is for Tea–
the herbal kind

I suppose any plant made into “tea” could be considered an herbal tea, but we don’t usually place Camellia sinensis in the herbal tea category, especially the fermented black teas we’re used to, one reason being that it’s specially processed (fermented and/or roasted) and contains caffeine. What I’m talking about here are tea blends made from herbs and flowers you can grow in your garden, as well as wild plants you can harvest nearby. (None of these teas are medicinal, but if you are pregnant, I advise you to ask your midwife or doctor before trying anything new, and definitely avoid the sweet dreams tea with mugwort.) All the tea recipes call for dried herbs, usually coarsely shredded or chopped, while a couple call for store-bought ingredients such as cinnamon. Use 1 rounded teaspoon (the kind you stir with) tea blend to 1 cup (or one tea mug) boiling water; steep only a few minutes, strain, and sweeten if desired.

I love this first blend, and kids like it too. The flavor reminds you of July. Store in a jar and keep handy so you can sniff the herbs to get that summery feeling any time of year—pure aromatherapy.

Summer Breeze Tea
(makes me feel fine)

Use equal parts:

Wild strawberry leaves

Red clover blossoms

Alfalfa leaves and flowers

Pineapple weed or chamomile flowers

Get your motor runnin’ with the following tea blend, a pleasant tonic combining the best of spring and fall: roots, which are normally gathered in spring, and berries, which ripen in late summer.

Roots & Fruits Tea

Use equal parts:

Wild sarsaparilla root

Wild ginger root

Dandelion root

Hawthorn berries

Blue elderberries

Rosehips

Mix ingredients in a bowl, then store in a jar. You can prepare this tea a couple ways. The first is to let 1 heaping tablespoon herbal blend steep overnight in 1 pint water, then the next day heat it to just boiling, strain, and serve. The second way is to get the water boiling first, add the herbs, cover, and simmer on low heat 10–15 minutes, then strain and serve. I prefer the overnight method. This tea is also good cold.

I don’t know if you’ve ever had an herbal tea popsicle, but the following blend (sweetened to taste with sugar instead of honey so it will freeze) is a good place to start. This recipe makes about 6 cups dried tea blend. If you’re going to freeze the sweetened tea to make popsicles, add an extra pinch of the tea blend to the steeping jar to make it more flavorful, and sweeten with sugar.

Roseberry Tea

2 cups alfalfa leaves

1 cup pink or red fragrant rose petals

1 cup spearmint

1 cup strawberry leaves

½ cup rosehips

½ cup hawthorn berries

Another good candidate for frozen pops is the following recipe. It’s also wonderful made up ahead of time for iced tea, the perfect thing to sip while quietly rocking on the porch swing, listening to your sweetie strum the guitar.

Pixie Flower Tea

2 cups chamomile flowers

1 cup lemon balm leaves

½ cup calendula petals

½ cup pink rose petals

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, then put into a jar for storage. Prepare the usual way: 1 rounded teaspoon to a pint of water.

The next tea blend is mildly relaxing, and the addition of mugwort, although off-limits to pregnant women, prompts the psychic dream state into play (see “X is for Xanadu,” page 294). Don’t make this brew too strong—steep only a few minutes. Makes about 3 cups herbal tea blend.

Sweet Dreams Tea

1 cup pink or red fragrant rose petals

1 cup skullcap herb

½ cup spearmint leaves

½ cup jasmine flowers (you might have to purchase these)

¼ cup mugwort herb

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or to taste

Keep the blend in a glass jar. Prepare the tea as usual and sweeten with honey, and keep your dream journal handy at your bedside.

Enjoy these herbal teas any time of year. It is very rewarding to open up a jar of fragrant herbal tea in January and be transported in time to when you traipsed through the meadow, searching out wild roses, and found bird nestlings tucked inside a shrubby shelter. Let me remind you of a few things: grow your own herbs if you can, pick only from herbicide-free areas in places where it’s totally wild or where you have permission to pick, and have personal experience, a good field guide, or a good friend to show you the plants.