Herb tea

A herb tea is a Boisson with the properties slightly curative obtained by maceration, decoction or infusion of vegetable material (fresh or dried flowers, sheets, stems, roots), in Eau hot or cold. The term herb tea gets busy only for the preparations other than the Café or the The.

Mode of preparation

The purpose of the various modes of preparation are all to extract the active ingredients from the plants.

  • the maceration consists in letting soak the vegetable material in cool water during several hours. One thus scents water with the Menthe, the Mélisse, etc

  • L' infusion consists in pouring warm water on the vegetable material then to let it soak during a few minutes. For example: infusion of Vervain, Lime, Star anise, Sage, etc

  • the decoction consists in throwing the vegetable material in water, to carry this one to boiling during a few minutes, then if required to let it cool. For example: decoction of tails of Cherry S, Prêles, oats, etc the decoction always contains a greater quantity of active ingredients of the plant than infusion.

(These modes of preparation are current in kitchen and are used to extract the aromatic compounds from the plants.)

Whatever the preparation, the liquid obtained is in general filtered before being drunk.

Herb teas are sometimes softened by addition of Sucre, Miel, etc

Kind of herb tea

Among the most spread herb teas, let us quote:

  • Barley roasted, known with the Japan under the name of mugicha and in Korea under that of horicha . Roasted savor points out that of the coffee, the bitterness (and cafeine) in less. She is often drunk cold in summer;
  • required Camomile for its digestive virtues;
  • flowers of Chrysanthemum dried;
  • seeds of Fennel, which stimulates the production of milk among women who nurse;
  • roots of Ginger, famous aphrodisiacs;
  • petals of Hibiscus, drunk hot or cold;
  • Mint, particularly the Peppermint;
  • maceration of GUI;
  • sheets of Nettle;
  • Rooibos is a plant of South Africa, sometimes improperly called the red , to which one lends the antioxydant virtues similar to that of the The, but which does not contain a Théine;
  • Sage;
  • Thyme for its digestive or respiratory virtues;
  • Rosemary;
  • Melissa;
  • odorous Gaillet (aspérule);
  • Subdued, it is a shrub which one finds mainly in Argentine, in Uruguay and to the Brésil, and which gives a caféinée drink;
  • Vervain.

The majority of these plants are sold in the trade in bulk or out of sachets ready to infuse.

Cetains types of The are obtained by mixture of the green or black and another plants, such as for example the Earl Grey (mixture of and barks of Bergamote).

Virtues of herb teas

The therapeutic virtues of the plants are known and used since centuries; hundreds of medicinal plants are known to date and their use is sytématisée within the framework of the Phytothérapie. The infusions are a daily and popular survival of this very former use.

The principal disadvantage of the preparations resulting from plants lies nevertheless in their very variable quality: according to the history of its preparation (agronomic conditions of the growth of the plant, protocols of harvest, storage, conditioning, delivery, etc) a herb tea can prove is surdosée, or in worst case, is sousdosée at the point not to have any effectiveness, or to develop contrary effects with those sought. Moreover, the presence of harmful pesticides can often follow the preparation of the growth of the plant until its consumption, generally without no control being possible.

Among the virtues of the most sought herb teas, let us quote:

; herb teas with digestive aiming: Green anise, Star anise (star anise), Camomile, Marjoram (or Origan), Mint, Rosemary, Sage, Wild thyme and Thyme, Vervain. ; herb teas recommended like calming: Melissa, Lime, flower of Orange tree.

; diuretic herb teas: Queen-of-meadows, tails of Cherry (they are to be employed with precaution and never the every day, because they can unbalance the mineral-water balance of the organization and install a state of semi-dehydration permanent and not very advisable).

Several plants are frequently mixed to combine the effect of it (Verveine and Menthe, Verveine and Tilleul, etc)

Sold herb teas as “slimming” are purgative and diuretic herb teas, which make lose a few kilograms of water because of Déshydratation. They can thus be dangeureuse for health. If a plant had as a virtue to eliminate stored greases, there would be no more no problem of weight on planet.

See too

External bond

  • Origins, stories and benefits of Herb teas
  • Index of the medicinal plants

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