111 Moods of Herbal Tea — Day 13, Iceland Moss

Photo Credits to L. M. Kyola

Dear Gentle Reader,

Few doctors will suggest this lichen as a cure to your ailments. Iceland Moss is a precious commodity that might break your chains to the pharmaceutical industry. Take the reins of your health back with me as we search through the lava slopes of North Iceland! We shall ride at full trot until we see the flattened lobes with fringed edges.

Our fellow pioneers used to sleep in tents and pack as much Iceland Moss as they could collect into skin bags. Women and children would also search in the moors, plains, and mountains (1). Let us be scandalous in this journey — we will search without the supervision of a man. He is welcome as a friend on the expedition, of course!

While we are collecting the lichen, we might be generous enough to share with our neighbor reindeers and moose. They’ll be good company if they follow us part of the way back home. We will save what remains of our grayish, springy treasure for a rainy day, in case we need to:

• Cure athlete’s foot
• Stop asthma
• Heal psoriasis
• Eliminate ringworm
• Cure a cough
• Stop diarrhea
• Soothe skin lesions
• Prevent periodontal disease
• Treat HIV infections
• Lower fevers
• Cleanse the kidneys
• Treat bladder issues
• Boost appetite
• Nourish the body (2)

I asked you on this expedition because you will find Iceland Moss difficult to spot in most stores. It is considered a rare delicacy — it looks like moss, is called a grass, and forms from a symbiotic relationship between algae and fungi. So, please, do not step on it as we walk — it grows a mere 0.2 inches per year. The more moss we bring to our land, the more valuable our land will become!

The value to our own health will be significant, too. When an ailment strikes, we will use the traditional Iceland Moss tea recipe:

1 teaspoon of dried Iceland Moss

1 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of honey

1 cinnamon stick

1. Bring the milk to a boil
2. Reduce heat to a simmer
3. Simmer the Iceland Moss and cinnamon stick for 10 minutes
4. Serve warm

For a medicinal tea, the lichen makes a palatable concoction, in spite of its slight bitterness. The honey and cinnamon make it extra pleasant if you use water instead of milk.

To nature’s medicine,

Valeria Paz

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Sources:

1. Dennis, Andrew, et al. Laws of Early Iceland: Grágás: the Codex Regius of Grágás with Material from Other Manuscripts. University of Manitoba Press, 2000.
2. Cetraria Islandica, www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/lichens/cetisl/all.html.