Tea Tuesday #4: Alfalfa, Nettle, and Peppermint

Happy Spring Equinox! The weather here has felt more like early summer than early spring, so I thought a peppermint based tea would be nice this week. Peppermint has a wonderful cooling effect and it's one of my favorite hot weather drinks. I love to drink it sweetened over ice without any other herbs, but I thought some alfalfa and nettles would be good today in honor of spring. A nice cleansing, cooling drink. I will definitely be drinking it this afternoon in my water bottle at work!

Because I wanted to make enough that I will have it ready for work over the next couple of days, and because I will probably pour it over ice, the recipe today is a little larger and more concentrated than the teas I usually make.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp nettle leaves
2 Tbsp alfalfa
4 Tbsp peppermint
4 Cups filtered or distilled water
Sugar, Honey or other sweetener to taste

Directions:
Mix the herbs together and place in a large glass measuring cup. Bring the water to a boil in a tea kettle and then pour over the herbs. Cover the measuring cup with a plate, and allow to steep for ten minutes. Strain out the herbs and pour into a glass or ceramic pitcher (glass canning jars also work well). Store in the refrigerator. When ready to use, mix with water and sweeten to taste.

I usually like to dilute this blend at least half and half with water, but it depends on my mood whether I use more or less water than that. Perfect spring drink:

Health Highlights
Peppermint: cooling, soothing to the digestive tract
Nettles: rich mineral content, refreshing spring tonic
Alfalfa: rich mineral content, refreshing spring tonic

Tea Tusday #3 Sage, Astragalus, Calendula

Toady I wanted something to support immunity, considering that I have been fending off that stiff necked, stiff muscled, blah, I might be coming down with something sort of feeling.

So I pulled out some herbs from my cabinet of curiosities and blended them up: two parts sage, one part astragalus, one part calendula.

Sage is one of my favorite herbs when I am feeling stretched thin and frazzled, and I find it also works wonderfully on tight neck muscles preceding a cold. Astragalus is an old standby for winter immunity woes, and Calendula is a lesser known but equally potent winter ally for sluggish lymph glands.

The yellow petals are especially cheerful looking on grey, drizzly days like today,

and the tea even takes on the cheerful yellow color of the calendula blossoms! I'm not quite sure how to describe the taste of this one. The sage comes through very clearly, and the other two stay more in the background. Astragalus always tastes a bit sweet and spicy, and a bit like the way pencil shavings smell. Calendula has a warm, earthy, hay taste.

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!