Healthy Herb Tea

Our friends recently shared a recipe for healthy herb tea. It came from friends of theirs. The tea is made up of a bunch of herbs that their friends determined would be good to drink regularly. Our friends added some herbs of their own. They gave us a starter batch of it, which we used up quickly. I just got more of the herbs for our own supply yesterday in my Azure Standard co-op order.

This afternoon, I looked in a book, Herbal Teas: 101 Nourishing Blends for Daily Health & Vitality, by Kathleen Brown. I am trying to find out for myself why the herbs and other ingredients in this tea are so good for us. Most of the following information is taken from the book.

Alfalfa — Stimulates appetite and aids in digestion, especially chronic and acute weaknesses; aids in assimilation of protein, carbohydrates, iron and calcium; builds blood, regenerating normal strength and vitality; cools inflammatory symptoms associated with degeneration and aging.

Chicory – Helps to cleanse the blood; improves the health of the liver.

Dandelion Root – Stimulates liver and gallbladder activity; benefits stomach and intestines, helping assimilate nutrients from food; eases chronic sluggish bowel; cleanses the blood, which is especially useful in treating congestive skin problems.

Fennel – Rouses appetite; relieves flatulence, colic, and abdominal cramps; helps expel mucus accumulation; stimulates lactation in nursing mothers; soothes coughs, throat and lungs.

Gotu Cola — Stimulates nervous system; offers anti-inflammatory properties; a blood purifier; helps combat stress and depression; tones and strengthens reproductive function; eliminates or counteracts formation of mucus; fights senility; improves reflexes.

Nettle – Purifies, nourishes and builds blood; builds adrenal and kidney function; nourishes core energy and helps deal with daily stress; strengthens pregnant women and increases milk supply for nursing mothers; helps moderate allergy response.

Pau D’Arco — Strengthens the immune system; supports the blood; helps the body replenish vital elements; improves appetite; fortifies the body against viruses and germs; assists the detoxification process.

Peppermint – Relieves flatulence, cramps, nausea, heartburn, vomiting and abdominal pain; helps ward off initial symptoms of cold and flu; induces sweating; breaks fevers; eases headaches and other ailments attributed to nervous stomach.

Rose Hips — Strengthens heart and brain; good for pre-/post-surgery and healing from any structural injury; nourishes blood and reproductive system; soothes sore throats and wards off colds.

Yarrow – Useful in onset of colds and flu; relieves symptoms of hay fever; eases menstrual cramps and helps reduce heavy menses; stimulates weak digestion; tones varicose veins.

Ginger – Relieves symptoms of cold, flu, and coughs, especially at the onset; helps relieve indigestion, cramps, vomiting, flatulence and nausea; increases circulation; cleanses the colon and fights colitis and diverticulitis.

Lemon – Acts as a blood purifier; strengthens immune system; improves the body’s ability to get rid of toxins.

Cayenne – Stimulates the circulatory system; delivers fresh blood, oxygen and nutrients to the heart and other organs in the body.

The recipe calls for mixing 1 cup of each of the first 10 ingredients and stroring them in a half-gallon container (I am using a half-gallon mason jar). Brew the tea by pouring boiling water over the desired amount of herb mix (a bit of trial and error is necessary to figure out your preference), adding 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, 1/4 of a lemon’s fresh juice, and honey (to taste). After steeping, add 15 dashes of cayenne pepper.

At this time, I use about 4 heaping tablespoons of the herb mix in my Brown Betty teapot (also given to us by our friends), along with the ginger, lemon juice and a liberal amount of honey. We haven’t used much cayenne pepper yet, and definitely not 15 shakes!

Update (4-12-09): I now use 2 cups of the tea mix in my eight-cup French press. This makes the tea about twice as strong as we like it. It steeps and then I fill each tea cup 1/2 full with the tea, then dilute the tea with the same amount of hot water.