Shrubby
Everlasting

It grows loose on the dry, rocky slopes of the Algarve hills, among sun-warmed stones and low scrub — where few other plants hold on. It's a close cousin of the sand everlastings found on the coastal dunes, but this is the hill variety, tougher against the dry inland heat. Its small yellow flowers, almost papery even while still alive, give the plant its "everlasting" nickname.

For generations, Macela has been gathered in the Algarve hills to make tea — a home remedy for the stomach, passed from grandmother to granddaughter in almost every Algarve household. The aroma is intense and unmistakably curry-like — warm, spicy, almost peppery — released even more strongly when the flower is crushed or warmed.

Freeze-dried whole, the yellow flower keeps its living colour and shape intact — every flower head, every thin stem, still recognisable. Perfume a tea, a honey, a digestive infusion, just as has always been done.

No additives. No cultivation. The same plant your grandmother once gathered in the hills.