There is something a little bit magical about creating your own herbal tea blend. It’s as though you are formulating a potion just for you- mixing and matching different herbs for different needs- anxiety, stress, sleep, focus, energy immunity- you name it!
There is also something a little bit daunting about making your own herbal tea blend. Where to start? What herbs should I buy? How do I combine them? In my opinion, tea blending is the perfect way to begin your own home apothecary and is is the simplest way to use herbs, aside from cooking with them of course! You can start with a few basic herbs (you probably already have one or two in your spice cupboard!) and then go from there. It is important to note how the herbs act in YOUR own body and how they make you feel. I have a few favourites that I always seems to go back to like chamomile, lemon verbena, lemon balm, passionflower and hibiscus.
The powerful thing about herbs is that they do more than one action in a very gentle way. They can be good for digestion AND anxiety. Or Focus AND Immune building. There are more ANDS than we know which makes using herbs so potent.
The first step for herbal tea blending is picking your base which is the most active ingredient in the blend. Then, pick a couple of synergistic herbs with similar actions you think you would taste good together. Lastly, pick a herb that adds some flavour -you can also add dried lemon, orange peel or dried fruit pieces for an extra boost of sweetness. I recommend picking two or three herbs to make your first blend with. When preparing a tea blend measurements are done in parts. That way you can make as much or as little as you need. It is also important to have your herbs all a similar size in the blend so you may have to grind down some herbs with a mortar and pestle. And that’s it! It is that simple! Remember though- when you steep tea for therapeutic benefits you should steep for a minimum of 15 minutes. I even like to steep mine for up to an hour.
There is an endless list of herbs for many different ailments. Below are just a few of the herbs that I use for specific uses but there are hundreds more. You can use this is a guide or head on over to Richters Herbs for a little inspiration.
Some of my favourite places to buy herbs in Canada are Harmonic Arts and Richter’s Herbs. The online shops are fun to go through and discover new herbs, plants and potions as well! Enjoy!
If you haven’t already tried my DIY Zen Tea what are you waiting for? Below I have another one of my favourite blends.
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Lemon and Rosehips Herbal Tea Blend
This tart herbal tea blend is a nice tea to have on hand. It is anti-inflammatory, soothing and calming. I love it with a squeeze of lemon and touch of honey. Enjoy!
Ingredients
3 part lemon balm
2 part lemon verbena
2 parts rose hips
1 part lemon peel
Instructions
Crush rosehips with a mortar and pestle gently. Combine all ingredients in a dry mason jar for storage. When ready to use steep 1 tbsp for 15 minutes to an hour. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and touch of honey if desired.
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