Sunday, April 3, 2016

Wellness Teas

I've used Wellness (Herbal) teas for many years (at least 26 years) for various reasons.... Dandelion Root for cleansing, Ginger/Lemon/Honey for sore throats, Nettle for general nutritional support, Red Raspberry Leaf for female support, Lavender/Chamomile/touch of Valerian for rest and relaxation.

Nature provides us with so many plants that are known for being useful with medicinal qualities. And, they're 100% caffeine-free so no worries about getting all hopped up and hyper on caffeine overload. Wellness Teas are not really "teas", however. Teas are made from the Camellia sinensis plant. Wellness (Herbal) Teas do not generally have any actual Camellia sinensis leaves in them (this is why they are naturally caffeine-free). They are created using other plant materials such as Chamomile, Lavender, Hibiscus, Lemongrass, Echinacea, Dandelion Root, etc. They are also made using a variety of plant parts and not just the leaves. Herbal blends are created with flowers, leaves, stems, and roots of a wide variety of plants. These "teas" are properly called Tisanes or Infusions.

How to brew: Most Wellness Teas call for 1 tsp up to 1 Tbsp of the herbal blend per 8 ounce cup of tea. They are generally steeped for 4-8 minutes in water that has been just boiled (212F). The amount of the blend and the amount of time to steep depend largely on the type of herbs you have included in your blend and how strong you would like it to be. And they can be sweetened just as any other beverage. But the more natural the better.

Sweeteners: If you have local honey that's even better. Other options for sweetening may be Stevia (be sure it's pure stevia and not a blend of other ingredients when making your purchase), cane sugar, beet root sugar, agave. There are many options. And many enjoy their teas completeley without sweetener. Although some of the herbals (cleansing and detoxing blends in particular) are not very palatable without a sweetener and are rather bitter.

A few of the Wellness Teas we will be keeping in stock are (further detail will be put on our website for each of these blends): Stress Buster, Cold Buster, Chamomile/Lavender, Detox, Peppermint, Purify, Restore, Sweet Lullaby, Peace of Mind, Pick Me Up and a few others.

In addition, we will be carrying the individual herbals so that we can custom blend to your specifications. Ingredients such as Chamomile, Rose Buds & Petals, Lavender, Vanilla, Dandelion Root, Peppermint, Spearmint, Rose Hips, Red Raspberry Leaf, and many more will be in stock for custom blending.

If you're ambitious and would like to grow, harvest, dry and blend your own teas this is an excellent article for you: Mother Earth News Article