Eastern hemlock

Tsuga canadensis

infusion

⚠️ Toxic look-alike

Never eat this plant unless you are certain it is not its toxic look-alike.

Yew, which grows in parks, hedges and forests, has very similar flat needles: the whole plant, except the red flesh of its berries, is deadly, even as tea, and a handful of needles can stop the heart within hours. Eastern hemlock needles are short (1 to 2 cm), round-tipped, on a tiny stalk, with two clear white lines underneath, and its small cones hang at the tips of the twigs; yew needles are longer, pointed, pale green underneath with no white lines, and it bears red berries open like a cup. Don't confuse it with poison hemlock either: that is an herb, not a tree, but it has the same English name (“hemlock”).

If in the slightest doubt, leave it. If you feel unwell after eating it, even several hours later, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or 911.

Short, flat needles steeped into a tea with a citrus and resin taste, rich in vitamin C.

Origin: Eastern Canada and United States
Where to find it: In cool forests and ravines of eastern Canada and the Appalachians; an insect from Asia, the hemlock woolly adelgid, threatens it.
Season (United States): all year round · grows in your region
Preparation: A small handful of fresh needles, rinsed, steeps for ten minutes in barely simmering water, without boiling; it is strained and drunk.
Molecules: In small amounts, not counted Vitamin C
Did you know?: Nothing to do with poison hemlock: its English name, “hemlock”, comes from the smell of its crushed needles.