Herbal Tea

 

Nettle
Nettle is made with the leaves of stinging nettle, named for the tiny hairs on the fresh leaves which can sting the skin. Despite its rough exterior, nettle is one of natures best remedies for an assortment of ailments including anaemia, high blood pressure, rheumatism, arthritis, coughs and colds, congestion, urinary tract infections, and kidney and bladder problems.

Camomile Tea
Camomile is a popular herb that’s used in teas worldwide. Camomile soothes the stomach and relieves bloating and indigestion. Camomile also calms the mind and helps people relax and deal better with their stresses. Some people are allergic to camomile and should avoid taking the tea. People who find it hard to go to sleep should drink a cup of camomile tea before going to bed. Camomile is known to fight insomnia by relaxing the body and the mind, enabling the person to fall asleep naturally.

Ginger Tea
Ginger is an energizer and a stimulator. Drinking ginger tea both stimulates and soothes the digestive system. Ginger has been known to aid people experiencing nausea. Arthritic people have found ginger tea helpful since it has anti-inflammatory properties.

Peppermint Tea
Peppermint is a fragrant herb that makes for a soothing drink. Peppermint helps you digest foods better and also reduces flatulence and digestive issues. Peppermint is prescribed to people with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and gallstones in capsules. A cup of peppermint tea will ease nausea and vomiting, especially if you suffer motion sickness. If you have heartburn, don’t drink peppermint tea as this might aggravate your condition. Peppermint tea brings down the severity of herpes outbreaks. The natural mint flavour of the herb helps to freshen your breath. Other health benefits of this tea are control of muscle aches and chronic pain, clearing of congestion and mild coughs, mild asthma and reduction of stress.

Lavender Tea
Lavender tea is made out of the dried purple, pink and white coloured flowers that grow on lavender shrubs. Used as a scented herb for many centuries, lavender’s medicinal uses have been appreciated and documented for centuries. A cup of lavender tea can soothe your mind and body, inducing sleep. If you are feeling down and depressed, a cup of lavender tea can help uplift your spirit. Lavender tea helps sooth and treat flatulence, colic, bowel infections and an upset stomach. Lavender tea can be used as a wash on the chest to help reduce a cough, bronchitis, asthma, cold and other respiratory issues. For both children and adults, lavender is used to reduce body temperature during fever. Lavender also has healing properties; use a wash of lavender tea to help heal wounds, cuts, ulcers and sores.

Lemon Balm Tea
Lemon balm tea is fragrant to drink and is a very effective tonic to calm nerves and anxiety. Cold lemon balm tea bags help relieve cold sores or genital sores caused by the herpes simplex virus. Mix lemon balm leaves with valerian to treat anxiety, stress and insomnia. Lemon Balm contains several properties, which control herpes and also regulate the thyroid. When mixed with peppermint can calm an upset stomach, sooth the digestive track and reduce flatulence. Drink lemon balm tea if you suffer from nerve pain. Drinking lemon balm tea also helps strengthen memory and brain functions and also uplifts one’s mood.

Rosemary Tea
Rosemary is not only good for cooking but makes a healthful and highly beneficial tea. Rosemary can help your muscles to relax. Additionally, rosemary is an effective digestive aid as well. If you have gall bladder and liver complaints, drinking rosemary tea regularly will greatly help relieve your symptoms. Rosemary tea also relieves a cough and mild asthma symptoms.

Hibiscus Flower Tea (Sorrel)
Dried Hibiscus flowers are made into a tea that offers very high health benefits. Hibiscus tea is known to lower blood pressure, reduce high cholesterol and strengthen the immune system (it’s rich in Vitamin C). Hibiscus flower infusions have known to reduce hypertension as well, in people prone to this condition. A recent study reveals that hibiscus tea is rich in antioxidants, which protect the body against cell-damaging free radicals. Red zinger tea and sorrel tea contain hibiscus.

Cardamom Tea 
Cardamom is an evergreen plant that’s grown mainly in India and Guatemala. Both dried white cardamom flowers and the sweetly aromatic seeds are used to make tea.
Cardamom tea has a pungent, sweet and aromatic flavour. Cardamom tea helps treat indigestion, prevents stomach pain, and relieves flatulence. It’s also helpful to drink a glass of cardamom tea if you are feeling nauseous. Cardamom tea fights pulmonary disease where lots of phlegm is present. It also works as a good expectorant and relieves coughs. If you have drunk too many cups of coffee, drink a couple of cups of cardamom tea to help detoxify the caffeine from your system. Drinking a cup of cardamom tea is helpful for women who experience mood swings during their menstrual period.


Milk thistle
When consumed as a tea, milk thistle herb, (not as in dairy milk) is a gentle liver cleanser. It contains properties that help the liver to regenerate and function at a higher capacity. Milk Thistle can also assist in the production of bile, which can help with our digestive process.

Rosehip tea
Rosehips are the fruit of the rose plant and are one of the best plant sources of vitamin C, which is important for the immune system, skin and tissue health and adrenal function. Consider reaching for rosehip tea next time you need a health boost.

Lemongrass
The citrusy tang that comes from the lemongrass plant is favoured in cooking as well as tea. Lemongrass teas are often served as an after-dinner drink to aid digestion - primarily due to a substance called citral, also the active ingredient in lemon peels. Though typically enjoyed unaccompanied by other herbs, it can also be blended to create lemon-flavored teas like Lemon Zinger.

Echinacea
Echinacea is widely used to prevent or cure the common cold. It’s a powerful herb that contains active substances that enhance the activity of the immune system, relieve pain, reduce inflammation and have antioxidant effects. The leaves and flowers of the uppermost part of the plant are the sections believed to contain polysaccharides (a substance known to trigger the activity of the immune system).

Blackberry leaves 
Picked, dried in the sun and infused with boiling water, blackberry leaves are the essence of most berry-flavored teas. Studies suggest that the leaves contain a healthy dose of flavonoids, which are known for their antioxidant activity.

Hawthorn
The leaves, flowers and berries of the hawthorn plant are used in a variety of peach- and berry-flavored teas. The plant is believed to contain flavonoid-like complexes that help improve cardiovascular health by helping to relax and dilate blood vessels, which increases blood circulation and lessens stress on the heart. Hawthorn berries are also believed to relieve water retention by draining the body of excess salt.

Dandelion Tea 
Great for detox and improves digestion and liver function. The health benefit of dandelion has been known for centuries and Persians were the first to discover the great medicinal properties of dandelion. For centuries, dandelion has been used to improve liver function, digestion and expel kidney stones. The active phytonutrient in dandelion can also help to promote weight loss and detox the body from the accumulation of toxins and free radicals.

Passion flower Tea 
Helps insomnia and anxiety. The leaves of the medicinal passionflower plant have active compounds known as flavonoids and alkaloids. Like chamomile, valerian root and lavender, this great medicinal herb can help sleeping problems and combat stress and anxiety. According to a study by University of Maryland Medical Center, passionflower was as effective as the drug oxazepam (Serax) for treating anxiety symptoms. Another 2001 study, published in the 'Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics' indicates that passionflower is as effective as the drug 'clonidine' for treating the withdrawal symptoms in people such as anxiety and stress.

Thyme Tea 
Helps coughs, bronchitis and brain cells. Thyme is a great herbal remedy rich in minerals, flavonoids and antioxidants. One of the oils in thyme known as 'thymol' can help to increase the omega 3 fatty acids essential for growth of brain cells. Also, according to a study by the Biochemical and Biophysical Research, thyme oil can help to protect brain cells against ageing and can prevent Alzheimer's disease. Thyme tea can also relax coughs and bronchitis and fight against infections.

Raspberry leaf
Is widely known in the herbal wellness community as a women’s health wonder leaf. It reduces menstrual cramps and may help to regulate the flow of menstruation due to its calming effects on the uterus. It also helps to detoxify excess hormones which is very helpful during times of hormonal shifts such as menopause or in the second half of the menstrual cycle, easing PMS. It is also wonderful throughout pregnancy and nursing; it is helpful in balancing hormones and has benefits through every season of womanhood.
Raspberry leaf is also great for men's hormonal health, as it helps to detoxify excess hormones and artificial oestrogen in men

Cacao Nibs
Healthwise, cacao nibs' greatest claim to fame is their flavonoid content. Flavonoids are antioxidants also found in tea, grapes and berries, and they appear to improve health by altering cell-signaling pathways, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.

Raw cacao has more than 300 phytochemicals and nearly four times the antioxidant power of regular dark chocolate and contains protein, calcium, carotene, thiamin, riboflavin, magnesium, and sulphur. These properties can be destroyed by high heat, so it's important to know just what type of processes your cocoa has undergone. Cacao can improve heart health, cholesterol, stress levels, and inflammation, to list just a few physical advantages. Fringe benefits cacao releases into the brain include anandamide, endorphins, phenylethylamine, and serotonin.