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Do you have a favorite beverage you love to have every day?
I see people drinking a hot cup of coffee, cold soft drinks, nutrition drinks, or energy drinks every day. Not me, I sit and drink my old-fashioned traditional hydration drink. WATER. Yep, plain old water. AND, I have to admit, it can be BORING. Sometimes I am just plain ole sick of it. I have tried lemon water… I get tired of that too. COFFEE? I am too sensitive to caffeine for a daily drink, (jacks up my adrenals) so that’s out. Although I DO like a cold brew coffee on ice. Cold coffee and frappuccinos are saved for special treats. But around here, things are changing! So what’s a girl to turn to? HERBAL TEA! My current herbal instructors, Katja and Ryn from the CommonWealth Center For Holistic Herbalism are firm believers that the best way to cultivate a shift in wellness is by drinking herbal tea EVERYDAY. Since my water is so boring, I decided to make the switch to herbal tea. Not only has it helped me in growing a relationship with the plants, it’s also creating a shift in my mindset and wellness. After drinking herbal tea for a few months, I have discovered that adding fresh ginger to my plain ole boring water adds zip and a zing while getting things moving. The tart taste of hibiscus always gets me up on my toes. Tulsi calms while energizing. The sweet taste of Chamomile is calming and relaxing after a long day. Rose, well, rose is like a hug in a mug. I could go on and on and I intend to but that’s for another day and another post. 🙂 Infusing herbs into water not only adds a zip, zing, taste, or a hug in my mug but also adds amazing health and wellness benefits that can create the shift I mentioned earlier. So let’s discover!
Drinking Herbal Tea Every: Stop and Smell Your Roses
Do you remember the ole saying, “Take time to stop and smell the roses?” According to The Free Dictionary,Stop and smell the roses means taking time to enjoy the finer or more enjoyable aspects of life, especially when one has become overworked or overly stressed. -unknown
How would you define the “finer, more enjoyable” aspects of life? Some might consider a night out for a gourmet dinner with wine as a finer moment. Others might view it as a movie night or a vacation. For me, the more enjoyable aspects of life are my faith, relationships with friends and family, spending time in nature, and my health and wellness.
Do you take time to stop and smell your roses, whatever they may be?
Let’s face it, friends! We are busy people. Our days are long and our downtime is non-existent. We are tired, wired, overwhelmed, and exhausted more times than we wish. Sadly, our busy lives have caused a shift in our priorities, making it difficult to STOP and smell OUR roses. Our health and wellness have suffered because of this.
Drinking herbal tea can help us slow down and smell our roses.
And this my friend, will definitely create a shift in your wellness.
Drinking Herbal Tea Everyday: Pausing, Reflection, Gratitude, and Celebration
Friends, it’s okay to slow down. The greatest gift you can give yourself is the gift of time. Take time to pause, reflect, show gratitude, and celebrate. This alone can create a shift in your wellness. Taking the time to make herbal tea for yourself can help.
Making an herbal tea for pleasure in the morning, after dinner, or before bedtime is carving out little spaces of time that you can take ownership of. Using that time for prayer, meditation, bible study, journaling, and setting goals is a perfect way to reconnect, reset and align. This can cause a shift in our perspective, our mental, emotional and spiritual health as well as a shift in our overall wellness.
Drinking Herbal Tea Every Day Can Help In Reconnecting With Nature
It starts with the senses. To really unwind and go to that space that you have carved out for yourself, our senses must be invoked to take us there. Seeing, touching, and smelling the herbs is part of the process of wellness support. It’s kind of like that feeling you get when you walk into Starbucks and smell coffee brewing. or smelling fresh-baked pumpkin pie during the Thanksgiving holidays. The aromas can take you back to special times and feelings of safety and comfort. It’s the same with herbs.
We are closely connected to the plant kingdom and we NEED plants in our life every day. We have been gifted the supportive and healing powers of plants for both food and medicine since the beginning of time. Herbal tea can help to reestablish and/or strengthen that connection.
Drinking Herbal Tea Every Day for Wellness
Drinking Herbal Tea for Nutritive Support
We rely on food to provide nourishment to our bodies. Yet, many of the foods we turn to are over-processed and void of any energy and fewer nutrients. Companies are adding vitamins or minerals to them to make them healthier but are they? Nutritive herbs can help fill in the gaps by adding vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytochemicals your body needs to be at its best.
Drinking Herbal Tea for Support During Stressful Times
Our fearfully and wonderfully made body is designed to react to our environment for our own protection. However, getting stuck in the stress response can be damaging to our overall emotional, mental and physical health. Herbs can help break the cycle of fight or flight by helping us adapt to stress while improving energy levels. I don’t know about you but I am always looking for support in this area.
Frazzled at the end of the day? Herbs can offer support to the nervous system by offering up their calming and relaxing qualities. This can lead to improved sleep which can cause an improved shift in our mood and wellness.
Drinking Herbal Tea to Support Specific Body Systems and Imbalances
Herbal teas can also offer support for specific tissues, organs, and complete body systems. They can support the body during seasonal onsets such as allergy, cold, and flu. They can calm and soothe tummy troubles, dull aches and pains, as well as shift wellness towards balance when combined with other lifestyle changes. Herbal teas can be consumed to support and build our immune system, digestive system, circulatory system, respiratory and cardiovascular system as well as the reproductive system. They provide nourishment and support for our skin and connective tissue too! This is not the entire list, there is much more our herbal friends can do for us.
Drinking Herbal Tea: From Pleasure to Support
How can a cup of tea for pleasure differ from a cup of tea for support? In general, it’s the amount of plant matter and the steeping method/time used as well as the amount consumed.
Herbal teas that are consumed for pleasure or a simple beverage usually call for up to a tablespoon of plant matter per 8 ounces of water, depending on the herb, and are steeped for 3-10 minutes. Although this may seem like a “weaker” tea, it still offers up an abundance of support. (Remember, stopping to smell the roses, connecting with nature and pausing for reflection?) Herbal teas consumed for pleasure are generally safe in most cases but it is wise to consult with your healthcare provider before consuming herbs.
Herbal teas that are consumed for long-range wellness support usually call for the use of 1 ounce of dried herb per quart of water. Again, this depends on the specific herb being used. Some herbs require less. The general recommendation from most herbalists is to drink 3-4 cups of an herbal infusion over an extended period of time for best results.
Herbal teas consumed to support specific tissues, organs, systems or imbalances are going to require more plant matter and longer infusion times to allow for more plant constituents to be extracted. This tea may also be consumed over the course of the day rather than once a day. This will assure efficacy.
Before consuming long infusions to support or correct imbalances, it may be wise to consider working with a trained herbalist who can individualize your herbal formula just for you. Just like us, plants have energy. For herbs to be used successfully, its necessary to choose the right herb based on your body constitution, your tissue state and the imbalance being targeted. I will be sharing a whole lot more about this in future posts. 🙂
[thrive_leads id=’5148′]Wrapping it Up
Let’s recap how drinking herbal tea can cultivate a shift in your wellness.
- Drinking herbal tea everyday allows you to slow down and “smell your roses.”
- Drinking herbal tea everyday gives you permission to pause, reflect, show gratitude and celebrate.
- Drinking herbal tea everyday helps you reconnect with nature.
- Drinking herbal tea everyday supports wellness.
Making and drinking herbal tea is a gift you can give yourself. It’s simple, economical, and effective. But the most empowering aspect is that YOU are taking one more step in owning and reclaiming your wellness. When you invest time in your wellness, the shift will happen.
Imagine taking back control of your health and wellness. Yes, you can do that, and drinking herbal tea can be one tool in your toolbox that offers empowerment and confidence to support your wellness. Join me and let’s make shift happen.
YOU can do this!
Do you drink herbal tea? Drop a comment below and tell me your favorite tea or tea blend.
Are you ready to make the shift? Mountain Rose Herbs has a variety of ready made tea blends as well as single herbs. Click the banner below and start your journey. (this is an affiliate link) 🙂
Medical Disclaimer
Although you can’t get more natural than drinking tea, even natural can come with a warning. So, you should always discuss drinking any herbal tea with your healthcare provider. Especially if are pregnant, are trying to get pregnant, breastfeeding, have known plant allergies, or on prescription medications.
AND…..
This article is for information only. It is not meant to take the place of medical care/advice. You can read more on the disclaimer page.
Statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to be taken as medical advice to diagnose, treat, cure, and/or prevent illness or disease.
RESOURCES and INSPIRATION
Groves, M. (2006). Body into Balance: An Herbal Guide to Holistic Self-Care. Storey Publishing
Hoffmann, D. (2003). The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press.
Swift & Midura. K.(2018). Herbal Medicine for Beginners. Lucia Publishing
The Herbal Academy
