Teas

The thing about teas..

Some herbs are infused, some are decocted. Roots are decocted. There are several ways to do this, but I put them in a quart of cold water and then bring to boil on low heat. Yes, it takes a while, but you should watch it anyway so it doesn’t get carried away on its way to boiling. When it starts to boil, drop the temp down so that it simmers for typically 20 minutes or so, but don’t worry if it goes longer. Longer is stronger, so there’s that.

Infusions are for more fragile herbs and some roots with high volatile oil content such as valerian and goldenseal. I pour boiling water over the herbs in a mason jar and then put the lid on tight, letting it steep for 15 minutes or so. Again, if it’s longer that’s fine.

Now, some of my teas are a combination of herbs as with the first tea listed. I decoct first, then remove the mixture from heat to infuse the remainder.

Teas can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days, but mine never last that long.

I like to gather as many herbs that I use either from the garden or from around my property. That said, my youngest son and his wife have a ton of horsetail at their home and I gathered a bunch the last time I was there. Their’s is much bigger than what grows along my irrigation ditch, so I’ll make it an annual event.

You don’t have to spend a bunch of money on dried herbs. Even if all you consumed was dandelion tea every day of your life, you’d be far better off than if you didn’t. Dandelion has an undeservedly bad rap. It’s an amazing herb. But seriously, stop spraying the weeds around your home. Many of them provide necessary food for honeybees and other pollinators along with making healthy and medicinal teas. You just might save the planet in the process and get healthy.

These are the herbs I use most frequently for teas from around my home:

• dandelion leaf/root
• raspberry leaf
• comfrey leaf
• chickweed
• cleavers
• horehound
• motherwort
• St. John’s wort
• lemon balm
• oat seed and oat straw
• spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint, catmint
• California poppy
• red clover
• stevia
• tulsi (holy basil)
• mugwort
• lavender
• skullcap
• chamomile
• sage
• anise hyssop
• monarda, bergamot
• horsetail

 

Menopause Support Tea

Might as well put this one first..I made it into a tincture as well.

• 2 T   black cohosh root   emmenagogue, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, alterative, nervine
• 2 T   licorice root   expectorant, demulcent, emollient
• 2 T   dong quai root   uterine tonic, antispasmodic, alterative
• 2 T   St. John’s Wort    aromatic, nervine, astringent, resolvent, sedative, diuretic, vulnerary

Roots are decocted, not infused (except for valerian and goldenseal). So, add the root herbs to a quart of cold water in a covered pan on low. Bring to a boil slowly, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and infuse the St. John’s Wort by adding it to the hot decocted mixture. Re-cover the pan, leaving it off the element, and let infuse for 15 minutes or more. Strain and drink.

This helped my hot flashes somewhat. And it tastes wonderful!

 

Lemon Balm Tea

• 2 T  lemon balm   diaphoretic, calmative, antispasmodic, carminative, emmenaogue, stomachic
• 1 T  chamomile    tonic, stomachic. anodyne, antispasmodic, stimulant, bitter, aromatic
• 1 T  spearmint   stimulant, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, aromatic, carminative, nervine, anti-emetic
• stevia   sweetener

Infuse into 1 quart of boiling water, steeping for 10 to 20 minutes. Strain and drink

 

Crone Tonic Tea

• 1 T  oatstraw
• 1 T  horsetail
• 1 T  nettle leaf
• 1 T  red clover
• 1.5 T  motherwort

I made this on my 58th birthday..

Infuse into a quart of boiling water, steeping for 10 to 20 minutes. Strain and drink.

 

Feminine Divine

• 1 T  spearmint   healing
• 1 T  lemon balm   healing, Feminine Divine
• 1 T  holy basil   Spirit, Fire, purification, Feminine Divine
• 1 T  chamomile  purification, healing, Water, Feminine Divine
• 1/2 T  dandelion leaf   divination
• 1/2 T  mugwort   strength, protection, psychic powers, astral travel, hedgeriding

I love this tea. I make it in bulk, so feel free to adjust the amounts any way you want.

Infuse herbs together into a quart of boiling water, letting steep for 10 to 20 minutes. Strain and drink. If making it ahead, add about a tablespoon of herb to a cup of boiling water. It’s wonderful!

 

Diuretic Tea

• 8 T dandelion leaf
• 8 T nettle
• 6 T cleavers
• 6 T red clover
• 5 T chickweed
• 5 T motherwort
• 3 T horsetail

1 tsp/C boiling water or 2 T/quart boiling water

Make this ahead of time in a quart jar and enjoy!

 

Liver and Diuretic Support Tea #1

Equal parts:

• dandelion root
• dandelion leaf
• yellow dock root
• oatstraw
• hops
• raspberry leaf
• chickweed
• comfrey leaf

Decoct the roots in a quart of water first for 20 minutes or longer if you forget what you’re doing like I did when I made this. Then remove the mixture from heat and add the rest of the herbs for infusion. Again, unless you forget about the tea, it can infuse for as little as 10 minutes to overnight. Strain and then drink. I typically use about a half cup and then add more water because I typically make tea strong. I’ve found that it’s rather bitter given the alterative nature of the herbs and you may want to add some stevia if you have it to the infusion or use whatever sweetener you like. Many of these herbs are great for rheumatic disorders because they promote the proper assimilation and elimination of toxins that build up. Fluid retention is one such example and this tea helps balance that process. Enjoy!

 

Liver and Diuretic Support Formula #2

I used large pinches of the following to a quart of water:

• Dandelion leaf – diuretic, antirheumatic, tonic, stomachic, alterative
• Oatstraw – nervous system tonic, nutritive, demulcent, antidepressant
• Chickweed –  demulcent, emollient, expectorant, antitussive, antipyretic, alterative, vulnerary
• Cleavers – diuretic, alterative, aperient, mild astringent
• Raspberry leaf –  diuretic, stimulant, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic  particularly for rheumatic diseases
• Nettle –   astringent, diuretic, tonic, nutritive
• Buchu (I love this) –  diuretic, stimulant, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic
• Red Clover blossom – alterative, expectorant, antispasmodic
• Comfrey leaf – dryness, irritation, inflammation, respiratory issues, wound healing, regulates blood sugar

This tea is wonderful and I don’t use any sweetener with it. Buchu helps with that. I wanted to have a stronger diuretic tea and I went to my herb cupboard and started pulling out various jars and this is what I came up with. It’s great as both a liver tonic and diuretic which are helpful in treating rheumatoid arthritis.

 

Soothing Evening Tea

A pinch each of:

• spearmint
• lemon balm
• comfrey leaf
• oat seed (or oatstraw)
• motherwort
• red clover

I make this in a cup, or if I think I’ll drink more than a cup I’ll use a French press. I love mine. It makes enough tea for two large cups, cleans up easily, and besides, it’s so cool.