Whether you like it with sugar, honey, milk or just plain and natural, herbal tea is a delicious way to get healthy. Sitting back and sipping a hot cup of tea is almost instantaneously relaxing and, if you choose the right blend, you might get an extra boost of healing substances. Depending on which you choose, a tea can be good for anxiety, pain, intestinal troubles and so much more. All that matters is that you pick the right herb and infuse it properly.
Typically, you want to boil water and let it sit for one minute. Then pour it over the herbs. At this point, you can let the tea steep for between three and 10 minutes. The longer you brew, the more intense the flavor and health benefits will become. But before you get to the steeping, you should figure out which tea is right for you.
Check below to find what teas are good for your particular complaints. However, you may want to read about all the teas, because an herb is often good for more than one problem.
Digestive Complaints: From nausea to diarrhea, gas to IBS, there’s an herb that may be able to help you cope with your digestive upset. Let’s look at a few.
- Basil: This herb is a favorite in cooking, but it also has a diverse history of uses apart from the culinary. It contains beta-carotene, vitamin C and flavanoids. It may aid the digestive system by relieving constipation, alleviating gas, limiting cramps, and preventing vomiting. It promotes healing of minor injuries, and is sometimes used in skin ointments and acne treatments. Make a tea by steeping one teaspoon of basil leaves, fresh or dry, in a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. Drink warm after meals, as required.
- Ginger: This is an extremely effective herb for relieving gastrointestinal upset — particularly nausea. Pour one pint of boiling water over one ounce of grated gingerroot. Let steep for 20 minutes. Drink up to two cups per day, hot, as required.Peppermint: This could help ease irritable bowel syndrome, but it may worsen peptic ulcers. Many good brands of commercial teas are available. Follow the manufacturer’s directions. Drink as often as you like.
- Senna: This is a diuretic and laxative that could help remedy constipation. Take a cup of this tea in the evening.
Vision Problems: There aren’t too many herbs that can help with eyesight, but bilberry has been noted for its effects on night blindness. It was even used by pilots in wartime. This herb also has many additional uses.Bilberry: The berries are dark, wrinkly and full of seeds. For medicinal purposes, the leaves and berries are dried and used to treat sore throats, vision problems, including night blindness, and circulatory problems, like atherosclerosis.
Some arthritis and gout sufferers take bilberry to relieve their symptoms. Only use dried bilberries to treat diarrhea, as fresh ones may make the condition worse. Pour one cup of boiling water over one teaspoon of dried berries and let steep for 10 minutes. Take one cup per day.
Migraines: We all know how troubling migraines can be. To prevent attacks, try drinking one of the following herbal teas on a daily basis.
- Butterbur: Also known as langwort, umbrella plant, bog rhubarb, flapperdock, blatterdock, capdockin, bogshorns and butterdock. Recent studies have shown this is herb to be particularly good for treating migraines. Traditional uses include treatment for colds and fevers, asthma, hay fever and urinary problems. Steep 50 mg in hot water for 10-15 minutes and drink twice daily with meals.Feverfew: This herb is best known for preventing or aborting migraine headaches. Feverfew is an antithrombotic agent and anti-inflammatory. It prevents platelets from clumping and stops the release of histamines and prostaglandins. Through this method, it prevents swelling and inflammation and keeps away that throbbing pain from the passage of blood through the expanded blood vessels. The worse the headache, the better this herb seems to work. It could also alleviate pain and inflammation from arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Pour one pint of boiling water over a half ounce of the flowering, whole herb. Let steep for up to 20 minutes. Drink warm, twice a day. Due to its popularity as a headache reliever, feverfew is readily available as a commercial preparation.
Join us again tomorrow for a look at how teas can help treat infections, pain and energy levels.