Ternatum
The Ternatum tree grows all along the western side of Jiazera. It is a medium-sized tree that grows three to four trunks off one root system. The bark is a white tan, with dark stripes that run horizontally up and down the trunk. Each trunk can grow up to three feet in diameter, while the tree only grows to a max height of 20 feet. The leaves are bright green during the fall and winter. Then in spring, the leaves turn different shades of blue. A bright red flower blooms, followed by a red fruit that turns orange once it is ripe. The fruit ripens right before the leaves fall, about the last week of summer. That is when new green leaves start to grow.
While the Ternatum’s growth pattern is a bit unusual, it is not what it is known for. It is known for its fertility properties. Each part of the tree has uses in fertility.
The parts that help are the bark and the fruits. The outermost part of the bark is harvested and placed into large vats that are boiled for two hours. After two hours, the bark is removed and put into clean vats with water and left to steep for three weeks. After three weeks, the bark is removed and discarded, and the liquid is bottled and sold. This bark tea has several benefits for women. It increases the chances for women to become pregnant. During pregnancy, it helps with nausea. After birth, it helps rebalance the hormones and helps increase milk production. The fruit is an effective aphrodisiac. Scientists believe that this is because of all the vitamins and minerals within the fruit. Experts say the best way to get this effect is to eat fresh ripe fruit. Next, the leaves are the main ingredient in a paste that is used as a birth control. The roots, ground up and mixed with the slightly under-ripe fruit, are used to help men also balance their hormones. This mixture is also thought to increase stamina and improve blood flow.
The demand for products of the Ternatum tree is so great that people have created Ternatum farms to grow and manage the trees. This was to prevent the overlogging of the tree in the wild. This started a whole industry around the Ternatum tree. Now there are still some of the smaller and more isolated villages that rely on their own forests for the trees and locals who know how to make the medicine from the tree. But for the most part people just get it from local shops and really don’t know how the stuff is made.
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