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Herbal teas are a delicious and easy way to increase your fluid intake and sneak in some extra nutrients. Unlike coffee (whose health benefits are highly debated) herbal teas offer the benefits and nutrients without the caffeine (and pesticides in non-organic coffee).
There are literally thousands of combinations of herbal teas, so there is one for every palate. Herbal teas can be very inexpensive if you buy the ingredients in bulk and you can mix up your own combinations!
If you aren’t already an avid herbal tea drinker, here are some delicious combinations to break you in gently …
Chamomile
Chamomile flower tea is one of the most consumed teas in the world behind regular black tea. Chamomile flowers have a naturally sweet taste with a hint of an apple flavor. Chamomile is a good herbal source of magnesium, and is known as a soothing and relaxing herb.
It makes an excellent in the evening or in times of stress because of its mildly sedative and soothing properties. It is an excellent herb for children and can even be an effective remedy for pink eye.
Chamomile can be made into a tincture for a more potent effect and to extend shelf life.
Mint
Mint tea is probably second to chamomile in popularity among herbal teas. Peppermint tea soothes the digestive tract and is helpful for heartburn, nausea, and indigestion. I drink it daily in early pregnancy to help alleviate nausea and use it in a homemade digestive tincture.
While it is especially helpful during illness, peppermint is a delicious tea anytime and can be consumed alone or with other herbs to help increase their effectiveness.
Raspberry Leaf
Raspberry leaf is my favorite tea and I drink it daily. It is highly nutritious and especially beneficial for women as it helps balance hormones and is good for the skin. It is often consumed during pregnancy as it can strengthen the uterus and is a good source of magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins (all important during pregnancy).
Raspberry leaf tea has a taste similar to regular black tea and can be combined with stevia leaf to make a naturally sweet tea. I drink it hot in the winter and cold during the summer months and my kids like it iced (and sometimes with chia seeds in it). Herbalists often recommend raspberry leaf tea or tincture to women suffering from infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, or painful menses.
Sleep Easy Blend
My go-to tea when I am having trouble sleeping is an equal mixture of chamomile, mint, and catnip herbs. Catnip has natural relaxing and soothing properties. It is one of the ingredients in my Sweet Dreams Sleep Tincture, which is great at helping kids relax and sleep better, especially during illness.
I mix a teaspoon each of chamomile, mint, and catnip herbs in a glass of water for a relaxing nighttime tea that is also great during illness. This same mixture can be used to fill a homemade eye pillow to aid in sleep as well.
Lavender Tea
Lavender is my favorite scent and essential oil but it is too strong to be used alone in a tea. My favorite lavender tea recipe is:
- ½ cup mint leaf
- 2 TBSP dried lavender
- 2 TBSP stevia (optional)
Mix all and store in an airtight container. Use 1-2 tsp per cup of water to make hot or iced tea.
Chai Tea
Chai tea is a favorite around our house and we usually make it with raspberry leaf tea instead of black tea and with coconut milk instead of regular milk. There are many variations of chai tea recipes and with a little experimenting, you can find the one that you like best. Here is my basic recipe to give you some ideas.
When I don’t feel like making my own, I love this caffeine free Firefly Chai that is slightly sweeter than regular chai and is great for nighttime. If you add a little chamomile and catnip to it, it is a delicious evening drink for kids.
Herbal Coffee
Have trouble kicking the coffee habit? While I still love coffee once in a while, an herbal coffee is a great alternative without the caffeine. My favorite one packs a powerful nutritional punch too with maca powder and dandelion root!
Stomach Soother
For stomach aches or for those prone to digestive troubles, this tea is very calming. The recipe is also very easy:
- 2 tsp mint leaf
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- pinch of dried ginger (optional)
Pour 1 cup of boiling water over it, steep, covered for 5 minutes and consume. You can also add some grass-fed gelatin powder (about a Tablespoon) for a long-lasting soothing effect.
Pregnan-Tea
During pregnancy I drink a special tea that helps keep nausea and digestive troubles at bay and also helps strengthen the uterus. The nettle also provides Vitamin K, an essential nutrient for pregnancy and birth to help with clotting.
Many women report having easier and faster labors from using this tea, though my labors are typically 24+ hours even though I go natural, so I may not be the best example! This tea is delicious anytime, but especially during pregnancy.
What you need:
- 4 cups raspberry leaf
- ½ cup mint leaf
- ¼ cup stevia leaf
- 1 cup nettle leaf
Mix and use 1 Tablespoon to brew by the glass or 1 cup to brew by the gallon. Add more or less stevia to taste. Enjoy!
Kombucha Tea
This herbal tea is consumed cold and requires a culture to make but it is packed with vitamins and probiotics. It is made with regular black tea, though I’m experimenting with making it with coffee as well. Kombucha is a slightly sweet, slightly tangy drink that can be made fizzy like soda if a secondary fermentation is done.
Here is how I make kombucha soda and there are endless flavor variations. Many people report extra energy and more mental clarity from drinking kombucha.
What is your favorite herbal tea? Do you make any of your own? Share below!
Hi Katie. I enjoy your blog. My comment has to do with Kombucha tea which I make along with Kombucha coffee which is a nice summer alternative to regular hot coffee. I also found a scoby for Kombucha Jun Tea which is made with Green Tea and honey instead of sugar. It is very, very good!!
i love herbal tea when they help with stress
I’ve had bad cystic acne on my lower half of my chin since I had my son witch was (3 years ago) ! And I know it’s hormonal related and I can’t seem to find something natural and effective enough to get rid of the constant inflammation!! Any answers you guys might have I would really appreciate it!! Thanks
What serving size of tea would you recommend for children ages 6yrs-15yrs?
In all fairness what I am going to say about teas is based upon several years of working events for my sons in a little boutique tea shop in Raleigh. When they renewed their lease last year, the agent for the shopping center stated that she didn’t think they would last the lease much less renew for five years. In the South, we are used to heavily sweetened teas primarily because we are used to grocery store tea that has passed through several manufacturing processes and have been stored in a warehouse for however long so it is rare to find a tea shop in the South that sells minimally processed whole leaf teas. They have built a strong following and customers are finding that a higher quality tea leaf requires little sweetener.
My spouse had a heart attack last year so he suffers from a little anxiety at night and I order large bags of Rip Van Winkle tea (many people cannot tolerate straight chamomile due to allergies or digestion issues) and a sampler pack of their herbal sleep assist teas, Valerian, Kava, Lavender, Lemon Balm. Depending on his issues that day, I add a small amount of the sleep assist to the main RVW. I cleared this with his cardiologist and she said eventually the anxiety would pass. He drinks it every night to help him sleep. I also have an elderly dog who has liver issues and a older one who is diabetic. After a lot of research and talking to their vet who is open to holistic treatments, I added a special Dandelion tea that has the roots, stems, and leaves to detox them. There are many great herbal teas available to us now that are organic. Always check with your pharmacist or medical professional before trying anything new to be sure you will have no adverse effects. There are many herbal books and online forums discussing teas and herbs so do your own research. By the way, I pay for my own teas.
Thank you for your website – very useful information.
Do you know where to get instant powder of herbs to save efforts to boil water.
Thank you again.
I love herbal teas need one for energy work alot menapsuse sleep problem too nice site
HI, I was just wondering whether there are herbs that u shouldn’t mix together? Like, I know that they’re not technically herbs, but i heard that you can’t drink cinnamon and ginger tea; they say It’s bad for u or something. Anyway, i’ve been thinking of mixing together: camomile,verbena, peppermint, honey and fennel leaves. Is it okay if I mix this?
Sam~
Mixing herbs and spices aren’t dangerous. You can do what ever tastes good to you. Cinnamon and ginger make a good combo.
Hope this helps!
Many blessings and Merry Christmas!
Sara~
There are two type of cinnamon’s. One is cassia which is made from the bark of the cassia tree this is the one you will find on store shelves like at Hy-Vee. Do not use more then a teaspoon a day it is poisonous. The other is sweet cinnamon this one you’ll have to buy from health food store or maybe amazon.com.
I am new at tea making. I grew choc mint, orange mint,separating, peppermint, Apple mint and Melissa ( lemon balm) this year. I have dried all of these desperately and need to know which ones combined would make the best teas
Also I have dried lavender. Any suggestions would be wonderful. Thank you.
I have a nutritional herbology book that has a horsetail gelatin combo listing the herbs to use and what they do, including gelatin, but no actual recepie. How do I use the gelatin? I typically like making teas but have never used gelatin in an herbal recepie. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Just before Christmas of 2014 my husband and I made wooden tea chest for his friend and I decided that I did not want to fill it with the normal store bought bagged teas. So we went to a local loose leaf tea shop and got a vairety of teas that we thought his friend would like and some heat sealable tea bags to put it in. After filling the tea chest we had a lot left over, so to help “get rid of it” I started drinking more tea. This has lead to me losing my apetite (I could eat one serving and be full instead of 2-3 servings) which has lead me to losing weight (not a lot but I have more than 100 pounds to lose) I drink Jasmine Green tea, a variety of tea blends that you can buy at this tea shop premixed, and I take of those tea blends and mix together for even more variety. My Favorite is a blend of the tea shop’s “House Blend #2 black tea”, “Creme au Carmel Rooibos”, “Bourbon Street Vanilla Rooibos”, & “Angel’s Dreams black and green tea”. Needless to say I have been buying tea from the tea shop many times since discovering the joys of loose leaf tea.
Hi! I love your posts! I used to drink black tea all day. After visiting a doctor for persistent UTIs, he told me how bad black tea was for your bladder. It was #1 on the list of irritates. I asked if herbal teas were ok. Thank goodness he said yes! It opened my eyes to new teas. I drink raspberry leaves and red clover everyday now. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!
Raspberry leaf it’s a must for heartburn! My go to remedy. Can be combined with hibiscus and rosehips for a fruity drink.
Where can I buy it ?
In the winter I cannot get enough Rosehip tea!!!
Also I drink Yogi Tea brand: Echinacea tea to keep my immune system up.
I read you drank Raspberry leaf while pregnant!!! That is actually what one drinks to start labour! Be careful! It makes contractions!
Some women do think that drinking RRLT will help start labor, but they are quite surely disappointed when they try. RRLT tones and strengthens the uterus, and yes, it can cause contractions, but that does not mean that it will cause a woman not ready to have a baby to spontaneously start labor. Women have contractions throughout the duration of pregnancy (Braxton Hicks) as the uterus prepares for the task ahead, but I have never seen any research supporting the idea that RRLT can bring on labor prematurely.
I have a few thoughts on red raspberry leaf tea that I’d like to share.
First of all, I give it a lot of the credit for regulating my basal body temps and making it clear when I was ovulating. You should have seen how all-over-the-boards my morning temps were before I started taking it, and once I added it to my diet, my chart looked like a perfect example of a healthy BBT chart (and we conceived right away, presumably in part because we could perfectly time intercourse for optimal chances at conception; cheaper than ovulation predictor kits, eh?) Anyway, I wish I could upload a picture of the two charts next to each other!
Second, I go easy on it during early pregnancy. No more than one cup per day. Some women have taken it in much higher quantities with no problems, but I’ve had two miscarriage at 10 weeks, so I prefer to be conservative. After the first trimester, I slowly increase my daily intake. By my third trimester, I’ll drink as much as a quart per day.
Third, I use red raspberry leaf tea to brew my kombucha. That way I’m getting in my RRLT and some of my probiotics in one fell swoop, and the taste is delicious. Most herbal teas don’t work for kombucha, but RRLT does. I’m currently in my third trimester, so I have to brew a lot of it to keep up with the demand! 🙂
Last, since it would get really pricey to purchase it in already-bagged form, I buy it in bulk from BulkHerbStore.com and it lasts a long time!
I love using herbal teas, there are way more to use than these. Natural medicine that works great. But I have some concerns…
Raspberry leaf tea is only safe in the last 6 weeks of pregnancy, it can cause contractions.
Peppermint is reducing lactation, careful while breastfeeding. It also is more awaking than soothing and not perfect for before bed.
I’m very excited coming across your website as I search for answers to improve my health due to recurrent pregnancy loss.
Is there a tea that is safe during pregnancy for someone who has a blood clotting issue?
I wouldn’t be able to take the pregnan-tea because my blood clots too much.
Thanks 🙂
Plain raspberry leaf might be ok but I’d definitely check with a doctor. You could also ask your doc about high dose omega-3 supplementation
Christa, my doctor has me on one baby aspirin (81 mg) per day during pregnancy to prevent blood clotting problems. Is this an option for you? I generally don’t embrace pharmaceuticals, but natural blood thinners like Vitamin E aren’t great options in pregnancy because they bioaccumulate and don’t break down fast enough for the blood to adequately clot at delivery. Aspirin is ideal because once you stop taking it at 35 weeks, it leaves the system really quickly.
After years of being on birth control I came off a year ago. Since then it has been a struggle to balance my wrecked hormones. The last 2 months I have had a cup of raspberry leaf tea everyday and it has helped tremendously. It is one herb I will always keep on hand for tea.
how I get the herbal tea
Do you think that Green, White, or Black Tea have good health benefits?