How to Make a Homemade Herbal Tea Blend
I want to share how to make the homemade herbal tea blend that my family loves drinking. The richness and freshness of herbal tea sweetened with some local raw honey just can’t be beat. If you’ve never tried herbal tea, I want to encourage you to give this simple tea blend a try and see how you like it. It’s ready in minutes and you can customize the tea to your liking. Plus, homemade herbal tea blends make great Christmas presents!
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My family loves drinking herbal tea…especially during the fall and winter. It’s somewhat of a treat and I feel really good knowing that the tea is helping to make their bodies healthier because of its medicinal and nutritive properties.
What is herbal tea?
Herbal teas have been used for centuries to promote health but they aren’t a true tea like black tea, green tea, or oolong tea. True tea uses the dried leaves from the camellia sinensis shrub. Herbal tea uses a variety of ingredients including fruits, herbs, flowers, and spices.
Is herbal tea safe to drink?
As with anything, you need to do your own research and possibly check with your primary healthcare provider to determine if you have any conditions that would prevent you from drinking herbal tea. You should also avoid some herbs if you have certain health conditions. For example, if you’re pregnant or nursing, you should avoid certain herbs.
Ingredients for Making a Homemade Herbal Tea Blend
You can use any ingredients you like for your own homemade herbal tea blends. I like to keep my teas pretty simple but I always use home grown or organic ingredients. You don’t want any nasty chemicals!
For this basic recipe, you’ll need the following:
Chamomile flowers
Matricaria chamomilla is used around the world in herbal tea to promote relaxation. It has a wonderful floral and fruity taste that is great for drinking at night. If you can grow this in your herb garden, it has beautiful white daisy-like flowers. Harvest just the flowers for your tea. (If you’re allergic to the Asteraceae family, use caution with chamomile.)
Flower essences are great for relieving anxiety and feelings of overwhelm. Chamomile is a nerve tonic that feeds, tones, rehabilitates, and strengthens the nervous system. The relaxing effects extend to the gut, helps to ease colic, and also helps alleviate the pain of menstrual cramps.
Chamomile is also antiviral and antibacterial and can be taken over a long period of time. It’s also high in calcium, magnesium, protein, and B vitamins.
Hibiscus flowers
Hibiscus sabdariffa is a member of the mallow family known for its vibrant red flowers. It’s commonly used in tea and has a great tart flavor. It also colors your tea red which is fun if you have little girls who like to have tea parties…ahem. If you’re allergic to peanuts, be careful where you buy your hibiscus flowers. They are often interplanted with peanuts.
Hibiscus flowers are high in vitamin C and bioflavonoids which is useful for treating colds, flus, bruising, and swelling.
Rose hips
Rosa canina and Rosa rubiginosa are the fruits of the rose which appear in early summer and ripen into late fall. These fruits are one of the most concentrated sources of vitamin C available and they also have a wonderful tart flavor. (Consult with your doctor and do not use rose hips if you are pregnant or nursing.)
Rose hips are used for its disease-fighting abilities since it has a high vitamin C (antioxidant) content.
Red raspberry leaf
Rubus idaeus actually has a flavor similar to black tea but without the caffeine. Red raspberry leaf is high in iron and calcium along with other vitamins and minerals. It’s a uterine tonic that helps to tone and strengthen the entire female reproductive system. Raspberry leaf is also traditionally used to treat diarrhea. (There are no known precautions.)
I drank red raspberry leaf tea every day during the last trimester of my last two babies. (I didn’t know it was a thing with my first two babies.) It was EXTREMELY effective at making labor and delivery quick. Our last baby was nearly born in the car on the way to the hospital. I wouldn’t recommend it for the first trimester, though.
Directions for Making a Homemade Herbal Tea Blend
You’ll need a glass jar with a lid. Mason jars are my go-to to store my herbal tea blends in but use whatever you have on hand.
Get out a quart-size mason jar. Fill it halfway with loose chamomile flowers (about two cups). Then add one cup of hibiscus flowers, a half cup of red raspberry leaf, and a half cup of rose hips. It’ll compress down to fit in your jar.
You can leave the herbs in layers (see picture below) and give it away for a present or shake your jar to combine the herbs.
That’s it!!
How to Make Your Tea
When you’re ready for a refreshing and nutrient-rich herbal tea, add about a tablespoon of your loose leaf tea to a tea infuser. Then separately boil some water and let it rest for a minute after it boils. Pour the hot water over your loose tea, add a saucer or a lid if your tea cup comes with a lid, and let it steep for at least 15 minutes. Then sweeten it to your liking! We prefer using raw honey.
Homemade Herbal Tea Blends Make Great Gifts!
Try making a few batches of your own herbal tea blend and giving them away as gifts. You can add a tea cup made specifically for herbal tea like this.
Other Herbs to Consider for Your Herbal Tea Blend
For restful sleep and taming anxiety:
Lemon balm is very easy to grow and full of nice lemon flavor. Lemon verbena and borage flowers and leaves also make a great addition.
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Tea cup with infuser and lid, 12 oz
3-pack of tea infusers with handle
Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health
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I have always meant to look into making my own herbal tea, thanks for the helpful information!
This is right up my alley! I love herbal teas. I am always on the hunt for organic. Thanks for sharing!
This sounds like a good blend. I make so many with chamomile and I have all those on hand. I love my herbs!
I love all my herbs, too!