As I journey on this natural health path I am constantly finding things that have been right under my nose in my yard that can add to my health in very simple ways. For instance, the coffee that I used to drink full of caffeine is now often caffeine free (easier on my adrenals) and supplemented with dandelion root, a liver supporting detoxifying herb. I can’t look at dandelions with disdain anymore. They’ve become something different entirely.
The same can be said of many other plants in my organic garden. For instance, mint (I grow several varieties but used the fuzzy meadow mint here), that I once took for granted while growing up on the farm, is great as a digestive aid and soothes indigestion and inflammation in the stomach. It also promotes a calm feeling, great for days that are on this side of frantic.
Lemon balm has been in my garden for years. In fact, it became so overwhelming a few years ago I ripped it all out. Thankfully, it’s not that easy to get rid of and a beautiful clump of it returned this Spring. My appreciation for it has changed so I welcomed it with open arms and scissors, ready to make some refreshing tea. Lemon balm been used to fight bronchial inflammation, earache, fever, flatulence, headaches, high blood pressure, influenza, mood disorders, palpitations, toothache and vomiting.
That’s quite a long list of benefits from an herb that I gave absolutely no value to just two years ago! Since I occasionally struggle with asthmatic symptoms as well as depression and anxiety (which has all been greatly improved, btw) this is a wonderful herb for me to drink regularly. It’s also delightfully light.
A few years ago rust hit my black raspberries pretty badly and I had to destroy half of my canes. In an effort to fight back I added red raspberries to my garden (they are not susceptible to rust), never knowing the benefits of red raspberry leaf for women around the world.
Red raspberry leaf tea has been used to treat menstrual cramps and may help to regulate the flow of menstruation due to its effects on the uterus. It also helps to detoxify excess hormones which is very helpful during times of hormonal shift such as menopause or in the second half of the menstrual cycle. Its ability to detoxify extra hormones is helpful for men too since they are bombarded with artificial estrogens daily from commercial meat and milk, plastics and food additives. I make a tea regularly from the fresh raspberry leaves and also dry it for winter. It’s one of my favorites as it tastes a lot like green tea.
How many of you know about stinging nettle? We learned in a very strange way this spring as we had nettle come up in our greenhouse in organic potting soil, completely protected from the outside world. We can only figure that the seeds were somehow in the potting soil when we bought it. So, we learned the hard way what stinging nettles were. Think jelly fish sting on a slightly less painful scale. I said slightly …
I had heard of nettle was but never saw it up close so when I confirmed that’s what it was, by my husband accidentally touching it with his leg, I made some tea within days. Yummm… Problem is, I don’t want this stuff growing on my property so I call my friend who lives on a farm and has a ton of it to bring me some when I’m looking for an antihistamine. Nettle has been studied extensively so I can’t list all the benefits here but primarily it’s been used to treat seasonal allergies (again, an antihistime) and for treating joint pain and arthritis. Good enough for me, with just those two benefits.
When I make tea I always try to make enough to last for several days. If I’m very busy or am working away from home, it’s great to put it right into these little bottles. If I have the space in the refrigerator, I use this big jug. I holds enough to keep me in tea for the week!
If you’ve never made tea from fresh herbs before it’s SO simple! I just bring a pot of water to a boil and throw in a couple handfuls of washed leaves. Let it steep for 15 minutes to an hour depending on how strong you want it. The longer it steeps the more nutritional/herbal benefits you will get from it but sometimes I really just want a refreshing drink for a very hot day. It’s up to you how you want to sweeten it or if you want to sweeten it at all. I’ve use many different kinds of sweeteners including honey, raw can sugar, brown sugar, stevia and now, my new favorite is monk fruit/erythritol. It’s calorie free, much like stevia.
No matter how you make your tea and no matter which one you choose, I guarantee it won’t cost you $1.59+ per bottle like it does at a convenience store and it will have plenty more health benefits!