> Years ago as a student I was working in the Canadian forest helping the
> prospectors staking claims.
> After supper time we always had tea. The legendary voyageurs called that tea "thé
> des bois".
> Today, I would like to get some of that tea but no one appears to know what "thé des
> bois" is.

That just means "tea of the forest". If Iit's the canadian forest, then
probably what they are talking about is Labrador Tea (Ledum
groenlandicum) aka Muskeg Tea. It grows all over in the muskegs and
swamps of northen Canada. In southern Canada, it's a little harder to
find, buy you can still find it in some places.

The tea color is dark red. And the taste is a lot like ordinary black
tea. But, you have to boil it first, and discard the first boil -
usually kind of greenish. It tastes very bitter, so you boil it to
remove all the bitterness. Then, you have to boil it a second time, for
a long time. Then, the taste will be very good. Makes a really good
bush tea. I usually pick some when I have the chance.

If in northern Canada, better to pick it at the end of august, or
september - that's when the mosquitos are gone. Pick it after it
flowers - usually flowers in June or July. It's a low, slow growing
woody-stemmed shrub.


Another tea might be Oswego Tea (Monarda didyma) The leaves are very
fragrant, and when dried and made into tea, tastes very delicious.

Native Americans drank both of these teas a daily beverage teas. And
later, colonists adopted them as tea substitutes.