Enjoying an Herbal Tea Garden
by Elizabeth Urbach
Be sure your herbs are food safe and that you understand some plants contain both poisonous and safe parts! Choose only pesticide free herbs and avoid those growing along a roadside.
This information is not intended to treat or cure.
Always consult your doctor before using any medicinal herbs.
Before the advent of synthetic drugs, herbs and spices were essentially all that were available to treat symptoms of disease, cure or ease minor ailments, or to support general good health. Herbal remedies were discussed in medical publications of the day, but they are most enduring in folklore and family advice passed down through generations. Herbs were made into lotions, salves, ointments, and poultices, but especially drunk as herbal teas, or tisanes.
Upset stomach and indigestion could be relieved with lemon balm, mint, ginger, licorice, catnip, fennel, or sweet basil. Catnip tea was used as a sedative, along with lavender, chamomile, coriander or cilantro while dandelion greens were used as an invigorating spring tonic. Peppermint tisane could be used to loosen phlegm while a tisane of thyme with
honey was used for a sore throat and a scratchy cough. Sage tea was recommended as a mouthwash for toothache or sore throat and violet blossom tea was said to cure a grouchy person's attitude! Rosemary was used to induce sweating and to break a fever. The list goes on and on.
Tisanes contain no camellia sinensis, but they're a healthy and delicious alternative and can be especially refreshing in warm weather. And while I don’t recommend them to treat serious illnesses, I've found that certain tisanes comfort many minor aggravations. I drink ginger tea to ease indigestion, nausea, sore throat and a stuffy nose. I drink mint tea for nausea and indigestion, coughing, and sinus headache. Licorice tea is a soothing and tasty drink when I have a cold.
Tisane safe flowers also include bee balm, carnations, hibiscus blossoms, hollyhock, honeysuckle flowers (the berries are highly poisonous), nasturtiums, pansies (flowers and leaves), citrus blossoms, elderberry flowers and ripe berries (the leaves and unripe berries are poisonous), and gardenia blossoms.
When used fresh, culinary herbs contribute healthy doses of certain vitamins and antioxidants. Having fresh herbs at your fingertips is not an unaffordable luxury and those we've mentioned can be found in your local nursery. Even if you haven't garden space in the ground, many herbs are perfectly content in pots in a sunny window or on a patio or balcony. Most need little attention and some, such as mint and lemon balm, could care less if neglected - making them perfect choices for non-gardening tea lovers.
Why not celebrate June’s National Iced Tea Month by planting an herbal tea garden for a friend or for yourself? If you're not a lover of pure tisanes, consider growing herbs for tossing into your favorite cuppa. You get the benefit and the flavor and can still keep our beloved camellia sinensis! You'll also have taken the first step towards creating your own personal tea blend!
For the recipes below, mix the herbs thoroughly, and store in an air tight container. To make a cup of tea, use 1 to 2 teaspoons in a cup of boiling water. Steep for 5-10 minutes and strain. If using fresh herbs, triple amounts. Milk and cream are not generally added to tisanes.
Special Note: Cracked or chipped teapots can easily become planters for yourtea herbs if you carefully drill a few holes in the base for drainage.
For Anxiety
4 or 5 sprigs of mint
1/4 teaspoon of grated ginger
The Perfect Stress Reducing Tea
1 tablespoon crushed bee balm leaves
3 tablespoons crushed chamomile flowers
2 teaspoon crushed rosemary leaves
2 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
2 teaspoon crushed peppermint leaves
Lemongrass & Ginger Tea
(for the over thinker)
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 1.5" pieces
1" knob of sliced ginger
6 cups water
2 T. honey (optional)
The above from Sean Paajanen at:
http://coffeetea.about.com/od/herbaltearecipes/r/laverbena.htm
Uplifting Lavender Verbena Tea 1 cup lemon verbena leaves 3 tablespoon lavender flowers |
Make My Headache |
Spring Cleaning |
Sleepytime Catnip
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Source List
Clausen, Ruth Rogers, "An Herbal Tea Garden”
http://www.countryliving.com/outdoor/garden-plans-finder/herbal-tea-garden-plan
England, Angela, "Medieval Herb Tea"
http://plantsbulbs.suite101.com/
blog.cfm/medieval_herb_tea
“Homemade Herbal Teas”
http://www.countryliving.com/cooking/about-food/herbal-teas-0906_2
Morton, Sally, "A Medicinal Herb Garden" http://vegetablegardens.suite101.com/
article.cfm/a_medicinal_herb_garden
Richerson, Sheri Ann, "Herbal Tea Garden Design"
http://herbgardens.suite101.com/
article.cfm/herb_garden_design
Robbie's Handy Household Tips and Tricks: Home Remedies http://kitchen.robbiehaf.com/HomeRemedies.html
http://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/Remedies/hol_herbal-tonics-home.htm
The Herbal Tea Garden, by Marietta Marshall Marcin, Storey Communications Inc.
Mixin's and Fixin's, by Robert V. Anderson, Chandler Press, Maynard, MA. 1988
Historic Uses of Herbs in the Mid-Nineteenth Century and Home Remedies, Including Medical, Beauty, and Household Usages of Herbs, by Virginia Mescher, Nature's Finest, Burke, VA. 1993