Cocolmeca: the root behind half the cleanse teas in Chicago

Cocolmeca is the root and bark of Smilax species — the same genus that gives us sarsaparilla — sold across Mexico and the Southwest as a traditional cleansing and 'blood' herb. Depending on the region, the name is also applied to Dioscorea mexicana, so what you get depends entirely on who you buy from.

That ambiguity is exactly why we sell it whole and loose. You can see the chips, smell the root, and know what's in the bag.

In traditional Mexican herbalism cocolmeca is a daily-tea herb used during cleanse weeks, often brewed together with other barks and taken as ordinary drinking water. It's considered a supportive, background herb rather than a hard-hitting one.

We make no medical claims for it. What we'll say plainly: it's one of the most requested loose herbs at our counter, and most people are drinking it as tea, not taking it in capsules.

Like all roots and barks, cocolmeca needs a simmer, not a steep.

• ●About 1 oz of chips per gallon of spring water.
• ●Bring to a boil, simmer covered 20 to 30 minutes, then let it cool in the pot.
• ●Strain and refrigerate. Drink through the day, warm or cold.
• ●Re-boil the same chips once if the second batch still runs dark.

It tastes earthy and faintly sweet. Most people don't sweeten it at all.

Cocolmeca is rarely drunk alone in tradition. The common Chicago-counter combinations we see:

• ●Cocolmeca + palo azul — the classic all-day cleanse water.
• ●Cocolmeca + cordoncillo negro — a heavier, more bitter brew.
• ●Cocolmeca + burdock + dandelion — the version people run alongside a 30-day protocol.

If you're building your own blend, start with two herbs and live with it for a week before adding a third. Most people over-blend and can't tell what's doing what.

Look for chunky, woody chips with a clean earth smell. Avoid fine powder, avoid anything sour or musty, and avoid pre-made 'detox tea' bags that list cocolmeca fifth on an ingredient panel — by then there's almost none in there.

We weigh it out in front of you at both shops. That's the standard we'd want as a customer.

Talk to your doctor before drinking cocolmeca daily if you are pregnant or nursing, on prescription medication, or managing a kidney or liver condition. Start with a quart a day rather than a gallon.

Cocolmeca is stocked loose by weight online and at 4661 N Elston and 2455 W Division in Chicago. Call the shop if you want help pairing it with the rest of a cleanse — that's a two-minute conversation that saves people a lot of money.