Homegrown Tea – DIY Tea blends from your own garden

These recipes use the flowers found in your Basic Medicinal and Herbal Tea Kit! These flowers have lots of useful properties from topical application to lots of loose leaf herbal tea recipes. Try these DIY tea blends and learn more about the varieties you're growing!

Recipes:

Calming Lemon and Ginger Root Tea:
Servings: 2 servings / Calories: 54 kcal

Ingredients:

2 cups water
1 lemon, sliced in fours
1 inch ginger piece, peeled, cut into slices
8 Lemon Mint Leaves
3 Chamomile Blossoms
1 teaspoon honey, or agave, (optional)

Instructions:

Add water, 2 slices of lemon, and ginger slices in a small pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Add 6 lemon leaves to the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Strain and serve the tea. Serve with a side of Honey/Agave and the additional slices of lemon. Makes 2 cups of tea. Garnish with the two remaining mint leaves for an aromatic effect.

Bee Healthier Tea
Servings: 2 servings / Calories 56kcal

Ingredients:

2 cups water
3 Calendula Blossoms
2 Sprigs of Lavender
3 Echinacea Blossoms
1 Floral Sprig of Yarrow
1 teaspoon Honey/Agave

Instructions:

Heat water to a boil. Add ingredients and stir until fragrant, turn off heat and let steep for 3-4 minutes. Strain your flowers and serve with honey/agave as sweetener. (Or optional a squeeze of lemon.)

Let’s talk about the health benefits coming from these types of plants:

Chamomile:

Chamomile is known for its soothing effects. Often used to calm jitters or help one get to sleep. It contains Apigenin, an antioxidant that works with receptors in your brain to reduce insomnia. (1) Chamomile is also known to contain Flavones, which have been studied due to their potential to lower bad cholesterol and blood pressure. (2). These are just a couple examples of the antioxidants available to you in Chamomile tea. It can also be beneficial towards digestive issues, ulcers, fight cancer cells, and potentially lower blood sugar.

Lavender:

Lavender is also a well-known de-stressing agent. It can sooth anxiety by triggering neurotransmitters in the brain that help calm us down. It can also alter hormonal imbalances and help prevent mental exhaustion, thus overall improving your mental well-being. (1) Lavender is also pleasant to our olfactory senses, letting this loose leaf herbal tea recipe take you to a floral paradise.

Lemon Mint:

This herb is helpful for a number of medical conditions. It’s a natural detoxifier, it boosts your immune system while cleansing your body. When used in loose leaf herbal tea recipes, lemon mint can help alleviate headaches, nausea and soothe an upset stomach while also aiding in digestion. It also does wonders for soothing a sore throat or canker sores.

Calendula:

When your Calendula begins to blossom, you are ready to make tea. Harvesting the flowers as they bloom will encourage more blossoms as the plant matures. Calendula is loaded with powerful skin-healing, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. It is safe for humans and animals to use, however it can trigger menstruation in women, so before use be sure to consult your doctor if you or your pet are expecting. DIY tea blends that contain Calendula can help heal the belly from ulcers, or sooth a sore throat. It can also help break a fever by causing the body to sweat, if using tea for this purpose it is best to consult a holistic healer for a proper dosage. The tea can also be frozen into ice cubes and help heal skin ailments such as sunburn or rash.

Coneflower/Echinacea:

Indians were known to drink this tea for a wide range of ailments. It can reduce or prevent the common cold and help stave off symptoms once you have the cold or flu. It boosts overall immune health. Try your own DIY tea blend, by adding lemon mint or lemon grass for a fun flavor addition to Echinacea’s floral notes. Some people should avoid loose leaf herbal tea recipes that contain Echinacea, including those taking immunosuppressant medications, those taking tamoxifen, or if you have allergies or asthma. If you are pregnant or nursing, ask your doctor if this homeopathic tea is for you.

Yarrow:
Achillea millefolium, named after Achille’s himself who was said to treat his wounded soldiers with the plant. Yarrow is toxic to animals, however it has proved medicinally useful to humans for various ailments such as: skin rash, nausea/vomiting, and as a fever reducer. Yarrow works well in a lot of DIY tea blends because it is a well-known blood coagulant. It does wonders for nosebleeds and heavy menstrual cycles. However, if taken with blood thinning medications, such as aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), and warfarin (Coumadin), it may raise the risk of bleeding. So be sure to consult a doctor if this is a remedy you wish to try.

For Easy Brewing:

Don't forget to try our newest product from Trellis + Co! This Cold Brew Coffee Filter can also be perfect for loose leaf herbal tea recipes and any kind of DIY tea blends you are itching to try!