The Modern Herbalist: Approaching Herbal Tea

Many people would like to try making herbal tea, but feel intimidated by the rows of jars at the natural health store. This is natural. Anyone would be overwhelmed. This article aims to dispel some of the mystery surrounding herbs, so that you can make tea with confidence.

The first thing you will want to make herbal tea is a tea pot and a tea ball of some kind, the bigger the better. Then you'll want some herbs. Now you can make tea. No mucking around with tea bags will be necessary. You can make much better tea yourself, out of fresh and dried herbs that you harvest or buy.

Why Not Tea Bags?
The tea you make yourself out of fresh, whole ingredients will have far more taste than the anemic stuff often found in herbal tea bags. And because your own ingredients are not as finely ground, they will be more nourishing to your body and give you greater medicinal benefit. I guarantee that if you try this at home, you will buy a lot fewer tea bags in the future.

What Can You Put In Tea?
You can buy almost any dried herb from your local organic food, coop, or natural health store. Most stores stock many varieties in bulk and they're usually very inexpensive. With dry herbs used in a blend, just add about a teaspoon each to your tea ball. Use more for simples (one-herb teas). Some herbs to buy are:

You can also grow herbs in your garden to use in tea. The way to use fresh herbs is to snip off leaves or sprigs and add them to your tea pot. If you have space in your house or are lucky enough to have a greenhouse, you can bring potted herbs inside for fresh leaves in the winter. Some herbs to grow are:

Finally, you can wild harvest some herbs right in your own backyard. Just make sure they're not endangered in any way, or victims of pesticide treatments. Be sure to get a good field guide to edible and medicinal plants, and know for sure what you're harvesting before you use it. Obviously, you will not want to overharvest any wild plant. Some herbs to wild harvest are:

Choosing Herbs

There are a number of ways and reasons to enjoy herbal tea. You can take your tea as a simple, with just a single herb infused in boiling water. Simples are especially effective when you have an acute condition, like a headache or stomach disturbance, in which case you might drink just one herb in infusion.

When drinking tea for pleasure or general health, it's ok to blend different herbs. You can choose herbs for their taste, color, medicinal effect, or nutritional value. Use your nose, imagination, and herb guide to help you choose herbs for different effects. As you'll see, there's a lot of variety. Here are some herbs and their uses:

Herbs that are tasty: mint, chamomile, hibiscus, lemon verbena

Herbs that add spice: scented leaf geranium, hibiscus, rose blossoms, orange and lemon peel

Herbs that are relaxing: chamomile, skullcap, oat straw. lemon balm, linden flowers, valerian (sedative)

Herbs that are medicinal: mint, sage, thyme, burdock, dandelion, chickweed, echinacea, st. john's wort, red clover, licorice root, juniper berries, ginger, lady's mantle

See the recipes that follow for some examples of how to blend herbs for a number of different purposes.

Sample Tea Recipes
Except as noted, all recipes are for a pot of tea.

Tonic Tea

3 slices fresh ginger (spicy, warming, immune tonic)
1 tsp. mint (sweet, digestive)
1 tbsp. chamomile (sweet, relaxant)
1 tsp. nettles (green, system/kidney tonic)
3 slices burdock Root (woody, system/liver tonic)
1 tbsp. red clover (sweet, blood cleanser)
1 tsp. rose hips (sour, vitamin c)

Steep for 5-15 minutes for a balanced, healthful tea. Best drunk over the period of a few months, for maximum effectiveness as a tonic. One cup a day is good.

Exotic Spice Tea
This one is nice for tea parties.

4 rose blossoms (spicy, fragrance)
1 tsp. hibiscus flowers (sour, pink color)
1 tsp. orange rind (sweet, spicy)
3 slices fresh ginger (spicy, warming, headache calmer)
1 tsp. clover (sweet, cool)
1 clove (spicy, warming)
2 leaves fresh scented leaf geranium (spicy, balancing)
1 tsp. lemon balm (green, relaxing)

Steep for 5-10 minutes and enjoy with a teaspoon of honey.

Calming, Sedative Tea
This tea can be made truly sedative by adding valerian, but best to start slow and see how it affects you.

4-5 linden flowers (sweet, relaxing)
1 tsp. chamomile (sweet, mildly sedative)
1 tsp. skullcap (bitter, mildly sedative)
1 tsp. mint (sweet, spicy)
2 leaves fresh scented leaf geranium (spicy, balancing)
1 tsp. lemon balm (green, relaxing)

Again, steep 5-10 minutes and sweeten with honey if desired.

Cold and Flu Tea (especially with runny nose)
This recipe makes one mug.

3 slices fresh ginger (spicy, warming, immune balancing)
5-10 leaves chopped sage (spicy, antihistamine)
2-3 springs fresh thyme (spicy, antibiotic, antiviral)
1 tbsp. honey (sweet, simple sugar)
Juice of half a lemon (sour, vitamin c)
A dash of cayenne pepper (hot, immune enhancing) [optional]

This mug of hot grog will make you feel stronger while it gives you a break from cold symptoms.

I hope this helps you get a feel for working with herbs to make tea. Herbal teas are tasty, healthful, and a lot of fun. Nearly all herbs are safe in low doses, so you can feel free to experiment provided you're willing to invest in an herbal guide or two, to guide you on your way. Here's to homemade herbal tea!

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