Tea Time.... Relax with us and have a cup of hot tea!

[poodlechicks]

I am sitting here by the computer with a cup of hot darjeeling tea. Searsmom, thanks for the info on the book. I'm going to look for it. I love a good book about teas.

I know a little about medicinal teas. Burdock doesn't make a good tea in terms of taste. It is not very pleasant. But it is used for a number of ailments, like high blood pressure, gout, bladder infections, joint pain and even acne, among other uses. Basically, it increases the urine flow and is used to kill germs.

Some people use Ragweed tea to fight ragweed allergies and hay fever. Not many people know to use it, but some swear by it.

Ironweed tea was used by native Americans for relieve of pain after giving birth. I don't know if herbalists recommend it or not.

One tea that I love to make in the spring and summer is iced mint tea. I have some varieties of mint in my garden, so I harvest some in the morning (best time to harvest herbs ) and make some tea.
I just have to be careful with the mints taking over my herbal garden.

 

[Searsmom]

I am sitting here by the computer with a cup of hot darjeeling tea. Searsmom, thanks for the info on the book. I'm going to look for it. I love a good book about teas.

I know a little about medicinal teas. Burdock doesn't make a good tea in terms of taste. It is not very pleasant. But it is used for a number of ailments, like high blood pressure, gout, bladder infections, joint pain and even acne, among other uses. Basically, it increases the urine flow and is used to kill germs.

Some people use Ragweed tea to fight ragweed allergies and hay fever. Not many people know to use it, but some swear by it.

Ironweed tea was used by native Americans for relieve of pain after giving birth. I don't know if herbalists recommend it or not.

One tea that I love to make in the spring and summer is iced mint tea. I have some varieties of mint in my garden, so I harvest some in the morning (best time to harvest herbs ) and make some tea.
I just have to be careful with the mints taking over my herbal garden.

Now that's gotten me curious. What kind of proportions for the Burdock and Ragweed teas above? I don't plan on giving birth again, so I guess the ironweed tea is out....unless it tastes really good.

 

[TeaChick]

Now that I remember correctly, the tea is Ceylon, not Assam. I like black tea straight. Sometimes, I add lemon to it. I don't like the taste of milk. I just wish I could find that tea again.
Have you tried lemon balm? Another tea that I want to find is jasmine, but not the one mixed with green tea. I had it years ago, too. It's so delicious! I've never had red tea. Is it stronger than black?It's 5:30PM here. I think I'll have some tea now.

Twinings has Ceylon; I think they've redone their packaging, but it used to be in a lovely orange box. =)
We had a lemon balm plant, but something dug it up. =(
We'll probably get another one, then I'll start blending my own herbal teas; and DD will be excited to help. =)

Well, you can with the dandelions! But I don't think ironweed and ragweed and burdock make good teas. Although I've heard you can eat the burdock root...I'm just not motivated enough to try that.
Mmmm, I read a book...about teas, and Assam is a type of tea used for making tea blends.

A Gourmet's Guide to Coffee & Tea by Lesley Mackley (just so I don't get dinked by the copyright police)"India:...Assam: In this area, which covers the whole of the Brahmaputra valley, there are 650 tea estates. Tea is harvested from March to October." It is a black tea, usually English Breakfast teas are a blend of Assam and Ceylon teas, Irish Breakfast is usually a blend of strong Assams. Irish Breakfast is my favorite!

The book I was reading also had some lovely services like yours Tea Chick!

I see. =) I have lots of dandelions!!! =D lol

IB is my favorite too!! =)

 

[poodlechicks]

TeaChick, I have the Twinnings with Ceylon in it. It is really good. But I have to say I had never had a black tea like the Hedley's ceylon tea. The funny thing is that I bought it at the supermarket on sale for $1. It was the only time I saw that tin can and I'm looking for it ever since. I don't have very good luck growing lemon balm. The plant doesn't seem to grow. I may be doing something wrong with it.

Searsmom, I'll look into the proportions and post it for you. I don't think any of these teas taste too good

I like floral, fragrant herbal teas and bold black teas the most. Ironweed is also used to relieve menstrual cramps. I have never tried this herb before.

I like dandelions in my salad, but I find the tincture a little too bitter.

I am loving this thread.

 

[TeaChick]

I am sitting here by the computer with a cup of hot darjeeling tea. Searsmom, thanks for the info on the book. I'm going to look for it. I love a good book about teas.

I know a little about medicinal teas. Burdock doesn't make a good tea in terms of taste. It is not very pleasant. But it is used for a number of ailments, like high blood pressure, gout, bladder infections, joint pain and even acne, among other uses. Basically, it increases the urine flow and is used to kill germs.

Some people use Ragweed tea to fight ragweed allergies and hay fever. Not many people know to use it, but some swear by it.

Ironweed tea was used by native Americans for relieve of pain after giving birth. I don't know if herbalists recommend it or not.

One tea that I love to make in the spring and summer is iced mint tea. I have some varieties of mint in my garden, so I harvest some in the morning (best time to harvest herbs ) and make some tea.
I just have to be careful with the mints taking over my herbal garden.

I didn't like Darjeeling when I tried it years ago; I think I'll try it again. =)
There's a book available for free on Kindle: The Tea Book is the title.

I'll have to see what Burdock looks like; I might have some in my yard and not know it.
Is it something I might be able to get seeds for or plants from a nursery or Home Depot or something?

How would you make ragweed tea? Leaves, flowers, roots, or some combination? (dry, steep in water just off the boil, and drink, I assume, right?)

I enjoy my mint too!!! I have it in a nursery pot, so it doesn't take over

 

[TeaChick]

TeaChick, I have the Twinnings with Ceylon in it. It is really good. But I have to say I had never had a black tea like the Hedley's ceylon tea. The funny thing is that I bought it at the supermarket on sale for $1. It was the only time I saw that tin can and I'm looking for it ever since. I don't have very good luck growing lemon balm. The plant doesn't seem to grow. I may be doing something wrong with it.

Searsmom, I'll look into the proportions and post it for you. I don't think any of these teas taste too good

I like floral, fragrant herbal teas and bold black teas the most. Ironweed is also used to relieve menstrual cramps. I have never tried this herb before.

I like dandelions in my salad, but I find the tincture a little too bitter.

I am loving this thread.

My DH used to work in a supermarket; if it was a dollar, they were most likely discontinuing it (I mean the store was not going to carry it anymore). Surely there are sites for tea, just like BYC for chickens. Or we could start a site: Back Yard Teas!!!

LB isn't very cold hearty; you'd be best off planting it in a container so you can at least put it on your porch or in a mud room in the winter. I live in the South, and we have a few nights of hard freeze each year (nothing sustained like NY). We just stuck our plant in its pot on the back deck. When we planted it, we used a few sticks to hold a grocery bag over it to keep it a little warmer than the outside air.

 

[Searsmom]

I didn't like Darjeeling when I tried it years ago; I think I'll try it again. =)
There's a book available for free on Kindle: The Tea Book is the title.

I'll have to see what Burdock looks like; I might have some in my yard and not know it.
Is it something I might be able to get seeds for or plants from a nursery or Home Depot or something?

How would you make ragweed tea? Leaves, flowers, roots, or some combination? (dry, steep in water just off the boil, and drink, I assume, right?)

I enjoy my mint too!!! I have it in a nursery pot, so it doesn't take over

Burdock can grow up to 4' tall and has very broad leaves. The way you know you're sure you have burdock is if it produces burrs - like a pincushion all the way around that are about 3/4" long and 1/4" wide, oval shaped. Not sure I'm describing that well, but they get stuck in my clothes and can actually be painful to pull out if they're fresh. Maybe put a lot of sugar in the tea? For all the times they've stuck me, I'd love to eat them.

There is a kind that has been cultivated for table use - I think it's a Japanese variety. I know you can still eat ours, but it's the root part - those things have HUGE roots. Hard to pull up, hard to dig. Sigh.

We had a rough winter here, my lemon balm didn't survive the winter, and it's usually hard to kill in our climate.

 

[poodlechicks]

Now that's gotten me curious. What kind of proportions for the Burdock and Ragweed teas above? I don't plan on giving birth again, so I guess the ironweed tea is out....unless it tastes really good.

I am by no means an herbalist or an expert. I just like to read about different teas and happen to have some literature about wild plants. I never used ragweed, but I've read that you make the tea using its leaves (about 5 inches long) for 2 cups of boiling water. Crumble the leaves, add it to the boiling water and let it steep for half an hour or so. Discard the leaves and drink a cup. You can sweeten it with a little bit of honey, because the taste is not very pleasant.

For the burdock, this one I have made and tasted. I may be very finicky, but even though it tastes a little sweet, I didn't like the taste either. I not only use burdock as tea, but also in broths.
I think burdock grows everywhere here in the US. I got the root from a friend who ordered it online, so I don't know what kind of burdock it is. I'll ask her and let you know.
You make the tea using the root.
Clean the burdock root with a brush and dry. Then, you peel the root with a potato peeler and let it dry some more. Put the burdock in the cup and add boiling water. Let it steep for some 10 minutes and it's ready to drink.
I don't know if there are side effects to these teas. I never had a problem with burdock in my broth or tea, and the tea is sold in health food stores. You might want to do some research before you drink them.

 

[poodlechicks]

I will try planting lemon balm in a pot. Thanks! The only things that survives the winter here are my mint and chicory. I bring my rosemary inside. I have to replant everything in the spring.

Have you guys heard of Susun Weed (sp)? She is a famous herbalist and has many books published. Also, I have a book at home to identify wild plants. Mother Earth News has also published many articles about herbs and their uses. Many you can use to make tea or tinctures.

Have a good night, everyone!

 

[poodlechicks]

Good morning Searsmom, my friend gets her burdock roots online at mountainroseherbs.com

Have a great beginning of the week!