Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
you skip soda. Even replacing one cup of soda with hot or iced herbal tea helps you avoid the draw-
backs of soda while also supplying the beneficial health properties of the herbs. It's a total win-win.
Additionally, drinking a tea made from your own herbs will help you absorb the nutrients that you
might miss in a supplement. It's very hard for your body to break down a pill, especially a tablet.
Sipping a liquid is much more readily absorbed, especially when it occurs in nature to provide
just the right combination. For example, iron supplements are often poorly absorbed in the body,
leading to digestive troubles. On the other hand, the iron in a tea made from nettles and parsley is
naturally combined with vitamin C, meaning you get the most iron it has to offer, plus the boost
you need to use it.
Herbs have been studied and used for their various benefits for millennia. Each plant has its own
special attributes, and combining them into teas gives you the chance to make your own holistic
approach. Because you are growing the herbs yourself, you also have careful control over what
exactly you are harvesting and what has touched the plant over its lifetime. No worries about
pesticides or mistaking plants here—that is, as long as you label your seedlings!
Common Herbal Tea Blends
Iron-boosting tea is common in my circle of moms. Nettles, which you must harvest carefully
before drying to remove the stinging effect, parsley, and mint combine to make a powerhouse iron
booster, but with a softened flavor from the mint. Pregnant women often add red raspberry leaf tea
to further the iron and calcium benefits and make a well-rounded tea for pregnancy health.
Chamomile is a staple of relaxation tea, often used alone or with a bit of fruit, like orange zest or
apple slices. It can also be combined into other medicinal or fruity blends to bring a calming factor
and a bit of sweetness.
Rose petals can be brewed fresh or dried, just cut the white part off the bottom of the petal to
remove any bitterness. Fragrant roses will taste best, and their high antioxidant levels make them a
good addition to many tea blends. Hibiscus blooms also provide antioxidants, as well as potential
benefits against diabetes. With a bit of a tart flavor, you may want to sweeten it or combine with
other flavors to soften.
Ginger is a good addition to a tea for soothing digestion. Peppermint accomplishes the same, and
can be added to nearly any blend to provide a cooling flavor. Strawberry leaves, lemon grass, and
stevia all add sweet or fruity flavors that can be used to increase the flavor of tea depending on
what you enjoy.
One of my favorite blends when I was pregnant was nettles, lemon grass, red raspberry leaf, and
mint. Red raspberry leaf tea is a known uterine tonic, and the other ingredients gave it great flavor
and impart important nutrients like iron and vitamin C. Have fun experimenting and see which
flavors you like best.
 
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