Herbal teas - or infusions, as they're properly called if they don't contain any actual tea - are tasty, but often expensive. Depending on where you live you may be able to collect your own tea ingredients. Homemade herbal teas also make great gifts!
These teas are meant for culinary consumption, not as a treatment for any medical condition. Nonetheless, pregnant women and those with serious chronic conditions should consult with their doctors before using herbal teas, whether store-bought or homemade.
Herbs to Use for Homemade Herbal Teas
Some of the best herbal infusions come from leaves of berries: blueberry, raspberry and strawberry. Blackcurrant is great too, though not so commonly found in the wild. Lingonberry leaves can also be used.
Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) leaves make for very tasty tea. They have even been used as a replacement for black tea in Russia. It is easy to find large fields full of this pink-flowered weed. Another common weed that makes good tea is the stinging nettle - just remember to wear gloves when picking the leaves.
Both leaves and flowers of the meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) can be used. It may be one of the most delicious herbal teas. Meadowsweet does contain quite a bit of salicylic acid, so should not be used by those with salicylate sensitivty or a history of ulcers.
Even some tree leaves, particularly birch and rowan/mountain ash, can be brewed into tea. Be careful though, as birch leaves can be quite diuretic (resulting in urinary frequency). Young spruce tips can be infused to create a strong-flavoured tea which is good for sore throats. Pine needle tea has similarly been used in the treatment of bronchitis.
Flowers of the red clover not only create pleasant flavour, but even dried they add attractive color and texture to a tea blend. Another aromatic and pretty addition is heather flowers, also said to have mild calming properties.
Collecting Herbs and Flowers for Tea
Collect the leaves and flowers from a clean area, preferably a forest, not nearby large roads. After a rain is a good time, but washing the leaves is still recommended. Pick young undamaged leaves/flowers, preferably before the plants have begun to flower.
Only ever use leaves from plants you can identify for certain. Be careful, as e.g. nettles often grow together with other plants that look almost identical.
Preparation of Homemade Herbal Teas
The leaves need not be dried - they can be infused as they are. However, with the milder herbs drying may be easier, as otherwise the mug has to be stuffed half full of the leaves, leaving little room for the water.
Whether dried or fresh, herbal teas need a longer steeping time than normal teas, usually 5-7 minutes. Most of them are not bitter, so sweetener may not be needed. Many homemade herbal make great as iced tea, as well.
Raspberry and blackcurrant teas taste great as they are, but generally mixing at least half a dozen different herbs result in the best teas. You can also add dried herbs to black, green or white tea - why not even rooibos, honeybush or yerbamate. Mint also goes well with wild herbs.
Herbs can be dried with a dehydrator or in room temperature, spread out in a single layer or hung from the ceiling. Make sure they are completely dry before storing to avoid mold. They should preferably stored in glass jars in the dark, but ziplock bags work too.
Some herbs like raspberry leaves do not dry well, unless they are cured first. They can, however, be frozen.
See Also
 |
 |
 |
