1y ago

What are some herbal teas you would consider essential in a well-stocked tea collection?

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Mint is my go to herbal tea. Aside from being a great late night tea, it grows like a weed in many places and so you can make your own rather easily!
- specifically peppermint
  
  I planted two small, ugly plants in June. By the beginning of August we had so much freaking peppermint we didn't know what to do with it. Would recommend, such an easy herb to get to grow lol

Rooibos, mint, and chamomile for sure.
- I'm surprised I had to scroll down this far for chamomile

Pine needle tea. It's just pine needles. Maybe it's the placebo effect, but it always seems to give me a boost when I feel a cold coming on.
- High in Vitamin C. Pretty sure I've heard it linked to sailors using it to avoid scurvy

In addition to that others have recommended, Labrador tea and American Wintergreen.

Valerian root tea is one I’m familiar with but not sure I’ve seen in regular stores
- I love valerian root with some skullcap to help me sleep! When I first opened a box with valerian root, I was put off because it smelled like feet. Now it smells like any other plant to me, but I get a kick out of sharing the smell with someone who has never experienced it before. The recoil and look of disgust is always funny.

Yarrow, Plantain, and Solidago are all plants that help with various health issues. I'm pretty big on foraging, but these plants are amazing to keep around to either add to teas or make for teas.
If you are looking for something a bit stronger, Mr. T. He's less about herbal. More about kicking ass.

Chamomile, catnip, pine, a powdered antacid (like calcium carbonate or baking soda), and something with turmeric.
- Im...not sure putting baking soda into a glass of water is really, in spirit, a tea. Kind of like saying Kool-Aid and Alka-Seltzer is tea?
  
  I meant the salt-of-carbonate might be effective at mixing with painfully sour teas to make them more palatable for people sensitive to sour food like me.

I have a hard time picking one, but Senna has some practical medicinal uses so it should probably be in there.

I love tulsi / holy basil, but there seems to only be a couple of brands that do it here (UK) and they're usually a bit pricey.

Something that can be grown somewhat locally. For me it would be hibiscus flowers.

Chrysanthemum tea is a favorite of mine.
Excellent on its own or with rock sugar if you’re looking for a sweet treat :)

I've been alternating between green & lemongrass+ginseng for a couple of months.

Peppermint. Rosehip. Chamomile. All these people are talking about black tea, instead of herbal teas, very odd.
- I should have specified tisanes tbh.

Jasmine tea. English breakfast. Earl and lady grey. They're a must have.
- Those are all tea, rather than herbal tea.

Chamomile(relaxation), lavender(relaxation), peppermint(nausea deterrent), and lemon(sore throats and the like). Catnip's also kinda neat when tea'd; got an interesting flavor to it, but I'm not sure if there's any therapeutic benefits to that.

Honeybush and red bush (aka rooibos) are two excellent South African herbal teas that are utterly delicious. Honeybush is hard to find though.
I also keep cardamom tea on hand. It's delicious.

I always stock Lapsang Souchong, Earl Grey, Russian, Sencha, Bois Chéri Trois Pavillons,Yerba Mate, Bissap, Verbena and Melissa from my garden.

I'm not one for expensive and luxurious waste of money gimmicks. Still, monkey-picked oolong from Teavana, though super expensive, makes me feel fantastic for some unknown reason. A far second is Russian loose-leaf green tea, specifically a brand called Romanov II. I think the green tea is because of L-theanine in the green tea is calming while the caffeine is stimulating, but again, for some unknown reason, this particular tea is exceptional.
Does anyone else have these reactions to these teas??

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