Tsisi tea

A tea brewed from several forms of native fungus and flavored with anise, ginger root and dried cayenne peppers. Has been shown by the monks of Tsisi Shrine to greatly relieve symptoms of Shaswot cough.

Utility

Tsisi tea is administered by mouth, no more than twice in a 12-hour period. Overuse can lead to hallucinations, severe abdominal cramping and diarrhea.

Manufacturing

The tea is prepared by harvesting the raw fungi, drying it and combining it with 1/2 oz of salt (preservation), then measuring an appropriate amount of the preserved fungi and combining with anise, powdered ginger root and crushed and dried cayenne pepper. The tea is added to a small cheese-cloth bag, tied tightly shut and then brewed at boiling temperatures for 10-15 minutes after which the tea bag is removed. After brewing, the tea can be cooled and stored for up to 48 hours without loss of potency.

Inventor(s)

Brother Markus of Tsisi

Access & Availability

Still being researched for side effects; accessible to patients of the Monks of the Tsisi Shrine.

Complexity

The cultivation of the fungi which produce the antibiotic effects in the tea is fairly specialized and Brother Markus has written several extensive treatises on the care and keeping of the fungi, as well as the production and administration of the final tea.

Discovery

Brother Markus of Tsisi, one of the medical research fellows at Tsisi Shrine, discovered antibiotic properties of several species of fungus which were growing in the Shrine's gardens. He cultivated the fungi and experimented with them until devising a tea which, while bitter and strong, alleviates the coughing and vomiting associated with Shaswot cough.