Tea is an infusion made by pouring hot water over herbs and allowing them to steep. This process extracts the flavor and active ingredients from the herbs. Traditional medicine uses herbal tea blends as a tonic to strengthen body systems and ease the symptoms of disease. You can also enjoy herbal tea blends simply for the myriad of pleasant flavors and scents. By researching herbs and experimenting with flavors, you can blend an herbal tea that is perfect for you.
Step 1
Decide if you would like a tea that is calming, or a tea that is stimulating. Calming blends can include marshmallow, hops or valerian. Stimulating blends would include cinnamon, cloves or ginger.
Step 2
Use highly fragrant herbs, such as lavender or cloves, sparingly. If your blend contains too much of these herbs, the scent will overpower all other flavors.
Step 3
Research the herbs that you grow in your own garden to learn which are safe to include in a tea blend. Common garden flowers that are safe to use in a tea include chamomile, anise hyssop, borage, marigold, mint, lavender and bee balm.
Step 4
Experiment with your own edible garden plants by mixing complementary flavors. Anise hyssop has a sweet licorice-like flavor. English chamomile has a sweet apple flavor. Pinks, also known as dianthus, have a spicy clove flavor. Together, they make an interesting tea blend.
Step 5
Blend an herbal tonic by first determining the part of your body that needs support, and then add herbs with nutrients that support the function of that system. To strengthen the blood, for example, add herbs that are high in iron, such as strawberry leaf, burdock root or nettle leaves, says Louis Tenney in her book, "Today's Herbal Health." If you are interested in blending an herbal tea to treat a health condition, discuss your particular tea blend first with your doctor.
Step 6
Learn about the traditional medicinal use of herbal tea blends. Your local library is a good place to start your research. Examine the traditional tea blends used by native peoples, and research why they blended those particular herbs together. Before using any of these medicinal teas, discuss the particular blends with your health care provider.
Tips and Warnings
- Only use garden herbs that are pesticide free in your tea blend. (see reference 2)
- Some flowers are poisonous; do not add any herb to a tea without first researching whether or not it is safe to eat. (see reference 2)
References
- "Today's Herbal Health, Third Edition"; Louise Tenney; 1992
- Colorado State University: Edible Flowers
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