Make Your Own Tea Party
05 May 2009 ~ Categories: blog • body • wellness
All this Boston Tea Party talk recently in the media made me think a lot about tea (and not just because of tax season). I’ve always been a big tea lover.
One of my favorite things to do is make up my own herbal teas, or, as they are technically called, tisanes. Tea being the dried leaf of the camellia sinensis plant. This is what we think of as black, green or oolong tea.
Herbal “teas” are really just infusions of dried or fresh plants. Tea geeks and foodies like me call these tisanes.
Anyway…
In South American countries like Peru, it’s common to be served fresh mint leaves straight from the garden, steeped in hot water and called “tea”.
These medicinal (and yummy) concoctions have been an integral part of South American cultures presumably for thousands of years.
I take a page from that belief system and on occasion brew myself a nice steamy cup of hot water infused with somethin’ special.
Fresh ginger root (for belly aches), mint leaves (for cooling down the belly), or licorice stick (for throat soreness).
A spritz of lemon here, a dash of local honey there, and I swear, it’s better than coffee. (Well, maybe not for everyone but its worth a try.)
Find a source book like “Healing with Whole Foods” by Paul Pitchford if you’re interested in the medicinal properties of various herbs, or wing it and use the imagination of your taste buds.
All you need is a cup but I recommend a beautiful teapot (you can get a cheap one in Japantown), some hot water, and the flavorful substance of your choosing.
Really, you can make tea out of almost anything edible, and it’s a great way to use up neglected herbs and roots that are lying around your kitchen in danger of withering.
Tea partying,
Amy
08 May 2009
Rachel Fleischman
Thank you Amy!
As the weather gets warmer, I enjoy chilled-teas. There are lovely rose blossoms that you can buy in Chinatown, or Japantown, that smell absolutely wonderful, and add such a beautiful look to a tea. And yes to mint leaves straight from the garden, steeped in hot water.
Ritual is so important, and I love offering the experience of ritual through my workshops and healing sessions.
I have some ritual ideas on my site http:www.dancingyourbliss.com
11 May 2009
Amy
Amen to rituals. Thanks, Rachel. You know in the IO community we love to DANCE OUR BLISS. For anyone that hasn’t tried Rachel’s dance healing workshops, they are a blast. Extremely joyful, powerful and transformational. Come check her out!