Herbal tea from the home garden

Herbs are one of the best parts of an edible garden – they’re always there, ready and waiting to lift any meal from blah to tada. But did you know you can also use them to make the world’s easiest herbal tea? It literally takes a minute or two and voila, you have gourmet tea that beats the pants off the tired teabags in the supermarket. Even better, their life-sustaining properties are absolutely spectacular, so much so that they’ve been used medicinally for hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of years. 

Lemon verbena, rosemary, lemon thyme, chocolate mint and chamomile

Chamomile, chocolate mint, lemon thyme, lemon verbena and rosemary are all herbs that I grow easily in my backyard, and they can all help keep you healthy or heal many common ailments.  But first the recipe:

1.       Pick your herb – a sprig or about a tablespoon of leaves will do unless specified below
2.       Chop it up or just stick it straight in your mug or teapot if it fits
3.       Pour boiling water over the top
4.       Leave it for 2-5 minutes, pour and drink.

Rosemary tea

I told you it was simple! You can use a herb on its own or in combination with others. There’s no need to add milk or sugar, although honey can be a nice addition. Try making tea with any other herbs you have in your backyard and see what difference they can make to your taste buds and your health – and tell me all about it :)

Chamomile: Everyone knows this herb as the sleepy time tea. It will grow very happily in most soils in full sun. Use just 3-5 flowers per cup (or a few leaves if not in flower), and take them out after a few minutes as the flavour can become too strong very quickly. As you might have guessed, chamomile tea is a mild relaxing sleep aid. It also has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, is a muscle relaxant and helps reduce fevers, colds and stomach ailments. If you have any leftover tea, it can be used as a nourishing rinse after you’ve washed your hair.

Chocolate mint: yes that’s right – mint that genuinely tastes like chocolate. I love it! It makes a great evening tea, and is just as comforting as a hot chocolate without the sugar hit. If you don’t have this variety, any other type of mint will still taste great. Mint is one of the absolute easiest plants to grow in any garden, preferably in semi-shade. It is so enthusiastic that it’s best to grow it in a pot so it doesn’t take over the whole garden. Drink it to help digestion and soothe the stomach from indigestion, inflammation, nausea and motion sickness. If you have a cold, mint tea will help clear your nose and soothe your poor sore throat and help relieve some of the coughing. Mint is also a stimulant that helps aid memory retention.

Lemon thyme: this makes a gorgeous, gently lemon scented tea. It’s also a beautiful tough little plant that loves full sun and will tell you if it’s thirsty by wilting and recover quickly when watered. I’ve had my lemon thyme plant in the same terracotta pot for the last nine years or so. Every summer I take it out of the pot, saw off the bottom half the roots and repot it with fresh premium potting mix and it grows even more vigorously. Thyme is antiseptic and antifungal so will clear out any nasties from your system and help soothe a sore throat. It’s also high in minerals including potassium, iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium and selenium, and a wide range of vitamins.

Lemon verbena: This is actually a small 2-3 metre deciduous tree so it will need a little more space than your usual herb – but it is worth it. Several leaves fresh off the tree will give you a rich, zingy but rounded lemon flavour. It’s my favourite summer tea as it is beautiful hot or cold. Prune the tree in early autumn and dry the pruned leaves on a metal tray in a sunny spot for a day or two, and you’ll have plenty of tea ready for winter. Lemon verbena is an antioxidant, an expectorant, helps reduce stress, aids digestion, boosts the immune system and reduces colds and fevers.

Rosemary: This exceptional shrub can grow in the toughest of locations – mine is ecstatic in a metal tub, even in the middle of scorching summers! In late winter through to summer, rosemary bursts into a profusion of delicate purple flowers that I love as much as the bees do. Given rosemary is used mainly for savoury dishes it can be an acquired taste as a tea but I drink it every afternoon at work as a pick-me-up, either on its own or with parsley (another wonder herb) or lemon thyme. Rosemary has been known as the plant of remembrance for fallen soldiers for centuries because of its ability to boost memory and concentration. It is a rich source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, kills off nasty parasites in your guts, and is good for brain and eye health.

Herbs are simple to grow, easy to use and amazing for you – what’s not to love! Drink your own herbal tea regularly and you will notice the difference. That said, one last word of advice is that pregnant women should always seek professional advice before using any herb in large doses.

Happy brewing!