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Let me stress something right at the beginning: Drinking Herbal Teas is NOT necessarily 'safe'. Just because something is classified as 'natural' - DOES NOT make it safe for consumption - for you. There are several herbs that can cause serious medical problems, allergic reactions and even death. Before you add ANYTHING new to your diet check with a medical professional, definitely DO NOT ingest herbs if you are pregnant, or nursing - and DO NOT give herbs to children. I'm not just saying that for legal reasons. In my 30+ years of working with herbs I have seen people make some really stupid assumptions and end up sick and in the hospital. Please, don't risk your health! In my mind there are three ways to enjoy teas: 1) A Cup for Flavor. This is when you just really like the flavor of an herb (like mint tea) and drink it for enjoyment alone. 2) A Cup for Benefit. Mint tea to cool you off, cinnamon tea to warm you up, chamomile tea after a hard day, ginseng tea to pick you up - the tea you drink offers you some kind of benefit, even if it's only psychological. 3) A Cup for Medicinal Purpose. More and more Doctors are recommending herbs to be consumed as herbal teas. However, these teas are made differently, stronger. A Few Basic Rules To Remember: 1) Never sweeten with sugar - if you must sweeten your herb tea use honey. Before you reach for that sweetener - TASTE the tea. Our culture has become so 'sweet' laden that we do it automatically. Most herbs are bursting with a flavor all their own. Enjoy what Mother Nature gave you. Besides, herb tea has a flavor that is very different from Tea Bush (Camellia sinensis) tea. You can learn more about the difference between Herbal Tea and the Tea Bush at Wikipedia. 2) Never add milk (cream or other whiteners). These can actually change the properties of the herb tea you are drinking. 3) Bring your water to a boil and pour it over the herb. Don't put the herb in the water while you are heating it up. 4) This one may sound funny, but a special cup that you only use for herbal tea can really enhance the entire experience. The cup you see in the picture above is my special herb tea cup :-) 5) Never drink a cup of herbal tea just because someone recommended it (unless it's your Doctor that did the recommendation). Always learn about the herb you are about to ingest. Making A Cup of Tea for Flavor Making a cup of herbal tea for flavor is pretty easy if you just remember the number one. 1 teaspoon herb, 1 cup of water, steep for 1 minute. All of these will change a little as per your taste preferences, but remembering the number one will get you off to a good start. Making A Cup of Tea for Benefit This is an easy step up from the herbal tea for flavor as you just need to remember the number two. 2 teaspoons of herb, 1 cup of water, steep for 2 minutes - this time you need to cover the tea while it's steeping. Covering the tea will help to keep the oils in versus them escaping via the steam. Making A Cup of Tea for Medicinal Purpose - also called a Tisane or Ptisan First it's important to listen to the quantities that your Doctor recommends. Make sure and ask them if their recommendations are for one cup of water, or more. Bring your water to a boil, place your herb - loose - in the cup, pour the water over and cover it for 10 minutes - NO longer. At 10 minutes it's reached peak potency and begins to go back down hill. Remove the cover and strain the herb out of the water. It's very important to never add anything else to an herbal tea for medicinal purpose - not even honey. If the medicinal tea tastes nasty (and some really do) ask your Doctor before you start adding things to it.  Herbal Tea does have it's health benefits for young and old alike. Here are tips for regaining vitality and feeling good in your retirement years. A healthy, happy, 72 year old shares his experience and research in the quest for physical, mental, and spiritual wellness. Here's a short list of things that a good Herbal Tea could help with:
FUNNY: I was doing some flavor experiments making teas out of nuts and seeds. Most tasted really good, but required longer steeping times. I set my cup of tea down to steep (on my porch) and went inside to answer the phone. When I returned there were two squirrels enjoying my tea. That was bad enough - but they learned to scratch on my door every time they wanted some (maybe I shouldn't have coaxed them with more, lol). That year I shared many tea times with my two buddies (I named them Mutt and Jeff). Their favorite was hazel nut.
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All information, shared on this web site, is for enjoyment and study only and is NOT meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Only your health care professional is qualified to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Do not risk your health! Just because something is 'natural' does NOT make it safe. Do not, under any circumstance, ingest or use herbs in any form without consulting your Doctor. If you do, you do so at your OWN RISK. |
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