Grow Your Own Tea Herbs
Trying to get healthy? You should experiment with herbal tea because it is caffeine-free, tannin-free and calorie-free. Even better than that, you can cultivate it in a lot of exciting tastes for not much money. If drinking it does not come to you naturally, you can quickly begin a daily routine of tea drinking by adding it your breakfast or early morning snack.
The positive effects of of drinking herbal tea have been proven for 100s of year. Each herb has its own unique benefits. While some can ease your nerves, others can get you going. One plant can help with an uneasy stomach while still other herbs can ease your mind.
A few beds of of your favorite tea herbs will get you through the long, cold winter with delicious warm tea and you can use the fresh herbs for your summer iced teas.
Fragrant herbal teas are uncomplicated to make directly from your herb garden. Just clip off a little bit of your favorite chamomile, peppermint, spearmint or fennel and you’re ready for tea time.
When you go to make your tea, use a generous teaspoon of dried herbs for each cup of tea. If you are making a pot of tea use one teaspoon per cup (plus use an additional teaspoon for better results).
Because your fresh tea herbs are not as potent and the dried herbs, you’ll need to use more of them. Try 2 to 3 teaspoons for each cup of tea.
Although you can brew your teas using any one of the many yummy tea herbs, it is also good to mix it up with a customized blend. Add lemongrass or rosehip to your beebalm tea for a tangy, citrus tea.
You can use all of these herb plants in your herbal teas:
- Beebalm: Want a pop of citrus in your herbal tea? Beebalm will do the trick. Beebalm has a light hint of orange, even though it’s part of the mint family of herbs. Beebalm was first used in a tea by the Oswego Indians in Canada. You can use it the same way they did, to help your upset stomach. You can even use it to ease with your sore throat.
- Hibiscus: There are many varieties of hibiscus to choose from when planning your garden. If you’re planning your herb garden for tea, I recommend the rose mallow kind because it has a slight hint of citrus. The marsh mallow (where the name, not the product marshmallow comes from) kind of hibiscus is known to ease sore throats and help with stomach ulcers—just gather the petals and brew them!
- Lemon Verbena: If you like lemon like I enjoy lemon, then you will love lemon verbena, which has the fragrance and flavor of lemon whether you brew fresh or dried in your hot or iced tea. This is an especially good herb to add to your green tea, which make it more tasty.
- Rosehip: The hip of the rose herb has been thought to be among the most valuable herbs around due to its high vitamin C content. You can steep the rosehips to keep away colds and the flu.
You might also enjoy any of the mints, lemon balm, or lemongrass in your next pot of tea.
Don’t forget that herbal teas make great gifts—it does not cost much and your friends and family members will certainly appreciate it.
Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.
Here is more information on Tea Herb Gardening. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.
