The Art of Herbal Tea Blending
Blending your own herbal teas can be a fun and creative way to learn about herbs and their benefits. Herbs have been used for centuries to promote health and well-being, and they can be a great way to support your body, mind, and soul. Before blending, it’s important to get to know each herb as an individual.
Start by working with three of the herbs from the list below. Take the time to work with one herb at a time, maybe spending a day or even a week with the individual plant. Make a tea out of a single herb, and take the time to observe how it makes you feel, taste the different flavors, and notice how it affects your body, mind, and soul. Once you have tried the three individually, try combining them in sets of two. This process is similar to getting to know our human friends individually and then having them meet our other friends. Plants are our ancestors and have so much to teach us.
When choosing your three herbs to work with to create your blend, consider the family of the plant, when the plant grows, its flavor, which ones grow near each other, whether any are growing in your garden, and how they make you feel. Use your intuition to guide you in your selection.
For example, if you choose Lavender, Rose, and Damiana, try each plant as an individual tea. Then blend equal parts of lavender and rose and see how you like it, notice if you would like more rose or more lavender. Repeat this process with lavender and damiana, and rose and damiana. Finally, blend all three together and see how you like it.
If you want to go deeper, make a card for each herb and include the common name, Latin name, your observations upon working with it, initial flavor, pharmacology, and properties of the plant. This will help you to remember and understand the herbs better.
Remember that the quality of the herbal formula can only be as good as the ingredients, so purchase organic, ethically wildcrafted or locally grown herbs.
Each of the 9 herbs below will be prepared similarly to make the tisane (herbal tea) since they are all above-ground parts of the plants and made up of the flowers and leaves.
Hot Water Infusion:
1 large jar or teapot
1-3 teaspoons of herb/8-12 oz of boiled water
Place the herb in a jar, a tea bag or tea ball can be used
Bring water to a boil, turn off and let sit 30 seconds
Pour over the herb
Let sit for 5-15 minutes
Strain if needed
Use immediately or store for up to 72 hours in the fridge
Try different steeping times until you find the perfect one for you
9 herbs to practice blending teas you love:
- Lavender (Lavendula officianlis) -Mint family (lamiaceae)
- Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)-Mint family (lamiaceae)
- Lemon balm (Melissa Officinalis) -Mint family (lamiaceae)
- Rosa sp. -Rose family (roseaceae)
- Mugwort (Artemesia vulgaris) -Daisy family (Asteraceae)
- Nettle (Urtica dioica) -Urticacea (was once in the mint family)
- Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)-Daisy family (Asteraceae)
- Garden sage (Salvia officinalis)
- Damiana (Turnera diffusa)