From promoting Comfort to boosting the immune system and kick-starting daily, the potential advantages of herbal tea are nearly as many as there are varieties to try. Indeed, in Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels, the Belgian detective would frequently attribute the sharpness of his’leetul gray cells’ to his herbal infusion or tisane.
Herbal tea is an Infusion made from any other plant apart from the leaves of Camellia sinesis, the bush where we get the green, white and traditional black tea which we are all familiar with.
Since ancient times, The classic Chinese and Japanese tea ceremonies have included specific gestures, rituals and implements to indicate social status, important life events, parties and rites of passage. The UK’s own tradition of afternoon tea owes something to the drink’s Eastern heritage. But just as today we have very little time for the highly enjoyable practice of ‘high tea’, herbal teas should not be time-consuming or difficult.
Actually, with a little Training and preparation, we could enjoy the benefits of herbs with minimal fuss. Very quickly, you will be enjoying Nettle, Peppermint or Borage as often as your normal brew of ‘builder’s tea’.
Though woodier herbs may need to be simmered in a saucepan on a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, nearly all herbs can easily be taken as an extract in boiling water.
Simply place one or two Teaspoonsful of this herb into a tea ball, pop into your favorite cup and pour on the water. Cover and leave for 5 to 10 minutes, remove the tea ball and enjoy. Most herbal teas, aside from red bush – the South African tea beloved by Alexander McCall Smith’s No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency – are drunk without milk, but you might add some sugar or honey to taste.
An alternative to the valerian tea india ball is the vacant teabag. You might even refill some and pop them into your lunchbox to get throughout the day on the job. T-sac’s range of vacant teabags is made from unbleached paper and can be composted after use. Ranging from Size 1 for one cup to Size 4 for a large, 12-cup teapot, the paper used is considerably nicer than java filters, allowing as much of the flavour and attributes of this herb to wind up on your brew.
Herbal teas can also Be utilized as a compress for certain ailments, so do not worry if you do not drink it all up – it would not go to waste!