My Favourite Herbal Teas

I enjoy a good cup of fresh herbal tea (also known as a tisane) and have done since my early
20s when I was diagnosed with gastritis and was warned off regular teas with their tendency to encourage acidity in the tummy.

I brew up a warm pot or cup in the winter and come summer, whip a cooling herbal mixture then chill as an excellent pick me up on a hot day.

It’s so satisfying being able to wander out the back door and grab a few of the herbs I just feel like at the time. Here are some of my favourite herbal mixes and some of those that have been perennial favourites at the Garden Harvest workshops.

All you need to do is to harvest some organically grown leaves, give them a good wash in Organic Lotion Concentrate (Nutrimetics OLC available to order from me ) to remove dirt and dust, then pop them into a pot and pour over freshly boiled water and steep for a few minutes ‘til strong enough. Sweeten with a little sugar, honey or stevia from your herb garden as desired.

Two lemons and a ginger

Lemon myrtle leaves, lemon balm and a couple of fresh ginger root slices. The lemon myrtle is a native tree with the most wonderfully citrusy leaves, high in citrol. It’s a favourite of mine in cooking. You’ll find it in a number of other recipes on this site. The ginger is also soothing for nausea. And the lemon balm, apart from being a delicate flavour in this tea, is also good as a soother in a cool bath for itchy or sunburnt skin.

Lemon grass and kaffir lime (excellent chilled too)

Fresh lemon grass leaves and stems and a couple of kaffir lime leaves. I use the leaves for tea after pounding the stems in Asian cooking. This is lovely as a chilled tea. It needs at least 5 minutes brew time.

Licorice lovers:

Russian tarragon leaves; green fennel leaves and when fennel is not in season, fennel seeds. The fennel seed tends to have a very gentle laxative effect!

French Fantasy:

The following two tisanes I tasted in Aigues Mortes, the ancient walled city in southern France. The Salon de The de Hildegard a medieval tea room, served the most delectable herbal tisanes! If you are ever there, pay a visit.

Remed de sorciere:

Green fennel leaf, rosemary; mint; licorice root; thyme; sage; basil; one cinnamon stick per pot. Very unusual, but delectable.

Secret d’Hildegarde:

Galangal root; oregano; cloves; Ethiopian pepper (from an African deli); cinnamon stick; rose petals