Kubiki Tea
Also available in supermarkets and local shops are mesh bags full of wood cuttings. These are taken from the evergreen shrub known as kubiki in the local dialect (tsurugumi in Japanese; Elaeagnus glabra). Boiling these cuttings to make an herb tea has been an Amami tradition since ancient times. The beverage is thought to aid circulation, high blood pressure, and colds, and to stimulate the immune system.
