Gathering my own herbal teas? Suggestions?

[heatherlynnky]

So right now I have violets, strawberry and raspberry leaves. I am about to work on mint and corn silk. Its under consideration to grow my own oat grass for green oatstraw. Dandelion root is also on the radar. Just have not got around to that one. Not like there is a shortage of those here though. Camomile will also be picked. We have a huge bed or that and its picked twice a year. Was considering picking wild rose hips for tea too.

I am looking for yummy tea's because I do love tea but also medicinal teas. suggestions?

 

[baymule]

I've been picking the dandelion flowers and pulling the flower petals out of the green calyx so that it is empty. Then I spread them to dry on wax paper. I use 1/4 cup for a quart of tea. It is a beautiful orange. Raw honey turns it pond water green, lemon turns it bright yellow. Tastes good! You can also chop leaves and add to the tea. Gonna have to make that jelly......

 

[txcanoegirl]

I grow ginger. In the spring, I dig up part of the root, wash and scrape it clean, then chop into smaller pieces. I dry it in the dehydrator and when dry, run it through the food processor until small crumble-sized pieces. I like ginger tea, but usually mix it with other things like black tea or mint, or a combo. Ginger is also good for a variety of things, including nausea.

Mint is one of my favorites, either by itself or mixed with other things. I have a variety of mints, but my favorite is really just the plain old peppermint type. The "fancier" ones like chocolate mint, orange mint, pineapple mint, etc., all smell good, but didn't do much for me flavor-wise.

Catmint is another good leaf for tea. It has beneficial properties, such as calming, help with sleep, etc. It doesn't taste as flavorful as mint, but it can be mixed with things. I liked the dewberry and blackberry leaves, and I'm guessing your raspberry leaves will be similar.

Do you have citrus? The flowers and leaves are edible and are useful in teas. They can be used interchangeably...lemon, orange, satsuma, etc.

Mayhaw leaves, berries and flowers. Good for heart health.

Goldenrod leaves and flowers have medicinal purposes. I didn't find the taste that appealing, but could also be mixed with other things.

I haven't tried some of my other herbs in tea blends yet, although I read about them being used. I use oregano, sage, rosemary, etc. in cooking, but they don't sound good for tea. I might use them for medicinal purposes, but for just tea drinking, they don't appeal to my brain.



Those are just a few off the top of my head that are abundant in my yard.

 

[Corn Woman]

Do you have elderberries where you live? I use the flowers and the berries for tea during cold season. They are high in vitamin C and iron. If you run across them in your area remember to only use the blue or black berries. The red berries from sambucus recemosa are NOT EDIBLE!

 

[Hinotori]

Young tender blackberry and raspberry leaves make nice tea as well.

 

[lazyday]

I, enjoy horsemint. I googled for a picture and found it here.
http://www.examiner.com/article/horsemint-uses-and-medicinal-properties

 

[Marianne]

My neighbor has a tea garden. Besides the mints and a certain sage, she has several hibiscus plants.

I keep thinking about fruit teas, Echinacea and mullein (there's no shortage of that here). I may go pick some dandelion petals today! The petals alone have a nice flavor, it's the green part that's bitter. I never thought about making tea from them - no shortage of them, either.

 

[txcanoegirl]

Also rose hips.

Don't forget camellias. The leaves are used for tea.

I just saw on my local go-to forager's website that the leafy parts of fennel can be used for tea.

Sassafras root in moderation.

 

[txcanoegirl]

Oh pooh! I went to try the orange blossoms I dried a few weeks ago for tea and discovered they were all moldy. I thought they were absolutely dried when I jarred them, but obviously I had not dried them completely. That was a disappointment that was completely avoidable. Next time I will be more observant the first day or two after jarring to make sure there is no moisture left.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Most remedies, can be administered in tea form. Also, most tonics can be taken as teas. Thats not to say that they all taste good enough. I'd say, just study herbs that relate to the ailments suffered by your immediate family members and obtain what will help them and make teas to suit those needs. For example....my grandmother was always suffering with UTI's. My grandfather always had a big corn field. If only they knew to save some of the silk, she could have made herself a daily tea, which probably could have kept her clean, most of the time. Now, DH has suffered a heart attack last summer. If I'd have a hawthorn tree, I could make him a tea a few times a week to strengthen his heart....also, seeings as we have children, they could develope a taste for that tea, to make sure their own hearts stay as strong as possible. Herbal teas are good for treating problems as well as enjoying; might as well kill 2 birds with one stone. Sometimes, you can target a certain system. Like you might want to make a tea that will flush out your liver and stay with that tea for about 4 days and then afterwards your whole system will improve because of having a clean liver. Afterwards you might want to target your circulatory system, etc....The idea would be to do remedies/tonics, when no obvious sign of disease is present and somehow you just happen to not get sick. That would be because of having a bunch of very healthy systems, stuck in one body. The entire body would be in a stronger situation, to defend itself, in the event of an illness or life threatning event.