I start and end my day (and usually interrupt it) with a cup of tea. In the morning it is often an organic Jasmine and the rest of the day’s teas are up in the air depending on what I’m feeling. If I am feeling low energy, I have something that picks me up like a lemon or peppermint. If I feel off balance I go with some sweet ginger tea. And if I need to calm down, I usually have a warming cup of my home simmered yogi blend with ginger root, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.
Different herbs have different actions on the body and so should be selected keeping these actions in mind. Herbs and herbal teas have amazing healing benefits…when brewed correctly.
Making tea seems simple enough: pop a tea bag in a mug, cover it in boiling water, and once it turns the colour we like, discard the tea bag and drink up. However, in order to gain therapeutic benefit from herbal teas, ideally the herbs will have been stored in glass containers to contain the volatile oils.
Additionally, when brewing, we should allow herbs to seep for about ten minutes, while the cup or pot is covered. This contains the therapeutic properties of the volatile oils so that they can get into our body and do their thing, instead of going into the air.
For medicinal purposes, it is always good to use herbs in combination rather than on their own. They tend to have synergistic properties – meaning they can work together.
A great herbal liver cleansing blend would include the following:
- Milk Thistle
- Dandelion Root
- Licorice Root
- Fenugreek
- Yellow Dock Root
- Burdock Root
- Oregon Grape Root
- Turmeric (ground)
Image courtesy of selva.
