Herbal Teas

Home
>
Meditation
>
Herbal Teas

If you want to get hold of a particular tea and can't find it, then it is fine to use a combination tea, which contains the ingredient you want along with a few others.

Some Health Benefits from Particular Herbal Teas:

Heart and Circulation: Hawthorn berry.

Stomach and Intestines: Meadowsweet, Chamomile, Peppermint, Aniseed, Caraway, Slippery Elm, Licorice, Ginger.

Nerves: Motherwort, Clover Blossoms.

General: Clover Blossoms, Motherwort, Green Tea, Chickweed, Nettle.

Women: Raspberry Leaf, Motherwort, Clover Blossoms.

Immune System: Pau d'Arco.

Kidneys: Parsley, Buchu.

SOME TEAS EFFECT:

Hawthorn Berry or flowers - Hawthorn has a very strong reputation as a safe remedy for the heart. It also tends to normalise blood pressure. It is ironic that when scientists made a heart drug based on a plant, they chose the poisonous Foxglove (digitalis) as a starting point, rather than the benign Hawthorn. However, if you do have heart problems for which you are taking drugs, before taking Hawthorn, I would advise you to consult a practitioner who understand the actions of both drugs and herbs.

Chamomile - Chamomile has a reputation for soothing the digestion. This is through its action as a muscle relaxant - it lessens tension in the gastro-intestinal tract. Chamomile tea is a good one if it is used after a meal.

Peppermint - Peppermint can be a stronger muscle relaxant than Chamomile, so again it is useful to drink after a meal. It is also 'anti-emetic', which means that if you have nausea for any reason, it tends to calm this. If you find the taste too strong, then make it very, very weak - and you may then find it pleasant.

Meadowsweet - Meadowsweet is great for helping the stomach to digest food. Drink it half an hour before or after a meal. It has the reputation of balancing stomach acid. The feeling we interpret as 'too much acid' may, in fact, be caused by 'not enough acid - at the right time'. So Meadowsweet is a good tea to help here, as it is 'amphoteric' - it increases where there is too little, and decreases where there is too much.

Licorice - Licorice is soothing and healing for the lining of the stomach and intestines. It is a good tea if you have a tendency to get ulcers in these places; it is not a complete treatment, though - see a natural healthcare practitioner for this.

Slippery Elm - Another great soothing herb for the gut (gastro-intestinal tract). If you have wounds (ulcers), spasm or inflammation anywhere in the gut, drink lots of Slippery Elm Tea (actually - it's more of a 'gruel' - like thin porridge). Slippery Elm is very benign - that is, very safe. You can even make your 'porridge' thick - and use it externally to help healing. Slippery Elm has a reputation for being nourishing and easy to digest - hence its use to assist recovery from a long illness, and for the elderly.

Clover Blossom - This is known for its 'blood purifying' effects - in other words, it is good for general health. It also contains some 'phytoestrogens' - which make it beneficial for women - take it to help periods or menopause.

Nettle - Nettles have a reputation of being nutritious and also detoxifying. Nettle Tea is thus a good general tea to use every day.

Ginger - Ginger Tea is usually made by simmering a few slices of fresh ginger for a couple of minutes in water. Ginger, again, relaxes spasms, with the added property that it has an affinity for the abdominal area. So use it if you want to influence the abdomen.

Parsley - A great general aid for the kidneys. If you have kidney problems - consult a practitioner; but if you just want to give the kidneys a helping hand to keep them working well, regular Parsley Tea is a great idea. Use fresh Parsley if you have it; or dried is easily available. Tastes great!

Buchu - Has antiseptic properties - and it smells like it too! Women with cystitis know they need to drink lots of water; they know they have to wait and suffer until the problem goes. Buchu offers an antiseptic tea which can be drunk, and which makes its way through the kidneys and bladder. A safe remedy which your doctor would probably approve of. If in doubt - check with him.

www.ucheepines.org/cystitis.htm

Raspberry leaf - Has a long-standing reputation of assisting childbirth if taken frequently during pregnancy. I don't know of any proof... but it certainly won't do any harm. It will often assist periods, so take it if you have pre menstrual tension or other menstrual symptoms; or during menopause. Also used to make a tea to gargle with for sore throat (Thyme is useful for a sore throat gargle too. Or mix the two. Store the excess in the fridge and it will keep for a couple of days. Probably best to warm to room temperature before use.)

Motherwort - Motherwort used to be used much more widely than it is today. It's common name suggests its use for women - for whom it is beneficial. Its Latin name suggests its use for the heart - Leonurus cardiaca - a valuable tonic for the heart and circulation. But I remember its reputed benefit for the whole body and a long life; one ancient herbal says; "Drink Motherwort Tea and live to be a source of grief to waiting heirs". 'Nuff said!

Chickweed - This 'weed' may be growing wild just outside your house; here is a good web page to aid identification - Chickweed Tea is found to be good externally for many skin complaints. It will often reduce itching, and promote healing. It is often mentioned as helping weight loss - I am not sure of the mechanism here - but, again, if it replaces tea and coffee it's all to the good. It has a general benefit for the body, helping with rheumatism and arthritis.

For more information visit

http://www.starherb.com
http://www.starherb.com/sp/artindex.asp

In The News:

Long-term meditation leads to different brain organization
Medical Xpress
The research team was curious to know if the effects of meditation persisted after the exercise was completed. Credit: IStock (Medical Xpress) -- People who practice mindfulness meditation learn to accept their feelings, emotions, and states of mind ...

and more »

Tibetan leader's meditation session draws crowds in Shimla
Newstrack India
Shimla, May 25 (ANI): A special meditation session organized by Tibetan leader Taklung Tsetul Rinpoche drew hundreds of monks here on Friday. Rinpoche, the 6th head of the Nyingma School, presided over the special session of the teachings of the ...

and more »

As Myanmar opens up, spiritual tourists journey in
CNN (blog)
It's a typical day for a foreign tourist at the Mahasi meditation center here. Founded by the late Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw, the center opens its doors not only to Burmese residents but also to foreign visitors wishing to learn Buddhist meditation ...

National Turk English
Miley Cyrus urges young girls to meditate to get real-life answers
San Francisco Chronicle (blog)
Miley Cyrus is encouraging young girls to meditate more and take time to discover what they really want out of life. The pop star and actress admits she lost her way during a tough period in her life – and started hanging out with people she thought ...
Hindus welcome Miley Cyrus' championing of “meditation”The Jet Newspaper
Hindus appreciate Miley Cyrus' support of ' meditation 'National Turk English
“Hanna Montana” star Miley Cyrus on life and sexEOTM! Online (blog)

all 332 news articles »

GPS to a Quiet Mind: 6 Meditative Steps to Freedom
Huffington Post
Meditation is simple and transformative, yet it is highly misunderstood. Some people think it is about controlling our mind or stopping our thinking, while others see it as both weird and wacky or boring and meaningless. Yet meditation really just ...

and more »

Wired News
Meditation for Geeks: Part 1
Wired News
I was first introduced to the practice of meditation in a hot yoga class. It was part of the teacher's routine to do a short meditation session at the end of the class. After 45 minutes of grueling hot yoga, the last 15 minutes of relaxing were heaven ...

Meditation rejuvenates the soul
IBNLive.com
For the next five days, make this resolve when you meditate — I will respect and value the time and space that has been given to me. I will value time and cherish every single minute as a wonderful gift. I will structure my life on the foundation of ...

The Guardian
Anders Behring Breivik used meditation to kill – he's not the first
The Guardian
Meditation makes you calmer and clearer and encourages empathy and kindness … right? Not if you are Anders Behring Breivik who has told psychiatrists that he used meditation to "numb the full spectrum of human emotion – happiness to sorrow, despair, ...

and more »

Mood of meditation at Buddhist Temple
EMC Stittsville/Richmond
Rath Sam, left, of the Cambodian Buddhist Temple on Hazeldean Road in Stittsville and Bhante Kovida, right, take part in a meditation session led by Bhante Kovida at the Temple on Thursday evening, May 17. EMC news - Except for the intermittent sounds ...

Unique Dahn Yoga Workshop for Inspired Young People
Seattle Post Intelligencer
The event featured nature walks and meditation techniques. There is a unique Dahn Yoga workshop that includes a special mind body program for young people called the Young Earth Human Alliance (YEHA). The YEHA Camp, developed by the national leader in ...

and more »

Google News