I’ve been researching the magical and nutritional properties of herbs this week, and I learned that you can make “tea” from herbs I usually only used for cooking, so I thought I would share.
I have drank “pot liquor” before – the water left over from cooking vegetables, like asparagus. And I have sauteed beet greens and radish greens with good results. But drinking these green herbal teas was new to me!
You can make a “tea” from thyme, basil, oregano, majoram, parsley, tarragon, sage, saffron, rosemary, mint (of course) and other herbs. To make a cup, you would typically use about 1 tsp of dried or 2 tsp of fresh herbs per cup of “tea.” The nutrition benefits are fantastic, even in the dry form, and of course, no calories and lots of antioxidants.
But if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should research any herb before consuming it.
I enjoy fruity herbal teas, so I mixed raspberry herbal tea with thyme and it was really good – I used two rasberry tea bags (it was a large-ish cup) to 1 tsp of thyme. I also opened the tea bags because I read it gives the cup more flavor, although it’s a little more messy. I cannot wait to try other combinations with floral or fruit teas! I think it would be interesting to combine them, not only for flavors, but for the magical intentions.
You can cool some of these teas and use them as a hair rinse. Purportedly, they can help with hair loss and dandruff. Chamomile is good for blonde hair, and rosemary and thyme is good for dark hair.
Herbal tea, Wikimedia Commons
Today, I made a “tea” from boiled carrot greens (Mars energy), strained, some fresh parsley (protection) and a squeeze of lemon juice (clarifying) and it made me feel like MIghty Mouse
Let me know if you have experience with this and any tips!