Rain forest Spices

Collection of 6 tropical spices

Exotic Flavors

The rainforest reveals its aromatic secrets through the exotic flavors of these tropical spices, created by mother Nature and cultivate in harmony with people and earth for your enjoyment and welbeing

Cinnamon/ Canela ( 1/4 cup) (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
This popular baking spice comes from the dried inner bark of Cinnamon trees when dried, the bark strips curl into their familiar form. Organically grown in Costa Rica

Black Pepper/Pimienta negra (1/4 cup) (Piper nigrum)
The small berries of the vine Piper nigrum are fermented and sun-dried until they shrivel and turn brownish-black. Pepper is treasured the world over as the master spice.

White pepper/Pimenta blanca
The ripe pepper berry, dried to perfection, is hot but more subtle than black pepper. Often used in ligh-colored dishes, in the place of black pepper, in order to avoid the black specks.

Cardamom/Cardamomo (Elettaria cardamomum)
The dried pod of a tropical plant in the ginger family. Intensely pungent and sweet. A popular spice used to flavor tea and coffee. Grown locally on our farm

Allspice/Jamaica (Pimenta dioica)

This dried fruit which comes from a small tree that is native to the caribbean is called Allspice because its flavor suggest a blend of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Nutmeg/Nuez Moscada (Myristica fragans)

Has a sweet, spyci flavor used in sausages desserts, eggnog, and more. These whole nuts will keep indefinitely. Just grate a bit as needed.

Seed collection

Grown your own tropical indoor plants

with these hand-collect seeds, you can create a small corner of life, color, and beauty in your home to recall the lushness of the tropical rainforest.
Besides adding color to your home, the purches of this product contributes to the conservation of our precious tropical forest by providing alternative income for the families in rural areas who collect these seeds, wich are renewably harvested from the forest.

Collection 24 varietes

Flowering Shurbs


















Candle Bush/Saragundi (Senna reticulata)
Bright candle-like inflorescences stand erect on the branch tips. Light-green, oval leaves close at night.

Angel's Hair/Calliandra (Calliandra calothyrsus)
Feathery leaves adorned by unique inflorescence, wich consist of showy bunches of hop pink and white filaments.

Barbados pride/Hoja de sen (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)
Elegant sunset-colored flowers bloom year round. Scientific name 'pulcherrima' is from the latin word for 'beautiful'















Coral tree/Poro (Erythrina fusca)
A striking tropical whit scarlet flower that atract hummingbird. Interestingly, it often loses its leaves when in full bloom.



















Palo verde (Parkinsonia aculeata) Everlasting green trunk and branches with miniature leaflets and flowers. Weeping willow form.



















Mother of Cacao/Madero negro (Gliricidia sepium)
Provides shade in cacao plantations for developing chocolate trees. Delicate pink and white butterfly-like flowers.


Flowering trees




















Blue Jacaranda/Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia)
Lilac clusters of trumpet-shaped blossoms cover the tree and later fall to the ground, creating a beautiful carpet.













Golden Goddess/Cortez Amarillo (Tabebuia ochracea)
A thick canopy of yellow flowers blanket this striking tree, creating a yearly spectacle.
















Pink shower tree/Roble de sabana (Tabebuia rosea)
All the leaves of this tree are pinkish-red for the first two years. Then, the leaves turn green, and pink flowers begin to form in cascading buches.




















Flame of the forest/Llama del bosque (Spathodea campanulata)
Reddish-orange, tulip-like flowers make this tree stand out brillantly; it's found in many city parks

















Ylan Ylan/Ilang Ilang (Cananga odorata)
The perfume scent of this plant's waxy fragants flowers is used in aromatherapy and is a key component of Chanel N 5 perfume.

















Royal Poinciana/Malinche (Delonix regia)
Also known as queen of the forest, the scarlet flowers of this tree burst into color over its umbrella-like form.

Exotic Mix






















Pink Velvet Banana/Guineo de jardin (Musa velutina)
Dwarf ornamental banana with striking leaves and small pink velvety fruit














Wild coffee/Cafe (Coffea arabica)
Small tree with abundants small flowers that have a jasmin-like aroma. Coffee beans can be harvested from the red fruit.
















Purple Passion fruit/Maracuya (Passiflora edulis)
Vine exotic , fragant flower and delicious egg-size fruit




















Indian Shot/Platanilla (Canna indica)
Flaming red fruit capsules dry to reveal shiny black seeds that are used as beads, and are so hard they were used by pyrates as emergency ammunition














Monkey Ear Tree/Guanacaste (Enterolobium cyclocarpum)
National tree of Costa Rica, With feathery foliage and ear-shaped fruit pods.






















Pelican flower/Carraco (Aristolochia grandiflora)
Elegans vine with hear-shaped leaves and huge flowers that trap tiny flies for pollination.





















Calbash tree/Jicaro (Crecentia cujete)
Stout tree makes an interesting bonsai with light flowers. The hard-shelled fruit dried to make Maracas and other crafts.






















Zebra Banana/Banana Cebra (Musa zebrina)
This unusual banana plant has variegated leaves with blackish-red coloring 6' inches

















Guava/Guayaba (Psidium gujava)
Small tree with smooth pinkish trunk and fragand white flowers. The fruit contain a sweet pinkish-purple flesh that is used in makin jellies.


















Gold Rush/Cana fistula (Cassia fistula)
Sweet smellign clusters of yellow flowers cascade from the branches of this small tree






















Lipstick tree/ Achiote (Bixa orellana)
Pink flowers are followed by red fruit capsule. A red food coloring and nutural dye used in cosmetic is made from seeds within the capsule.





















Bamboo Palm/Palma de Bambu (Pinanga kuhilii)
One the most charming tropical palms with many fronds that grow up 4 inches.

P.O. Box 46-3006 Barreal de Heredia, Costa rica

ALL SEEDS ARE $ 2.5 PER PACKET, POST PAID

Teas

Find the tea for you

Acne: Biter Melon

Anemia: Purple Mombin, Chinese Root

Cholesterol: Dandelion, Roselle, Chinese Root

Colds: Lemon Grass

Colitis: Mint Verbena

Constipation: Senna, Bitter Wood

Diabetes: Bitter Melon, Chinese Root

Diarrhea: Guajava leaves, Bitter wood

Diuretic: Roselle

Fever: Lemon Grass

Gas: Mint verbena

Gout: Sarsaparrilla

Headaches: Sour sop leaves

High Blood Pressure: Avocado leaves

Impotency: Sarsaparrilla

Infertility: Sarsaparrilla

Insomnia: Carpenter bush

Kideney stone: Horsetail, Sarsaparrilla

Nervousness: Passion fruit leaves

Parasites: Gujava leaves, Bitter Wood

Rheumatism: Sarsaparrilla

Tiredness: Chinese Root

Vitamina C: Roselle

Antioxidant: Roselle, Guajava.

For millenia, the healing properties of plants have played a vital role every culture. This plant knowledge, passed down from generation to generation, is still alive in many parts of the world, and is available to you now in Rainforest Teas that naturally promote your physical and emotional wellbeing.

The plants we've selected for our Rainforest Teas have been popularly used in Central Americafor centuries and now have scientific research supporting their effectiveness. The plant material for our teas is sustainably harvest from the wild or grown locally without chemical pesticides.

Tropical American is one of the most biologically diverse region on Earth, with a bouty of recognized medicinal plants, including the teaswe offer, as well as many plants with potential cures yet to be discovered. This is yet another reason why we must strive to protect our tropical forest.

TEAS

Avocado leaves/Hojas de Aguacate(Persea Americana)
High Blood Pressure

While wetreasure the fruit of this treee, a tea of the leaves is useful in lowering arterial blood pressure.

Bitter Melon/ Sorosi (Momordica charantia)
Acne, Diabetes,colesterol

This vine is so useful that people brought in with them to the Americas when they were brought from Africa as slaves, now it grows wild here. It’s bitter taste assures you of its medicinal properties. Acting a blood cleanser,this tea helps to prevent acne from the inside. In the case of diabetes, this tea increases glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis, like natural insulin. Consul your physician before taking. Not for pregnant women.

Bitter Wood/Hombre grande (Quassia amara)
Parasites, Diarrhea, Constipation

This woody shurb makes a bitter tea containing quassina, which rids your body of intestinal parasites, and stimulates the digestive organs, relieving both diarrhea and constipation. Take care with this tea, as ti can lower blood pressure. To prepare, put 2 teaspoons of the tea in one liter or 4 cups of room temperature water and let it stand overnight in the refrigerator, and sotore there until all is used. Drink one cup of tea each day.

Carpenter Bush/Tilo (Justicia pectoralis)
Insomnia, exspectoran

This herb is well renowned in Central America as a relaxing tea, especially used by people suffering from Insomnia. This natural alternative does not cause chemical dependency like some pharmaceutical drugs.

Chinese Root/Cuculmeca (Smilax spp )
Tiredness, Anemia,Diabetes, Cholesterol,Blood tonic

The root of this vine makes an effective blood cleanser and tonic prized not only by indigenous people in tropical America, but also in Europe ever since Spanish explorers brought it home. This tea is used for problems related to the blood, suchas anemia,diabetes and cholesterol. It may also be drunk a general tonic and for tiredness. Prepare this as a decoction, boiling 1 teaspoons of the tea in 1 and ½ cup water for 10 minutes to make one cup of tea

Guava leaves/ Hojas de Guayaba (Psidium guajava)
Diarrhea, parasites, antioxidant.

The tea of Guava leaves is so well recognized as a remedy for diarrhea caused by intestinal parasites thah doctors working in rural areas recommend it instead of manufactured drugs the tea also rehydrates the body to prevent dehydration due to diarrhea.

Horsetail/Cola de caballo (Equisetum spp)
Kidneys stone
This plant, wich has been on Earth since the age the dinosaurs, has been used for centuries for illnesses associated with the urinary tract. Hosetail contains subtances such as flavonoids, glicosids, and saponins tha stimulate the urinary system to expel kidney stones. Preparate this tea as a decoction, boiling 1 teaspoon of tea in 1 and ½ cup of water for 10 minutes.

Lemon Grass/ Zacate de limon (Cymbopogon citratus)
Cold, fever

Many cultures use tea of this grass for could and fever. The aromatic essential oils are the principle active agents.

Min Verbena/ Juanilama (Lippia alba)
Colitis, gas

This is one of the mos effective and best tasting remedies for digestive problems, such as colitis and gas. In some Central American countries, it a appropriately called ‘fast relief’

Passion Fruit leaves/Maracuya (Passiflora edulis)
Nervousness

Besides producing one of the most exotic and delicious fruits in the tropics, this vine produces leaves containing flavonoids. This tea of these leaves acts as a natural sedative to help stabilize our nervous system whenwe suffer from anxiety or hyperactivity.

Purple Mombin/ Hojas de jocote (Spondias purpurea)
Anemia

This tropical shrubs is Known for its tasty fruit and tangy tasting leaves, but the leaves are also rich in iron, making this an excellent tea for anemia.

Roselle/Rosa de Jamaica (Hibiscus sabdafiffa)
Diuretic, cholesterol, Vitamin C, antioxidant

This is one of the most popular and widely drunk beverage in the world. This tangy tea is made from the calyx of this hibiscus flower. The delightfully red tea is diuretic, lower cholesterol, and is rich inVitamin C, making in an ideal, everyday drink . It may be sweetened and drunk hot or cold

Sarsaparrilla/ Zarzaparrilla (Smilax spp)
Impotency, infertility, rheumatism, gout, strengthening tonic, kidneys stone

This vine belongs to one of the most popularly used plant families in the world for problem related to fertility. Indigenous people in Central America have used this powerful root for the same purpose and as a general strengthening tonic.

Senna/Saragundi (Senna reticulata)
Constipation

Today many people suffer from incosistend bowel movements. This senna leaf tea relieves constipation. There are several related species of senna wich have been used by cultures around the world for their effective laxative properties.

Sour Sop leaves/Hojas de Guanabana (Annona muricata)
Headaches

The delectable fruit of this plant is a treat for those visiting the tropics, and the leaves make a tea that acts as a sedative and relieves headaches. Preclinical studies in the USA have demonstrated a potential thah substances in this plant attack cancerous cells without affecting healthy body cells.

Each packet of Rainforest Tea
Contains enough loose leaf for about 20 cups of tea.

General brewing instructions:

Use 1 teaspoon of herb per cup of tea, pouring hot water (not boiling) over the herb, cover, and letting it steep for 5 to 10 minutes. When removing the cover, let the condensation fall into your cup. Drink 2 or 3 cups of tea per day. If any more specific instructions are required, we have written them with the description of each tea.

Very important

These teas are not advised for women who are pregnant or nursing. These statements have not been evaluated by the food and Drugs Administration, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate, cure or prevent any diseases, nor replace medical care.

ALL SEEDS AND TEAS ARE $ 2.5 PER PACKET, POST PAID

Tea by Bulk $28/Lb or $63/Kg
Please send the check to the name El Arca verde de las plantas