lol, ok, when you said nice tea I envisioned enjoying it with grandma before bed. Calea brews make me shiver and make noises
Yes there are fakes, one from somewhere in the mint family actually dominates the live Calea market and many sellers know its not Calea but sell it as Calea anyway. [...] Its not bitter (unless someone thinks all vegetables are, in which case they need a better diet). Its human toxicity is unknown, and its identity is unknown.
Down in Oz a common weed grew when someone tried to grow Calea from seed (its standard germination rate is 2%) and it got spread around as Calea for a bit as well. But in america the fraud is widespread and intentional.
The zacatechichi versus ternifolia is just a nomenclatural change among the taxonomists. They are, indeed, the same plant.
[Edited for Bubbles]