Teas, Decoctions, Tonics and Infusions

[suzanne sanders]

CUPPA TEA

Boil....

Steep....

Pour..

"Better to be deprived of food for three days than of tea for one" 

-ANCIENT CHINESE PROVERB 

They say originally "Tea" referred to one species of shrub that was grown in China, known as the Black Tea Shrub ...

The legend of tea dates back to 2737 BC in China.  The emperor Shen Neng (Shennoung whos name means Divine Farmer)  was heating water over the open fire.  The wind blew and leaves fluttered all around.  A few of the leaves fell into the boiling water  The aroma was so delightful that Shen Neng decided to taste the brew.   It was delightful and so the ritual and ceremony of black tea making began.  

The leaves were from a wild species of the black tea shrub. When leaves are fermented they produce Oolong or black tea.  Fresh brewed leaves,like Shen Nengs  brew above was made from fresh leaves which yields a refreshing green tea, which contains the antioxidant Catechin, a bioflavonid with anti-bacterial and anticancer properties.

Shennoung also was prescribing marijuana tea for the treatment of gout, rheumatism, malaria and poor memory. I am not sure which one came first, the black tea shrub or the marijuana.   

There are more tales of an ancient Chinese herbalist who knew 100,000 healing properties of herbs and he shared this wisdom with his son.  For centuries monks, and herbalists studied and shared their knowledge of herbs to be passed on to the next generation.   There are tales of Native Americans, Celtics and people of India, but whatever the legend/tale is, tracing tea’s original roots proves to be  difficult.  But what we do know is that very early on, people primarily used tea for medicinal purposes

One of the earliest  tea party's on record in America was in 1674 in the Dutch Colony of New York 

Sons Of Liberty... Boston Tea Party... The revolutions were running high and in 1773, 342 cases of expensive dried tea were tossed into the harbor.  

Early American colonist learned of locally grown herbs from the Native Americans.  These discoveries played an important role in the fight for independence.   American Women in Boston protested against the British taxes on tea in 1773.  They vowed to drink teas from indigenous weeds instead of imported teas.   The brews they came up with were called "Liberty Tea" .

Common flowers used for the Liberty teas were sweet goldenrod, red clover, chamomile, roses, and violets.  Leaves of  bergamot (bee balm), lemon balm, chamomile, and mints were brewed as many are today.  Many herbs were brewed in the 18th century including lavender, parsley, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, lemon verbena, and sage. 

Even some fruits were used in colonial teas, including those of dried strawberries, blueberries, raspberries,apples and rosehips.  

Today my life if full of tea time.  It has become a ritual, a ceremony, a time to taste and share with others, it heals, it nourishes, gives good company, brings beauty and harmony.  

Don't be intimidated about blending teas.  When I first started I would just blend everything and put it in a pot.  

My first years of making tea started when I was trying to quite drinking coffee.   I had a business that was called Outdoor Encounters and I did outdoor training for women.   During this time there were a few of us that were training for a Marathon, the Portland Marathon.   I started playing around with different teas for us to drink after our long workouts.  Some of my beginning teas were made with roasted chicory root, dandelion root, burdock root, orange peel, ginger, fennel, cardamon, and a few other warming spices.  These teas could literally grow hair on your chest.  Remember I was a coffee drinker, more like a coffee addict and I was trying to quit.   My first teas were dark and spicy and they needed honey!   But yet most of us really liked it and they tasted great with  the homemade scones that I would make.  I made wise women teas for special talks and eventually when I moved to the mountains I started making all kinds of crazy concoctions.  

I have to admit I failed several times trying to quit coffee.  I was a lost coffee addict and at times when my family thought I quit I was actually sneaking it when no one was around.  I would get up before anyone else make a cup of that dark caffeine addiction and slip away into nature to sit and drink it.   To many years of a coffee addiction and health problems did not mix.  My liver was pissed off at me and I could not keep living off of coffee just to function.  So away the coffee went on a dark new moon night and I have crossed over to the the world of tea addiction.  The good thing about that is that tea nurtures, heals, makes you feel better, is calming, is social, is medicine and so much more.  

Most people are a bit intimidated when it comes to making tea.  There are plenty of recipes out there to get you started but just jump in and have fun.   It truly is simple and you just have to play to come up with some of your own special blends.  I personally just got a tea pot and started loading it with herbs.  At times I was loading my tea pot with handfuls of fresh nettle, some mint and whatever was in season.    I did not have any training and fresh herbs are a bit more forgiving when it comes to taste and strength.    

My kids first years of drinking tea where tea pots stuffed with fresh nettle and whatever else I could find that was in season  or a  wild edible.   Lemons balm, horsetail, all sorts of mints and I used catnip a lot.  

Just last week a family member  was hit with the flu and the teas, tonics and infusions where started right away.   I made teas of parsely, sage, rosemary and thyme, lots of nettle infusions, high vitamin C tea with elderberry syrup added, teas with garlic elixirs added, teas with infused honey added and turmeric drinks.      

I think most people when they hear the word tea they think of a cup of tea.  But tea is more than that.  Tea can be used as a foot bath, hair tonic, first aid wash, bath soak and more.

For me it is my first go to when someone is sick.  I always start with a simple cup of tea before I use stronger herbal medicine.    As soon as someone is feeling slightly off the tea pot is put on the stove.  Tea works it's magic in such a simple beautiful way and I raised my kids on tea for nurturing, nourishing, for calmness, for companionship, ceremony, hikes with views and road trips are started with cuppa tea.. 

It is also my first go to for adding gentle herbal medicine into my animals feed and first aid wash for wounds on both animal and human.  

So lets get started! - Beginners, begin light and add more herbs for more flavor

DO  NOT ADD ANY ESSENTIAL OILS TO YOUR TEAS 

1 To 3 Tablespoons of herb per cup of water.  Beginners start with 1 Tablespoon.  

Infusions - are made from the more delicate parts of the plant, including the leaves, flowers, and aromatic parts.  These fragile plant parts much be steeped, rather than simmered, Because they give up their medicinal properties more easily than do the tougher roots and barks.  

To make an infusion, simply boil 1 quart of water per ounce of herb.  Or 1 cup water to 1 - 3 tablespoons of herb.  Pour water over the herb and let steep for 30 minutes.  The longer it sits the more medicinal it gets.  

Decoctions - are made from the more tenacious parts of the plant, such as the roots, bark, and seeds.  It's a little hard to extract the constituents from these parts, so a slow simmer or an overnight infusion is often required   To make a decoction, place the herbs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water.  Heat slowly and simmer, covered, for 20 to 45 minutes   The longer you simmer the herbs, the stronger the tea will be. 

In general, with herb teas you want to boil hard roots and peels (examples:  licorice, orange peel, sarsaparilla, cinnamon, ginger) and steep flowers and leafs (examples: chamomile, spearmint, peppermint, raspberry leaf and clover).

Steep, don't boil, cloves and black teas, as they will turn bitter when boiled.   

You can drink hot or cold, make into ice cubes or Popsicle.     

I personally like to make big batches to last throughout the day (a quart of each type of tea).   You will save time by doing it this way.  

Once brewed refrigerate the extra.  Stored in the refrigerator it can last for about 3 days.  

 

 

Solar Tea:  Place the herbs and the water in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid.  Put it in the directly in the sun for several hours.  Strain and enjoy

Lunar Tea:  Place herbs and water in a jar with a tight fitting lid.  Position it directly in the path of the moonlight.  This is one of my favorite things to do when I am out back-packing.  I pick pine and evergreen needles and place them in a jar with filtered water and cover with tight fitting lid.   I then set it on the edge of a lake in the direct moonlight.   The next day I have a cool herbal moonlight infused tea to drink throughout the day.  

 

Nourishing Infusion: 

What is an Nourishing infusion - A nourishing infusion is made from specific herbs that contain lots of minerals and vitamins.  The main herbs you use in an infusion are, nettle, red clover blossoms, oat straw, comfrey leaf, linden flower and leaf.  You can also use chickweed, mullein, burdock, elderberry, marshmallow root, violet leafs, plantain leaf, raspberry leaf hawthorn leaf, flower and berry.  

You use 1 ounce of herb to 1 quart boiling water.    

Susun Weed leads the way on this one, more information below

http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/September08/anti-cancer.htm

Nettle - Blood tonic and circulatory stimulate, diuretic, energy builder, helps with respiratory weakness, helps with allergies and hay fever, vitamins and minerals

Oat Straw - Tonic for vital energy, strengthens your immunity, nourishes your nervous system with nutrients, use often to help fight against exhaustion and fatigue, stimulant, nerve tonic, antioxidant, antispasmodic and diuretic.. Gentle 

Red Clover Blossoms - Detoxifier or blood purifier, anti-tumor , respiratory tonic and rich in minerals.

Comfrey Leaf - Demulcent, vulnerary, mucilaginous, nutritive and more

Linden Leaf and Flower - Tenderhearted flower with a calming nature, relieves anxiety, internal stress and helps reduce muscle tension.  

 

Respiratory Tonic Tea. 

Book Source:  Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health 

Use over a period of time to create a healthier respiratory system. Rosemary has this tea listed  in the Children's section of her book, but I use it for adults too :) 

4 parts fennel

4 parts rose hips

2 parts lemongrass

1 part calendula

1 part coltsfoot

1 part mullein 

1 part red clover flowers 

Blend together, put in a jar and label.   

Boil Water, add herbs, turn off stove, cover, steep 20 minutes, strain and enjoy. 

Fennel:  Fennel was used by Greek marathon runners for strength and vigor.   It is high in nutrients. Good for a circulatory tonic, eases cramps and spasms, stimulant, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and mild expectorant and more

Rosehips Infection fighters, respiratory aid,  recovery tonic,

high vitamin C and more

Lemongrass - Aromatic herb that is used often in blends.  It has a lemony taste and vitmin C that adds a little zest to any blend. 

Calendula - Antiseptic, astringent, antiviral, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, bitter tonic, diaphoretic, detoxifier and diuretic 

Coltsfoot - Emollient, demulcent, expectorant, pectoral, diaphoretic and tonic 

Mullein - diuretic, demulcent, antispasmodic, vulnerary, astringent, emollient, pectoral and anodyne

Red Clover - Alterative, mild stimulant, blood purifier, depurative and detergent 

Elder Tea Blend:

Use this blend to kick that bug before it gets you! 

Ingredients: 

1 Tbls.  dried elderberries

1 Tbls. dried elderflowers 

1 Tbls. dried organic cherries, or other dried ORGANIC fruit

1 Tbls. dried peppermint

1 Tbls. dried holy basil 

Tons of Love 

You can make this mix by doing it in parts to make a bigger batch

Combine the herbs in a jar and mix well.  Label the jar. 

To use: 

1 tsp to 1 Tbls.  of you Elder Tea per 1 cup of boiling water, turn heat off and cover. 

Steep for 5 to 20 minutes

Strain and enjoy!

You can add honey and fresh squeezed lemon juice if you like.  

 

More on Rejuvenating Teas and Herbs:

http://mcminnvillehealthdefense.ning.com/profiles/blogs/rejuvenatin...

Lemon Verbena and Rose Tea: 

http://mcminnvillehealthdefense.ning.com/profiles/blogs/lemon-verbe...