Herbal Teas and Remedies!

Herbal tea is one of the best methods for treating many illnesses. Some herbs can be bland or bitter, but when blended with other herbs like peppermint or lemongrass, they become very pleasant drinks.

Herbal tea is easy to digest, easy to prepare and very effective in treating many medical problems. It does not interfere with lifestyle, religious beliefs or diets. It should be drunk regularly, and will improve health with little interference to any other treatment.

The average person can consume between 3 to 8 cups per day. Every herbal tea has medicinal benefits, and varying the type of tea one drinks, over a period of time, can provide a wide range of preventative health benefits.

Herbal teas are not only of great medicinal value, they also taste good. There are many varieties available. Tea bags are okay if you are looking for different tastes, but for medicinal or health use, the only option is the loose leaf herbal teas.

Loose leaf herbal teas do not undergo the harsh manufacturing process that are used grind the herbs before they go into the teabags. This process often loses some of the essential oils that are so important for medicinal use.

While teabags are certainly convenient, they are unsuitable for medicinal teas and infusions. With loose leaf herbal teas you can get several cups from the same amount of leaf. Here is a little tip. If you are only making your herbal tea in a cup or mug, try to avoid straining the leaves out before you drink it. The leaves continue to leach out essential oils and vitamins, even while you are drinking it.

When empty you can top up the cup with hot water two or three times if you wish. A glass infusion teapot is more convenient and they are not expensive. Same thing applies, you can refill the teapot 2 to 3 times with hot water.

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Any surplus tea can be placed in the fridge for drinking later, or tipped over your houseplants. It can be also to jazz up sauces and stews!

Each time you pour hot water onto the leaves, more nutrients, vitamins, and oils leach out. Its also helpful if you put a saucer or cover on top of the cup while the herbal tea is brewing, so that the fragrance of the essential oils cant escape in the steam.

You don’t need to drink herbal tea boiling hot. It usually takes six minutes or so to brew, so it cools down a bit anyway. Many people like their herbal teas just luke warm, or even chilled with ice and a slice of lemon or ginger.

Boiling water is necessary for steeping because it rapidly breaks down the plant cell walls allowing compounds to begin to enter the water. The initial water quickly changes in nature as more compounds dissolve into the solution.

Depending upon the herbs, the solvent may change to an acid or a base, which effects what other compounds will be pulled out of the plant material and dissolved into the solution that will be your tea. Each new compound that is released changes the solvent until full saturation occurs or until removing the herbs from the "water" stops the reaction.

This is why compounds that are not very water-soluble, such as flavonoids, are found in tea - water was the beginning solvent, but is not the continuing solvent.

Combining herbs in a formula allows for more interactions of compounds during the extraction. It is vital to allow a sufficient steeping time so all of these chemical reactions can occur; enabling you to receive the most benefit from the herbs you are taking.

Keeping the cup covered during the steep helps to minimize the escape of volatile oils and other medicinal aromatic substances and also maintains the hottest water temperature possible, which is important for maximizing the yield of extractive into the cup.

Sweeten with honey or sugar, never use milk, it will spoil the flavor. erbal tea is not meant to be made strong. It has a delicate color, flavor and aroma, and that is lost if the tea is too strong. Strong herbal tea can also be bitter.

If you subscribe to our online Home Herb and Garden newsletter, you can download a free herbal tea eBook from our free eBook site. There are also over 20 FREE lifestyle eBooks you can download and read. The links to download them are in our Newsletter.

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You can also purchase our herbal teas on line by Mail Order, go to www.home-herb-garden.com/mail-order-herbs.html

We sell our herbal teas and medicinal herbs at the Kawana Surf Club Markets Saturday mornings, and Caboolture Markets on Sunday mornings. For even more info about herbal teas, click here!