Treating with Tea
November 13th, 2006
Whatever ails you, there’s a tea treatment you can try
Tea time anyone? The varieties of herbal teas is astounding and so are their healing qualities. It seems there is a tea for nearly anything that ails you. The Chinese have known this for millennia. Their strange and wonderful herbal concoctions are carefully constructed to combat illness. Not to mention their daily consumption of green tea, which is a natural anti-inflammatory, antiviral and full of antioxidants. Here are a few other possibilities:
- Corn silk, horsetail herb, olive leaves, and avocado leaves are all natural diuretics, helping to clean the liver and kidneys and rid the body of excess sodium and toxins.
- Green tea, olive leaves, and pine bark all contain powerful antioxidants, which help support the immune system and fight off free radical damage from oxidation. In short, they help keep you young.
- Olive leaves, mistletoe, and oregano have antiviral qualities, helping to stave off viral infections.
- Chamomile, spearmint, passion fruit, St. Johns wort flowers and valerian root make a calming, antianxiety tea.
- Peppermint, spearmint and chamomile will help with asthma, since they all help dilate the bronchial tubes.
- Bergamot, mint, geranium, St. Johns wort and rosemary are all antidepressants and can help you maintain a balanced outlook. All are available as tea infusions.
- Bilberry, olive leaves and cinnamon help reduce blood sugar, helping to keep diabetes in control.
- Yerba Mate, ginger and licorice root help with digestion and regularity. Yerba Mate is excellent after a large meal with lots of meat and greasy food.
These are just a few of the roots, barks, leaves, vines, and fruits that can be added to hot water to create a healing tea. In most cases, you can mix these substances with a simple green tea base. Remember, when you make herbal teas, don’t boil the herbs. Instead, bring the water to a boil, remove from the heat, then add the herbs and let site for 10-15 minutes. If necessary, you can heat the mixture again, but don’t bring it to a boil.
Tea photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/david_wilmot/
Read More On: health, herbs, oils & extracts
