have used this for centuries without incident but the government don’t want us to use it so they invent stories ….
Funny how the Amish have used this for centuries without incident but the government don’t want us to use it so they invent stories ….