Meet the 6 modern herbals you’ll want to add to your tea stash if you haven’t already. (Why this six? Because they’re some of nature’s most healing multi-taskers…)
Ahhh tea…it’s our mini reminder to “stop work and have a break”, our afternoon catch-up with friends. Our “help us sleep” drink and our “looong day” pick me up.
These six green (but not green tea) teas are worth keeping in your kitchen, not only do they boast a myriad of multi-medicinal benefits, they’re mood-balancing too.
**To enter the Wellbeing Tea categories in our 2019 Mama & Baby Awards, closing this month, click HERE
1) N E T T L E
My favourite “multea-tasker” is stinging nettle and granted it might not appeal much at first…until you discover all of its wonderful deep-rooted benefits revered by many, including the Ancient Greeks.
I call this my inner strength tea, it just seems to make me feel more centered and grounded.
IT HELPS
Urinary issues & bladder infections
Hay Fever, allergies and asthma
Enlarged prostate
Blood purifier
May improve fertility
Wound healer
Detoxifier (drink with a hangover)
Hair growth
May reduce bleeding (eg gingivitis)
May lower blood pressure
Contains Vits A, C, some Bs, iron, magnesium, potassium, fatty acids, amino acids and more
TASTES LIKE? A bit earthy/green (I mix it with mint)
USE WITH CAUTION: during pregnancy
2) H E M P
Hemp is the world’s most versatile ancient plant, giving us everything from tea and protein powder to CBD, to rope, housing materials, textiles and more. Hemp really is the ultimate zero waste plant because every part of it is usable and useful, from the flowers and buds to down to the seeds, leaves and stems.
“Hemp is the ultimate zero waste plant because every part of it is usable and useful”
IT HELPS
Calm nerves, soothe you to sleep. Note: hemp has almost negligible THC in it, which is the mind-altering substance in the cannabis plant, so it’s absolutely fine to take – you won’t get a “high tea/tea high” effect from it.
I’m not a fan of hemp tea during the day, it’s just a touch too soporific for me.
Improve sleep
Oxygenate the body (and boost cell renewal because of its chlorophyll content)
Boost immunity
Improve mood
Digestion
Skin
TEA TIP
As hemp is not water soluble, add a touch of coconut oil, milk or butter for enhanced absorbtion
TASTES LIKE? I’m not keen on the taste (at all!) so I blend it with other teas, e.g. mint or verbena.
3) P E P P E R M I N T
Ah lovely mint! I still can’t drink a cup of peppermint tea without it transporting me back to my days in Essaouira. There’s a reason Moroccans drink so much mint tea (here are some of them!) If you’re travelling in Morocco soon and have cut sugar out of your life, simply ask for it without sugar.
A mint tea mid-afternoon can be helpful if your concentration or energy is flagging a bit.
IT HELPS
Allergies (it contains rosmarinic acid which is also in rosemary and can help dampen down allergy symptoms a little, like itchy eyes, as well as asthma).
Digestion (it’s the perfect post-meal “digestif”)
Oral hygiene
Memory/focus (rub between palms and inhale, or better still use it in a diffuser or drop some essential oil on to a tissue – but avoid the eyes!)
Relax the mind and digestive tract
Can be useful for IBS
TEA TIP: In Traditional Chinese Medicine, mint is regarded as “cooling”. It’s a stomach calmer, and it can help take the edge of nausea, too.
4) M O R I N G A
One of my more recent new loves, here’s why more moringa in your life is a big/good thing!
“Known as “The Miracle Tree”, the moringa oleifera tree is highly revered as a potent multi-tasker”
Famously dubbed “The Miracle Tree”, the moringa oleifera tree flourishes in sub-Himalayan areas, and it’s much revered as a potent multi-tasker.
IT HELPS
Balance hormones/reduce mood swings
Combat free radicals (a good antioxidant)
Antibacterial
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-toxicity – it has been shown to be useful for detoxifying arsenic (in animal studies)
May help prevent plaque formation in arteries
Good for the liver
Good for enhanced brain function
Helps lower homocysteine levels (important for Alzheimers sufferers)
Balances blood sugar (ie can lower it so it could be helpful for diabetics)
Can improve sleep quality (because of its tryptophan)
Improve mood (think “chilled out, less easily phased by stuff”)
It’s energising but in a good way – not hyper.
Neuropreventative – consider taking moringa supplements to help prevent or help symptoms of a stroke, Alzheimers, TBI (traumatic brain injury), Parkinsons
TEA TIP: Moringa has appeared on the list of the TOP 5 ORAC FOODS we know (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity).
1) MORINGA (often left off the ORAC list but many claim it’s numero uno)
2) COFFEE
3) GOJI BERRIES
4) COCOA (dark chocolate)
5) BLUEBERRIES
TASTES LIKE?
Not that great (arguably!) So you could blend it with a fragrant multi-mint blend to mask the taste. A bit matcha, a bit earthy-green, a bit spirulina-ish (in capsules the powder looks similar to spirulina)
Next up:
Now on to these two lovely “lemons”…
Two beautiful warm weather teas that are wonderful in summer either hot, or chilled, are:
5) LEMON VERBENA (lippia citriodora) – VERVEINE
For me, gentle, lemony verbena has special memories. One October, about 10 years ago, I was in Ifrane, Morocco’s main ski resort (and cleanest village, it’s very Swiss!). Just 45 minutes drive up in the mountains above Fez, it’s a must-visit place.
Verbena (photo credit: Ula Botanic)
Pictured below: The 5-star Michlifen Resort & Spa, Ifrane (one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever stayed, I spent a magical night there during my Fez trip).
You can swim from the indoor pool – in the building on the left – into the outdoor pool where both meet (just by the little bridge).
“Even now, a spritz of verveine parfum reminds me of that blissful October afternoon near Ifrane”
I was driving around the countryside inhaling the glowing golds, yellows, crimsons and coppers of the trees and stopped at a little guest house. A young guy came out to meet me at the gate and invited me in for a tea (verbena, and brewed so long it was more of a tonic!)
He then beckoned me up to a huge roof terrace to take in the magnificent views of the all-green countryside tinged with the colours of October. I must have only stayed for about 30 minutes but it was such a relaxing interlude on one of those gold, sunny, slightly breezy autumn afternoons that come with a big, bold azure sky.
So relaxed I could hardly get in the car and face the drive back to my little apartment (I wasn’t sure how I’d got there and wasn’t sure how I’d get back as the sun dipped and turned into a blazingly pretty orange and fuschia painting).
When I wound down the window to thank the Moroccan man again for his hospitality he handed me a big handfull (more like a small box full) of freshly-picked verbena – verveine citronelle – from his garden.
I flew back to London with my Moroccan verbena stems in a big envelope and placed them on my bookshelf and they gently perfumed my bedroom for weeks…
I have such a strong emotional association with lemon verbena, but it’s a little bitter-sweet. Not bitter in taste but sweet, because of that wonderfully serene, slow, welcoming improptu tea at the guesthouse. And sad because it was the last afternoon before my flight home and frankly London was the last place I wanted to be – I’d have swopped homes in a heartbeat.
Even now, a spritz of verveine parfum reminds me of that blissful October afternoon near Ifrane.
IT HELPS
Verbena comes from South America originally (it was the Spaniards and Portuguese who brought it to Europe and Morocco exports it to Europe, too)
Anxiety
Sleep
It’s a very gentle sedative/mind calmer
Cramping
Indigestion
Boosts metabolism
Boosts immunity
Fever reducer
Helps weight loss
Joint pain
TEA TIP: Lemon verbena is an especially gentle sedative so it’s useful for both the very young and much older (however it’s not recommended if you have kidney disease).
For a refreshing hot day cooler, add honey and finely grated lemon rind, steep and serve chilled.
6) L E M O N B A L M
Cute fact: the Melissa in “melissa officinalis” comes from the Greek for honeybee. Bees love this one so if you have a garden – even a tiny urban terrace – plant some!
This much revered native to Southern Europe is the Med in a teacup, basically…it’s famed as a “cure all” and highly esteemed, linked with longevity and its roots trace back to Ancient Turkey.
“Bees love lemon balm, so if you have a garden or even a tiny urban terrace, plant some!”
Loved by bees, easy to grow: Lemon Balm
photo credit: The Hearty Soul
IT HELPS
Anxiety
Headaches
UTIs
Digestion
Sleep (to “up” its sedative effects, combine with valerian, passiflora, chamomile or even lavender or orange blossom at bedtime for a more restful sleep if your brain is still whirring after a busy or stressful day)
Might be useful for thyroid issues and Epstein Barr
Possibly a useful brain tonic (like rosemary – and mint, see above – it contains rosmarinic acid which helps concentration, focus, alertness and memory)
Lemon Balm is “carminative” which means is helps unblock sagnant digestion, ease cramping.
Like Hemp, it contains terpenes to relax muscles and help calm excess gas.
Like Mint, this bee-friendly herb is a post-meal “digestif”
It would be interesting to hear your herbal tea tips and which ones work for you (and for what) on Twitter and Instagram so tag me at @BeautyShortlist or post your note below x
