Grow Your Own Tea Herbs

bobbyjones| March 15, 2010 | No Comments

Drinking herbal tea is a wonderfully delightful pleasure for me because it has no caffeine, no tannin, no calories; it tastes delicious and is pretty inexpensive. If drinking tea 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.

People have been brewing herbs to cure ailments for centuries. Each plant has its own special properties. While some can help with stress, others can wake you up. One plant can ease a queasy stomach while still other herbs can ease your mind.

Whether it’s summer iced tea or hot tea, by growing a bed or two of your your favorite tea herbs, you’ll have enough yummy tea to make it either way.

Aromatic herbal teas are easy to make directly from your herb garden. Pluck off a few leaves from your favorite tea herb like chamomile, peppermint, spearmint or fennel and you are all set.

When you get ready to make your tea, use a generous teaspoon of dried herbs for each cup of tea. If you’re making a pot of tea add one teaspoon per cup (plus use an additional teaspoon for better results).

If you are making your tea with fresh herbs, you will need to use 2 to 3 teaspoons for each cup because the fresh herbs are not as concentrated as the dried herbs.

Make your own custom tea mix from different herbs, which I think is better than just using one. Try lemon verbena or calendula with your chamomile for an extra tart taste.

You can use any of these herb plants in your teas:

• Beebalm: Although beebalm is a part of the mint family, it has a light, citrus aroma that reminds me of oranges. This plant, which was first brewed by Native Americans in Canada, is also known as Oswego tea and is believed to aid with an upset stomach, soothe a cough and sore throat, ease menstrual cramps and end flatulence and nausea.

• Hibiscus: Try the rose mallow kind of the beautiful hibiscus herb in your next herbal tea for an extra special of citrus. There is also the marsh mallow kind (think marshmallow in flavor). This particular variety can assist you with your sore throat or benefit you 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: If you love lemon like I enjoy lemon, then you’ll love lemon verbena, which has the scent and flavor of lemon whether you brew fresh or dried in your hot or iced tea. This is a really good herb to brew with your green tea, which make it much more enjoyable.

• Rosehip: The hip of the rose herb has been thought to be among the most important herbs around because of its high vitamin C content. The high vitamin C content is most likely the reason why they usually help with cold and flu prevention.

I also suggest that you brew fennel, elderflower or German chamomile in your next home-brewed cup of tea.

Did I mention that you can put your dried tea herbs into a pretty, little container and give it as a gift? Who wouldn’t like to get a gift like that? And even better, it’s easy on 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.

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