Herb of the Week - Top Ten Tea for Healing

I love searching the web for articles on herbal teas.  I love to craft herbal teas and I enjoy seeing what other people combine.  I saw a lovely blend called Cocoa Cabernet made with Cabernet grapes and seasonal spices with roasted cocoa nibs.  It sounds very unique.

On that same day, I found another article that was about single herbs which they were calling herb tea.  Regular readers know this is pet peeve of mine.  A single herb is a tincture or a tisane one can certainly drink but to call it a tea which imparts a meaning of taste and enjoyment and tea drinking and all the pomp and circumstance that includes, is not reflected in a single herb brew.

So when I saw this article I looked carefully at the herbs they listed and decided that perhaps a great tea blend could be crafted with all 10 herbs they listed:  Mint, ginger, chamomile, cinnamon, lemon grass, Echinacea, rosehips, black berry leaf, clove and lemon balm.

The list did pull in 2 spices, but I don’t quibble much if a spice is referred to as an herb because I enjoy my spices as much as my herbs, I just don’t grow them.  I love the wonderful Midwest Spice Company Pensey’s Spices.  Where do you get your spices?

So here is the Tea Blend I created with this list.  The article was entitled top 10 teas for your herbal medicine cabinet. So I am calling it Top Ten Tea, or to sound like Guy Fiery, Triple T!

Top Ten Tea (Triple T)

½ cup spearmint

¼ cup chamomile

¼ cup lemon grass

¼ cup lemon balm.

¼ cup black berry leaf

1 ½ Tbls. Rose hips, crushed

1 Tbls.  echincea root, chopped fine

1 tsp. broken cloves

1 tsp. ginger root, snipped fine

1  3-inch cinnamon stick, broken

Combine all the herbs and spices in an airtight jar and use 1 to 2 tsp. per cup of hot water and allow to steep for 4 to 5 minutes.  Enjoy.

Here is what the herbs in the blend can do for you medicinally:

• Mint will reduce congestion in colds and flus, induce sweating, which helps reduce a fever and relieves nausea without vomiting.

• Ginger will also help with nausea and soothe a sore throat.  It is a warming herbs to is can bring on sweating and help reduce chills

• Chamomile can assist with anxiety helping to induce sleep.  It is also good  with mild nausea and indigestion and can soothe a cough from throat irritation

• Cinnamon is an all around herb for winter issues.  It can ease stomach discomforts like bloating and nausea as well as soothe a sore throat and can reduce other cold symptoms while warming you up on a cold night by increasing blood flow and circulation.

• 

  lemon grass

• Lemon grass aids digestion, especially from nervous disorders and anxiety.  It also helps with high blood pressure.  If you drink a cup daily it also dilates blood vessels and improves circulation and reduces fluid retention al of which aid in lowering blood pressure.

• Echinacea  is a traditional herb for boosting the immune system, relieving pain and reducing inflammation.  It has many antioxidant effects and is believed to shorten illness time for sufferers of the common cold

• Rosehips provide a natural source of Vitamin C, even better than an orange.  As a result it boosts immunity.  Rosehips also provide minerals such as calcium, iron, silicon, selenium, natural sodium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, phosphorus and zinc which aid in cell healing

• Blackberry leaf is also a source of Vitamin C as well as working on stomach bacteria.  It can help relieve pain, fevers and inflammation.  It is also considered an immunity booster.

• Clove is a powerful analgesic that breaks up mucous and works as an expectorant.  A steaming cup of tea with this spice will provide a decongestant.  The spice is also good in the treatment of strep throat or tonsillitis.

• Lemon balm is a virus fighter.  It has been used historically against shingles, mumps, and cold sores.  It also has relaxing properties that calm anxiety and nervousness and aid sleep.  It works well in the digestive system by reducing spasms, quelling heartburn and reducing nausea.

Brew up a Cup of Tea

For Hot Tea Month, I decided I should share more about tea on my blog.  But first I think you should just brew some!

A cup of fragrant herb tea is a natural choice when you want to avoid caffeine. And best of all, you can grow a variety of wonderfully scented herbs and snip off a couple of sprigs whenever you want a comforting cup of tea. You can also dry them and keep them for winter use during cold season or to give as gifts.

Add them to your garden and it comes alive with their spicy scents and with appreciative wildlife. Bees, hummingbirds and butterflies love the flowers of many herbs. It’s a pleasure to rub the leaves and enjoy a whiff of all the different perfumes while working in the garden. Many will do well potted into containers for your porch or patio.

Some of my favorites are: lemon verbena, bee balm, chamomile, scented geraniums, catnip (aka, catmint), pineapple sage, and lemon balm. But you may enjoy a more savory flavor with marjoram, thyme, especially the flavored thymes, like lemon or orange, and Holy Basil.

Brewing Herbal Tea

To brew herb tea just add a few leaves or sprigs to your tea pot, or follow this basic method from Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs:

1. Use a non-metal tea pot to preserve the true flavors.

2. For hot tea use 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs or 1/2 tablespoon of dry per cup of water.

3. For iced tea use 3 tablespoons of fresh herbs or 1 1/2 tablespoon of dry per cup of water (to allow for ice cubes).

4. Bring water to a boil, then pour over the herbs in the tea pot; cover to steep.

5. Steep for at least 5 minutes, test for taste, steep longer if desired.

Serve with honey, lemon or orange slices, or sprigs of fresh herbs. I like to add a dab of honey to both hot and iced tea. For iced tea add the honey before chilling the tea so it will dissolve.

Teapot Therapy

The pleasant ritual of brewing tea and enjoying a couple of cups from my teapot is very soothing. If you don’t have a teapot you can brew your tea right in your cup, just cover it while it’s steeping and strain out the herbs by pouring it into another cup to drink. Then keep an eye out at garage sales or pottery sales for interesting teapots to collect and enjoy a daily herbal tea ritual.

Five Benefits of Herbal Tea

Whether you want to shed some few pounds or simply desire to have good heath, herbal tea is definitely good for you. Herbal tea is a great substitute if you find drinking mineral water plain. Make sure you drink five glasses every day to relish all the benefits. Here are five top reasons  (one for each cup of tea) why you should drink herbal tea.

1. Great for weight loss

Herbal tea has been known to help in losing weight. This is a popular topic, reason being that teas can actually help in weight loss as they increase the body’s metabolism thus improving your blood circulation, cholesterol level and ultimately enhances cardiovascular health.

2. Prevents Cancer

People who drink herbal tea are less susceptible to lung cancer and other common diseases. Believe it or not, research indicates that herbal tea helps to treat stroke, heart ailments and even certain cancers.  But it could also be the lifestyle those that drink tea tend to adopt?!

3. Cures stomach ailments

If you suffer from frequent stomach ailments, try drinking at least a cup of tea every day after your meals. Herbal tea reduces the acids in the stomach and therefore digestion takes place ably.  Ginger and any of the mints can quiet digestive ailments.

4. Enhances the immune system

According to recent scientific studies, herbal teal strengthens the body’s immune system to ensure you are not prone to flu and other lung diseases. With a strong immune system, your body now has the ability to repair and regenerate the damage cells rapidly.  Echinacea is said to be a marginal assist with this, but germ fighters like lemon grass, thyme and sage will certain help.  And a bit of extra Vitamin C you get from parsley and rosehips cannot hurt either.

5. Reduces stress

When your work and lifestyle seems stressful, drink one cup of tea. It is relaxing and therefore very effective at minimizing stress levels.  Lavender and chamomile will both help your body calm down in stressful situations.

On the other hand, herbal tea has been known to interfere with medication, so always consult your physician. For instance, it prevents proper absorption of iron in the gut. Herbal tea is also considered an expensive habit, especially if you become addicted, like me – it could lead to large gardens and tea pot collections and many other bad habits.

Lemon Scones, Lemon Tea and Lemon Curd!

This time of year I start thinking about tea and scones and so in celebration of Hot Tea month.  You get the makings of a perfect tea party!  Tea, scones and lemon curd.  Enjoy!

Lemon Scones with Sour Lemon Glaze

These flaky lemon scones, drizzled with a tangy lemon icing are delicious hot, but I enjoy mine at room temperature the following day so the lemon flavor is at its best.

Makes 8 to 10 scones depending on size.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest (about one lemon)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 egg

Icing:

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

 Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, measure the sugar and blend in the lemon zest.  Work the zest into the sugar with your fingers until the entire mixture becomes aromatic.
2. Then whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. 
3. Cut in the butter.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, cream, and egg.
5. Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients, just until a dough starts to form. Knead a couple times until the dough holds together.
6. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and gently press dough into a circle, about an inch thick. 
7. Cut into 8 to 10 wedges.
8. Place scones on an ungreased baking sheet, not touching each other, and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. 
9. Remove from oven and let rest on the sheet for 5 minutes.
10. Prepare the icing by mixing the powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to make a drizzling consistency. 
11. Place scones on a wire rack. Drizzle or brush icing over warm scones.

Lemon Herbal Tea
  This is a kin to my popular herb tea Zesty Lemon, featuring fun lemon herbs.

1 Tbls. Lemon Balm or Lemon Verbena
1 Tbls. lemon peel
1/2 Tbls. lemon grass

Use 2 tsp. per cup of water and let steep for 5 to 8 minutes.  The tea will be very light in color, but the flavor will be great!

Lemon Curd

2 cups sugar

12 large egg yolks, beaten and strained

1 cup lemon juice

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, unsalted at room temperature

2 Tbls. grated lemon peel

Combine sugar and egg yolks in a medium saucepan.  Gradually stir in lemon juice.  Cook, stirring constantly over low heat, until mixture coats the back of a spoon and the temperature registers 168 degrees F. on a candy thermometer.  Do not allow to boil.

Remove from heat and whisk mixture until slightly cooled.  Stir in butter, 1 Tbls. at a time, and add lemon peel.  While it is still warm, pour mixture into sterilized jars, cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use.

You might also like to see the Lemon Poppy Seed Cake that we posted back in December 2012.

Hurricane Recovery Tea

We were only mildly effected in Chicagoland by Hurricane Sandy.  We had a few days of fierce winds with biting cold that made frost in air that was not actually cold enough for it.  But I know on the east coast things were rougher.

So take a moment thank the heavens you are still here and enjoy this tea which is formulated to relieve stress and relax tension.

Mellow Mood Tea

This tea is made with the most palatable of the calming herbs. Blended together, they'll defuse stress and anxiety and promote sound sleep.

1 tsp. chamomile flowers

1 tsp. lavender spikes

1 tsp. kava leaves

1 tsp. lemon balm leaves

1 tsp. marjoram

1 spray valerian flowers

1 quart water

Directions:

In a large saucepan, steep the chamomile, lavender, kava, lemon balm, marjoram, and valerian to taste in the freshly boiled water.  Strain out the plant material. Drink the tea hot or cool.  Drink  as often as needed, refrigerating any left over for later use.

Update: My freind Tina from the Essential Herbal Blog has posted some places where you can help if you are interested.  Here is the link to her posting: http://theessentialherbal.blogspot.com/2012/11/just-waiting-for-sun.html

Recipe for the weekend - Brewed Iced Tea

It is going to be a scorcher again this weekend, so I decided the best idea was to give a weekend recipe for iced tea.  This is the traditional way to make brewed iced tea, not sun tea or refrigerator tea.

Brewing your iced tea extracts the full flavor from the tea to give you the best tasting iced tea possible. It is also the tired and true method passed down in families for making iced tea.  I know my family has been doing it this way for at least 100 years.
 

You will be serving this tea cold, but to make it you need to brew it hot. So your technique is to brew regular tea, then serve it over ice.    So what you need to be most aware of is how diluted your tea will become with the ice.  To make up for that we will double the amount of black tea and triple the about of herb tea leaves we use when brewing.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons of black or flavor black tea for every 6-8 ounces of water (double the amount you uses for hot tea) - if making an all herb or herb and fruit tea, then use 3 teaspoons for 6 to 8 ounces of water. 
• a tea pot or heat resistant glass container
• a glass or plastic picture for serving
• ice

Directions

1. Heat the water (Boiling for Black Tea, just before it boils for herb and fruit teas)
2. Place the tea in bottom of the teapot
3. Pour water over the leaves and steep (approx. 4 minutes for black tea, 10 to 15 for herb teas)
4. While the tea is steeping, fill the pitcher to the top with ice
5. Strain the tea over the ice and serve in glasses with more ice.
6. If you are making ahead, pour the warm tea over half a pitcher of ice and place in the refrigerator.  When ready to serve pour over additional ice to get the right, strength.

 
Hot brewed iced tea extracts the most flavors giving you the best tasting iced tea possible. It is also easy to make and takes no time at all before you are sipping a chilled glass of delicious iced tea.

Of the 26 varieties of tea made by the Backyard Patch there are a few I always recommend for making summertime iced tea.  My favorite is Calming Spirit, with a hint of mint you get a cool and refreshing taste over ice.  For a relaxing tea I recommend Rest Easy and Elmhurst Garden Walk teas, the first is minty the second is more lemony.  remember Garden Walk tea is only available in the summer and features a floral bouquet of flavors, like lavender, calendula, chamomile and lemon verbena.  For those who enjoy black tea, try the Garden Gait Tea.  This blend was made for the Lisle Women's Club garden walk and is a wonderful mix of hibiscus, lemon verbena blackberry leaf and black tea for a rich bright flavor you can enjoy on a hot day.