« The best Business Housing Vacation spots on Planet Earth | Home | Some Superior Residential Lawn Maintenance Tactics »
Growing Tea Herbs
By Flower | March 9, 2010
Drinking herbal tea is a wonderfully joyful pleasure for me because it has no caffeine, no tannin, no calories; it tastes wonderful and is relatively inexpensive. You can get started with your daily dose of healing herbs by brewing a cup in the morning in the car. If you’re using it to help you sleep, try a cup just before bedtime.
Some people have been using herbs to cure illnesses for centuries. Some herbal teas will give you some extra pep while others can help you calm down. Another host of herbs can reduce nausea and others unclog your head.
A bed or two of your fave tea herbs can get you through the freezing cold winter with yummy warm tea and you can brew the fresh herbs to flavor your summer cold teas.
An extra benefit of brewing your own herbal tea is the smell. Just pluck off a few leaves of your favorite chamomile, peppermint, spearmint or fennel and you are ready for tea time.
Making your home-grown herbal tea is easy. When using dried herbs, use one teaspoon for each cup. If you are brewing a whole pot put one teaspoon per cup (plus you should 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.
You can make your own customized tea mix from a number of herbs, which I think is better than just using one. Add lemon verbena or calendula with your chamomile for an extra tart taste.
Here are some of the best herbs to use in teas:
- Beebalm: Although beebalm is a member of the mint family, it has a light, citrus aroma that reminds me of oranges. Beebalm was initially used in a tea by the Oswego Indians in Canada. You can use it the same way they did, to relieve your upset stomach. You can even drink it to help with your sore throat.
- Hibiscus: There are so many types of hibiscus to choose from when planning your garden. If you’re planning your herb garden for tea, I recommend the rose mallow type because it has a slight hint of citrus. There is also the marsh mallow type (think marshmallow in taste). This particular type can assist you with your sore throat or help if you are prone to ulcers. Regardless of the type of hibiscus plant you use in your tea, the petals are all you need.
- Lemon Verbena: This little herb has a whole lot of lemon aroma and taste to bring your herbal tea, whether you brew fresh or dried leaves. This is a really good herb to add to your black tea, which make it much more enjoyable.
- Rosehip: Drinking an herbal tea that has rosehips is a good way to get your vitamin C. It contains more than a typical vitamin. You can use the rosehips to ward off colds and the flu.
You will likely also enjoy one of the mints, lemon balm, or lemongrass in your next cup of tea.
Did I note that you can put your dried tea herbs into a nice, small container and give it as a gift? Who wouldn’t like to get a gift like that? And even nicer, it’s good for your budget!
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.
Topics: Gardening | No Comments »