Stay Healthy Tea Blend

glass mug of tea

This blend has been our family’s stand-by for the past few years. We use it as a daily tea. The elderberries in it are terrific protection against illness. When I’m fighting off a cold, I’ll add a nip of other herbs, like yarrow, lavender, or elderflowers, to the cup I’m brewing. For stomach complaints, I’ll add a little ginger, clove, cinnamon, or other digestive herbs. Most days, I take it just as-is. In this way, this tea becomes a terrific all-purpose blend.

If you like your tea sweet but want to avoid sugar, a few herbals and others you might try include:

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. elderberries, dried
  • 2 Tbsp. nettle leaf, dried
  • 2 Tbsp. oatstraw, dried
  • 2 Tbsp. oat tops, dried
  • 2 Tbsp. red clover, dried
  • 2 Tbsp. astragulas root, dried
  • 2 Tbsp. raspberry leaf (or blackberry leaf)

Equipment

  • 1 mixing bowl
  • 1 spoon
  • a resealable container large enough to hold the finished product
  • a label

Procedure

  1. Pour the herbs into the mixing bowl and gently stir them with a spoon. Try not to break up the plant parts since this will release the essential oils.
  2. Pour the mix into a resealable container.
  3. Label the container with the name of the mix, ingredients and date mixed.

Storage and Use

Keep your tea blend in a sealed jar in a cool, dry place, like your pantry. Use the cold infusion or hot infusion method to make your tea using a quarter cup of tea blend for each quart of water. Or, make your tea a cup at a time using a tablespoon of tea for every 8 to 10 ounces of water. This tea blend can stand up to decoction, too. Thus, it can be the base for syrups designed to offer protection against illness or support in recovery from illness.

This tea blend can be given to animals who are elderly, need a boost to deal with the cold, or could use the extra nutrition. If your animal friend has a compromised immune system, omit astragulas root from the blend.

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