Tubho tea
Ivatan herbal tea
Tubho tea (sometimes spelled tubha), is a traditional herbal tea of the Ivatan people in the Philippines made from dried leaves of the tubho fern.
Tubho fern
Tubho tea is made from the tubho fern, Odontosoria biflora, also known as Sphenomeris biflora and Sphenomeris chinensis subsp. biflora. It is native to Southeast China, Korea, Japan and its offshore islands, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
Preparation
Tubho tea is not made from fresh fronds of the tubho, instead it is made from mature fronds which have already wilted and dried while still on the plant. They are preferred because they are less bitter. The dried fronds are boiled in water until the water turns dark brown. The leaves are then removed and it is served hot. The leaves may be reused, as long as they still turn the water dark brown when boiled. The tea is traditionally sweetened with brown sugar.
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