Spill the Tea…

In my latest discussion with Dale Blagrove of Radio Chatskill (Radio Catskill (WJFF)), we take to the healing power of herbs, in the form of teas. Before we begin, we have to make a distinction between true teas and herbal teas. Tea, strictly speaking, comes from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant, which we often refer to as 'the tea plant.' Herbal teas are not actually a tea but made using a combination of spices, flowers, barks, and leaves from edible, non-tea plants. I think we can use 'tea' going forward here to mean simply the use and preparation for consumption various vegetative or floral products. Here are the three recipes we'll discuss on-the-air.

Circular Thinking Tea

Ingredients

4 parts organic passion flower

3 parts organic valerian root

1 part organic lavender flower

Directions

Steep a rounded teaspoon of the tea in a covered mug for at least 10 minutes.

Digestion Bitters

Ingredients

2 tablespoons dried organic dandelion root

2 tablespoons crushed organic raw cacao

2 tablespoons dried organic orange peel

vodka (40% or higher proof)

Directions

Fill a sterile 8 ounce jar 1/3 of the way full with dandelion root, cacao, and orange peel.

Fill the remainder of the jar with water and seal with a tight fitting lid. Shake well to combine.

Place the jar in a dark place and shake daily for two weeks.

Strain through a cheesecloth and store in a glass dropper bottle.

Astragalus Immune Support Tea

Ingredients

2 tablespoons astragalus root

2 tablespoons organic ginger root

2 tablespoons organic dried orange peel

1 tablespoon organic cinnamon chips

3 whole organic cloves

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan with water and bring to a boil.

Simmer for 20 minutes then strain the liquid and add raw local honey if desired.