Top 5: Tips on Herbal Teas

A herb is any part of a flower, tree or other plant – so you may be using the flowers, leaves, bark, buds, fruits, roots, seeds or even resin from a plant. The fresher, or more recently picked, the herb, the stronger its active properties. Dried herbs are more readily available and are about one-third as strong as the fresh product.

Herbal teas don’t contain traditional teas, but instead an infusion of healing leaves, berries, seeds, flowers, bark or roots, whose powers are extracted with boiling water. The French word for herbal teas is tisane.

There is nothing more soothing than a warm cup of herbal tea on a cold winter’s day, or a fresh, iced blend with pretty herbal ice cubes to cool you down when the weather – or your temperament – is hot. Snuggle up and savour a cup on your own, or share with friends and family, to raise your spirits the natural way.

Adding a squeeze of lemon to herbal teas not only boosts the antioxidant activity of herbs, but also helps to support liver function, improve detoxification and support healthy digestion. Lemon will also reduce any bitterness, particularly in teas that may have been steeped a little too long.

Almost all herbs work to detoxify the body to some extent, improving and soothing digestion, and ridding your organs of toxins to ensure they work at optimum level. When you are feeling sluggish, tired and run down, a cup of healing herbal tea may be all it takes to get you going again.

Extract taken from Infuse by Paula Grainger and Karen Sullivan, available here