Tea Tuesday #2: Rose Hips and Hibiscus

I had a craving for something red, with rose hips. And, preferably, hibiscus. The end result just so happens to be spectacularly heart-friendly, and with today being Valentine's Day, well, how perfect!
 
Ingredients:
Rose petals, one part (in this case, approximately two tablespoons)
Hibiscus flowers, one part
Rose Hips, four or five
Hawthorne berries, four or five

Health highlights:
Hibiscus: heart health, healthy water balance, supports healthy blood pressure, promotes regularity
Rose Petals: heart health, mood support, promotes regularity
Rose Hips: high in vitamin c, antioxidants, and iron
Hawthorne Berries: heart health, supports healthy blood pressure, promotes regularity

To make the tea, measure out and then lightly crush the ingredients while the water boils. When the water reaches a boil, remove from heat. Measure herb blend into a tea strainer, one tablespoon full of the herbal blend per cup of water. 

Let steep for five minutes, then remove tea strainer from cup. This tea has a pleasantly fruity, tart taste from the rose hips and hibiscus, and a subtle floral note from the rose petals. Enjoy it as is, or try one of these delicious options:

• Hot and sweetened with honey
• Over ice with cranberry juice or cranberry juice blend, to taste
• With sumac berries in addition to the rose hips and hawthorn berries

Tea Tuesdays #1: Coltsfoot and Thyme

The other day, I wanted something to help out with the winter grungies which had taken up in my chest for the week. After raiding the Cabinet, this is the result:

1 tbsp each of thyme, hyssop, and coltsfoot
2 tbsp of peppermint
five or six rosehips

I used one tablespoon of the mix in eight ounces of just boiled water. I let it steep a little longer than usual, about fifteen minutes, because I wanted it to be nice and strong.
The first taste is that of peppermint, with a light finish of thyme and hyssop, almost a bit resinous. Added honey to taste as a sweetener.

Health Highlights
Thyme: upper respiratory support, antiseptic and astringent properties
Hyssop: promotes sweating and has diuretic and expectorant properties
*Coltsfoot: soothing to the lungs; expectorant, anti-inflammatory and antitussive properties
Peppermint: digestive support, excellent flavor

*Note about Coltsfoot: I have seen it noted in some herbal references that Coltsfoot contains alkaloids that are best avoided during nursing and pregnancy, daily or long term use in children, and in people with liver disease. (Healing with the Herbs of Life by Leslie Tierra L.ac, A.H.G)

Tea Tuesdays

For some reason, this post did not publish last week as planned, so without further ado: the introduction for Tea Tuesdays!

Copious amounts of teas are consumed regularly at my house, so I thought it might be fun to start a weekly feature with some of my infusion related adventures.

Making herbal tea is a great way to add nourishing variety to your daily fare. Herbal teas, also known as tisanes or infusions, can be created purely for taste, or with a specific health supporting goal in mind.

One of the things I enjoy most about blending teas at home is being spontaneous and creative with what I have on hand. Therefore, I encourage you to experiment with improvisations of your own. Granted, I do have a spectacular amount of herbal material in my cabinet of curiosities, and my teas reflect that abundance. If you would prefer to replicate my concoctions exactly rather than develop wild experiments of your own, the ingredients should be easily available and very inexpensive either online or at your local health food store.

So, cozy up with your tea kettle and follow along on our tisane escapades every week!

Herbal Mischief Reading List

So, last month I wrote a little post about all the herbal mischief I am planning for this year. Part of that post referred to a reading list I was putting together. Here it is! My reading list for the year:

Herbalism in America (excluding Native traditions, which I would like to focus on next year)

The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism, by Matthew Woods
Medical Protestants: The Eclectics in American Medicine, by John S Haller
The People's Doctor: Samuel Thomson and the American Botanical Movement, by John S. Haller
and possibly
Kindly Medicine: physio-medicalism in America, by John S. Haller

I wish I could find a few other authors as well, but this will be a good start.

Herbals and European Herbal History
Medieval Herbals: the Illustrative Traditions, by Minta Collins
The Old English Herbals, by Eleanour Sinclair Rhode
Herbals: their origin and evolution, by Agnes Arber

And I would like to at least browse through the following:

Gerard's Herbal, by John Gerard
Culpeper's Complete Herbal, by Nicholas Culpeper
A modern herbal, by Maude Grieve

I think I will probably purchase them one or two at a time, some of them are a bit on the pricey side. Well, at least for me, the expert at dredging up $2.oo herbal books at the local used bookshops :)