herbs Archives - Urban Family Homestead & Apothecary

THREE REFRESHING TEAS TO DRINK DURING YOUR BEAUTIFUL SUMMER

I have a love-hate relationship with the summer. I hate the blazing heat, I sunburn easily, and it’s just SO uncomfortable. But for all the frustrations it can bring, I absolutely love gardens, ocean trips, sprinkler days, and the cool, yummy food that comes along with it. Summers are short here near the coast in the Pacific Northwest so, I try really hard to find all the lovely things there are about summer. I also try to be grateful I no longer live in southern Arizona since the heat and I don’t get along very well.

I have a small home apothecary that I try to keep stocked fully of delicious and helpful herbs from our garden. Some of my favorite herbs for the summer include mint for its cooling properties, yarrow and calendula for its ability to mend the scrapes and bruises that come with outside, summertime play, and the beautiful chamomile and lavender that blooms all summer long and helps my kiddos wind down from a long day of play, despite the fact the sun does not leave the sky fully until well after bedtime.

There is just something so special about tea. It can heal, it can uplift, it can calm, and it can simply be enjoyed just because it’s delicious. My favorite teas are herbal as I can share these with friends and children alike and most herbs are safe to ingest this way. Given that summers are still very hot here, I wanted to share three of my favorite ICED herbal teas you can drink to soothe and cool down you and your little ones during the hot summer months.

**As always herbs, in any form, should be carefully consumed if you are taking certain medication or have plant/weed allergies as sometimes they reside in the same family. Always check with your naturopath if you are uncertain.**

ICED TEA METHODS

There are few ways you can steep your tea and make it into iced tea.

You can pour very warm water over the herbs, like you would a hot tea, let it steep, then strain.
You can put your herbs in water (half gallon jars works great for this!) and set out in the sun to steep for 12-24 hours
You can put your herbs in cool water and put into the fridge to steep for 24 hours or more.

Make sure you compost those tea leaves back into your garden or compost pile!

REFRESHING RECIPES

SOOTHING LEMON-LAVENDER ICED TEA

Lemon Balm

Part of the mint family so is naturally refreshing, and as the name suggests, it gives a lemony flavor to the water. Lemon balm is also excellent as calming the nerves and staving off anxiety.

Lavender

Lavender is a summer favorite. You only need a bit of this as it can have a very strong flavor. It complements anything from the mint family wonderfully and is also an herb that is useful at calming the mind and body.

This drink would be refreshing over ice with a bit of honey at the end of a long fun summer day!

2. RELAXING TULSI-CHAMOMILE TEA

Tulsi/Holy Basil

Part of the basil family, Tulsi has a sweet and lovely aroma that makes it perfect for warm tea in the fall and winter, but equally as lovely over ice in the summer. Tulsi can help regulate your nervous system as well as provide adaptogenic support. While you can add honey, I find Tulsi to be sweet on it’s own!

Chamomile

Probably one of the best known herbs, and one of the safest for all ages, chamomile is a beautiful tiny little flower grown during the spring and summer days. Most think of it as a relaxing night time tea but it is also quite delicious paired with Tulsi for a refreshing glass of herbal tea.

3. ZESTY HIBISCUS-GINGER TEA

Hibiscus

This is an herb that packs a powerful punch in terms of flavor and color. This herb is a very vibrant pink color when you make it into a tea so it is beautiful over ice with some orange peel added. Hibiscus is rich in antioxidants and carries added benefit for your gut this summer, especially when we tend to eat too many sweets!

Ginger

This delicious and zingy herb is a great addition to your hibiscus tea. It is also great for your gut and immune system and provides a great flavor over ice. Most people only think ginger is great in warm dishes but it is a refreshing treat as an iced tea.

ALTERNATIVE USES

While an iced herbal tea is refreshing in the summer, it makes an equally delicious popsicle. You can simply pour these into ice cube or popsicle trays and freeze them overnight to have as an on the go treat in the sun! You can also heat them up for a before bedtime snack as a way to calm and refresh your body.

I hope you are enjoying your summer days! Which recipe will you try?

Welcome to week 2 of our weekly herbal education series. Peppermint is a perennial herb in the mint family, characterized by its square stem and its strong, distinctive minty aroma. The leaves of the peppermint plant are used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It is native to Europe and has been naturalized in many other regions around the world. The plant can grow up to three feet tall and produces small, purple or white flowers. Peppermint is commonly used as a flavoring for food and drinks, as well as in toothpaste, mouthwash, and other personal care products. It is also used in aromatherapy for its refreshing scent and is believed to have several health benefits, such as relieving symptoms of indigestion and reducing headaches.

Peppermint, also known as mentha piperita, will thrive in zones 3-11 in some part of the year or another outside and has beautiful rich green leaves with a pungent smell. Peppermint plants also come in a lot of different ‘flavors’ at farmers markets such as orange peppermint, strawberry peppermint, and even chocolate peppermint, to name just a few!

Peppermint Medicinal Uses

Peppermint is a very popular herb to use medicinally because not only is it easy to grow and maintain, it’s easy to find and use in a variety of different ways. Peppermint in tea form is popular and effective for heartburn, stomach aches, and nausea. It is generally regarded as safe for most people on most medications (but as always, before taking any herb consult your naturopath on the method and dosage right for your body). In my house, peppermint tea is a tummy calmer and used during colds and other respiratory illnesses. I also enjoy using peppermint tea for a fever reducer, especially over ice with a bit of plant milk or honey (or both!) It’s also a great way to keep you cool in the summer when the sun is blazing outside.

Fun fact: you can also give crushed up peppermint leaves alone, in water, or in ice cubes to your chickens to help keep them cool in the hot summer, as a tasty treat.

How to Take Peppermint

There are several ways to take peppermint. Earlier I mentioned it as a tea but there are other fantastic modalities for taking peppermint. It can be used in essential oil form for body products such as body and lip scrubs, or even in your cleaning solutions. They are wonderful paired with orange and fir essential oil for a winter/holiday vibe in your candles and wax melts. It can also be tinctured and extracted to use on the go and for longevity. If you are partial to honey, many people like to put fun mints such as chocolate or orange mint into their honey as a way to flavor their honey for tea! Peppermint is an anti-inflammatory herb and can even be used as a tonic for irritated and inflamed skin, especially one that is warm to the touch. It can even be beneficial for those pesky headaches that like to pop up out of no where. The ways you can take peppermint really are endless!

Peppermint tea can be made using fresh or dried leaves.

As with most herbs, it is not suggested to take it every single day on a medicinal usage level. While I use it nightly after dinner as I have a very sensitive stomach and it is a huge help, using it in higher medicinal concentrations such as with an extract or tincture should be reserved for treating ailments as they come, not as a preventative treatment. Again, always follow the advise of your naturopath!

Growing Peppermint

Peppermint can be grown from small starts or propagated from another peppermint plant. It does enjoy yearly fertilizer to help with the growth and health of the plant. It grows throughout the year in varying zones, with reaching maturity in about 90 days. In spring it is best in zones 3-7, in spring through summer it is best in zones 8-10a, and in the spring through fall season it does well in zone 10a, and in zone 11 it will grow year round outside. It is a very hardy plant! They take easily to being transplanted and do as well in the hot, west facing sun as the cooler, shady parts of your yard. Peppermint will grow up to 2 feet tall if you keep up on watering and fertilizing it and is a wonderful pollinator plant.

Dried peppermint leaves stored in a mason jar.

The more you clip the leaves and stems back, the more it will grow. Once you see it growing in your container or garden bed, you can begin to harvest often. I find it only takes 4-7 days before it’s ready to harvest again. If you do grow it in the ground or the garden beds, be sure to harvest often as it can become invasive and take over your garden bed. In addition to being a helpful plant for pollinators, it is also a great companion plant for your vegetable garden. Peppermint will deter mice, deer, and rabbits from getting into your garden. You can even plant them at the base of fruit trees to discourage deer from stealing your fruit.

In order to have peppermint year round, you can harvest often and then dry out the leaves completely using a basket in the sun or a dehydrator on 95 degrees for 12 hours or so. You can then crush or save whole in a mason jar with a lid and it will be at your disposal all year long!

Recipe

Last week I posted Rosemary Gladstar’s Echinacea Spray for Sore Throats here that you can also use peppermint in but I will give you an additional peppermint recipe I enjoy. This one is for healthy teeth and gums!

Peppermint Tooth Powder by The Homesteader’s Herbal Companion

1 cup baking soda
4-5 tbsp bentonite clay (or calcium carbonate)
1 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt (or regular sea salt)
1 tbsp diatomaceous earth
15 drops peppermint essential oil

METHOD:
1. In a glass jar, combine baking soda, diatomaceous earth, bentonite clay (or calcium carbonate), and salt. Mix well.
2. Add essential oils and mix until completely combined.
3. Cap, label, and store in your bathroom until ready for the next batch.
4. To use,, simply dip your wet toothbrush into the mixture and brush as usual. There wont’ be any bubbles, but your mouth will naturally create a paste. Rinse mouth out well.

Tag: herbs

THREE REFRESHING TEAS TO DRINK DURING YOUR BEAUTIFUL SUMMER