Herbal tea is a great at home treatment to support your digestion and I often prescribe to my clients, however it’s not just peppermint and chamomile - there are so many more! I personally love herbal tea, whether it is for warming me up, getting some more water in but it is also helpful for when my digestive system is not sitting well with something I have eaten or if it is a bit upset.
Herbal tea is still a form of herbal medicine so caution should be used - please check in regards to your medication that the herbs are safe, and also your personal circumstances i.e.
if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Before we get into specific herbs for specific conditions, let's discuss my General Tea Recommendations:
1. The longer you leave the tea to infuse, the stronger it will be. To make therapeutic, most herbs need a minimum of 5-10 minutes to infuse.
2. If the herb is a grass, flower or leaf (aerial parts of the plant) then the tea only needs to infuse for 5 minutes before consuming. If the tea contains a root, or rhizome; it takes longer to infuse the cup of hot water so you need 10 minutes.
3. There is no need to always drink tea hot. You can consume cool or even cold after the initial brewing. The health benefits are still present!
4. Organic is best! For herbs, organic is incredibly important as there is potential for all of the chemicals to be dispersed into your cup of tea.
5. I prefer loose leaf personally as it feels stronger in my cup (it may be how much I add ha ha!)
6. Try and pick a good quality company where the stock has not been sitting on the shelves for a long period of time. Tea does loose its efficacy the older it is, so fresh dried herb is best.
7. Keep to herbal - black, white or green tea all contain caffeine which is fine in smaller doses however not something you sip on all day everyday due to the dehydrating effect of the caffeine.
8. Herbal tea is considered a food product within Australia meaning that it does to undergo the strict regulations of medications and supplements within Australia so if you are unsure of an ingredient, or what it's benefit is, please check with a professional before consuming.
9. Avoid tea with natural flavourings or sweetener - this is just unnecessary calories you are consuming!
Now that the basics are out of the way, here are some of my favourite herbs to use for specific conditions.
These are not listed as blends (I have no idea how some of the would taste when combined together), the herbs are more lists for specific conditions and herbal tea you may try and use to assist you.
For Reflux support:
- Chamomile - Marshmallow root - Lemonbalm - Licorice root To promote digestion after a heavy meal:
- Cinnamon - Ginger - Dandelion root - Turmeric Reducing Gut Irritation and Inflammation:
- Chamomile - Ginger - Cinnamon - Fennel - Peppermint - Meadowsweet Support blood sugar regulation:
- Cinnamon bark - Nigella seeds - Turmeric - Fenugreek
Upset stomach due to nerves:
- Chamomile
- Ginger
- Lemonbalm
- Lavender
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