Tea

            Growing up the only tea I ever really experienced was the Lipton.  My step-mother grew up in the south and this is what you drank.  You throw in 5 tea bags into a few cups of water, boil, then add a cup of sugar and stir it up.  Throw it into a pitcher fill it up the rest of the way with cold water and viola a great tasting cup of tea.  I hardly ever have it anymore, but when I do it always reminds me of home. 

            In my early twenties when I was living on my own and was barely making ends meet and didn’t have any insurance I discovered herbal medicine.  It helped me get over some tough colds and sore throats in just a day or two. After awhile people were asking me to make some tea for them to help with this and that.  It took some really bad cups of “tea” to discover not all herbs are sweet and enjoyable.  I persisted and learned more about the herbs, discovering that most herbs have not one but many uses, and I can almost always find at least one or two decent if not sweet tasting herbs to mask the not so great tasting ones. 

            The more years go by the more herbs are coming into the main stream.  And when I say herbs, I mean the actual herb, either in a tea bag or loose form that you yourself put into a muslin tea bag, not herbal supplements.  You can go into regular grocery stores now and see a wide selection of teas.  From individual herbs such as Peppermint or Chamomile tea to Regulating or Energy tea.  At health food stores you can get a much larger selection ranging from many individual herbs to more medicinal teas.

            Teas are great to have pretty much anytime.  Instead of coffee every morning grab a cup of green tea, it has caffeine and you won’t get the drop off of energy afterwards like you do with coffee.  One thing I learned about green tea though is that you don’t need to let it steep very long at all, two to three minutes is all you need to soak the herb, otherwise it can be a bit too strong.    Peppermint is always a nice stand by.  And not only is it relaxing, but it can help settle an upset stomach and if you have a cold it can help with congestion by  not only drinking it but by breathing in the steam as well.  Chamomile is also a great tea to curl up with, it can help you fall asleep and it has anti-inflammatory properties as well.  Mix a little Chamomile, Peppermint and Lemongrass or Lavender and you have yourself a great cup of tea. 

            Elder Flower is one of my all time favorites.  It has a very sweet taste and is wonderful to add to any strong tasting herb, such as Golden Seal.  Both are great to take if you have a cold, Elder Flowers fights infection while Golden Seal is great for drying up any congestion.  Another good combination is Lavender and Valerian Root.  They help with insomnia and the Lavender helps mellow the strong taste of Valerian Root.  When I first started using Valerian Root both my husband and I thought it smelled like dirty gym socks, a lovely thought I know, but the results of this herb is well worth the smell. 

            The best thing to do when you begin to prepare a mixture the best thing to do is to start with something you are familiar with, such as Peppermint and then maybe add one or two other herbs.  You’ll start getting an idea of what the other herbs taste like.  One thing to keep in mind and is something that I deeply believe in, when you’re making a medicinal tea it doesn’t have to taste bad.  Oh, I’ve made my share of bad tasting teas, but I persevere, take a couple of sips and start over.  I have over 75 herbs in my closet now and am still coming up with new mixes all the time.  And even while you’re thinking that I’m crazy about drinking tea in the middle of summer, relax, throw a few ice cubes into your glass or make a whole pot and let it chill in the fridge, nothing beats a nice cool cup of tea while curled up with a nice book in the middle of summer!  

Richelle Trivedi, Master Herbalist, Health Correspondent

Richelle's Column, Natural Living, covers different uses for herbs found in everyday life, nutritional insights, and simple ways to help make improvements to your life, all without being preachy.  To see some of Richelle’s herbal blends just go to MorningStar Herbals.

To check out all of Richelle's articles just go to www.gather.com/Natural Living.