Brew your own natural drinks for long-lasting

health, wellbeing-and unique gourmet flavor

Dorotl]y �all

Foreword by
f ' David A. Phillips, Ph.D.
Illustrated with drawings
by Violette Niestle
COFFEE,
TEA OR •••
HEALTH?.
For most of us, coffee and tea are the hot drinks
-and fine sources of caffeine and tannin, stimu­
lants which irritate the body rather than help
it. In this compr�hensive guide, Dorothy Hall, a

foremost herbalist. shows how a variety of flavor­

ful herbal teas, many of them known since antiq­
uity, can help heal and strengthen the system by
totally natural means, relieve minor complaints
and promote the good health that prevents se­
rious disease-and at the same time provide
unique taste sensations that will make the old
standbys seem harsh and unimaginative.

DOROTHY HALL's interest and expertise in

herbs came to her through her grandfather, a
government botanist, and her mother, who al­
ways kept a herb garden. She has lectured
widely on herbs and is a qualified naturopath.
Among her other works are The Natural Health
Book, The Book of Herbs and lridology.

*
:;1111111: A Pivot Original Health Book $3.50

ISBN 0-87983-248-7 ====:====:

50350 >
SOOTHING SIPPING

Most people have heard of chamomile and

spearmint and sassafras as healthful attern­
atives to orange pekoe. But did you know
that from earliest history, people have used

• basil and borage for a boost

• angelica for the flu
• wild strawberry to strengthen pelvic
areas
• jasmine as an aphrodisiac
• ginger for digestion

and at least sixty other plants from which to

make tea that can heal and refresh? Noted
herbalist and naturopath, author of three other
successful books, Dorothy Hall is a reliable
guide; she shares her knowledge of each
herb's qualities, benefits-and some very
important cautions.
If you want to simplify health maintenance
or recuperation and give yourself a treat
besides, here's an invitation to a tea-tasting
that could become a life-long and life-pro­
longing adventure!
 Other Keats Books of Relevant Interest

Bonnie Fisher's Way With Herbs Cookbook

by Bonnie Fisher

Choosing, Planting and Cultivating Herbs

by Philippa Back

Eat the Weeds

by Ben Charles Harris

Ginseng
by Ben Charles Harris

Growing Herbs as Aromatics

by Roy Genders

Guide to Medicinal Plants

by Paul Schauenberg and Ferdinand Paris

Herbs, Health and Astrology

by Leon Petulengro

How to Make Your Own Herbal Cosmetics

by Liz Sanderson

Making Things with Herbs

by Elizabeth Walker

Minnie Muenscher's Herb Cookbook

with woodcuts by Elfriede Abbe

Secrets of Natural Beauty

by Virginia Castleton

What Herbs Are All About

by Jack Joseph Challem and Renate Lewin-Challem
 Dorott)y �all
Foreword by
David A. Phillips, Ph.D.
Illustrated with drawings
by Violette Niestle

Keats Publishing, Inc. i New Canaan, Connecticut

The Herb Tea Book is not intended as medical advice.
Its intention is solely informational and educational.
Please consult a medical or health professional should
the need for one be warranted. Neither the author nor
the publishers have authorized the use of their names
or the use of any of the material contained in this
book in connection with th� sale, promotion or adver­
tising of any product or apparatus. Any such use is
strictly unauthorized and in violation of the rights of
Dorothy Hall and Keats Publishing, Inc.

THE HERB TEA BOOK

Pivot Health Edition published 1981 by Keats Publishing, Inc.

Copyright © 1980 by Dorothy Hall

Published by arrangement with The Pythagorean Press
Special contents © 1981 by Keats Publishing, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be copied or reproduced in any

form without the written consent of the publisher

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 80-84436

Printed in the United States of America

Keats Publishing, Inc.

27 Pine Street, New Canaan, Connecticut 06840
 CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION by David A. Phillips, Ph.D.

Why Drink Herb Teas 3

Alphabetical Descriptions ofHerbs: 11

Alfalfa to Yarrow

Selected References and Additional Reading 107

A Sampler of Herbs for Tea:

Line Illustrations by Violette Niestle
 INTRODUCTION

HOW MANY different ideas on health are there?

So many practitioners, even within the same nom­
inal set of disciplines, espouse differing theories
and principles. Perhaps there is a greater num­
ber of ideas on health than on religion (there are
over 1200 variations of Christianity alone). Yet
both fields of thought have much in common,
especially the one central concept they share-­
their origin is traceable to Nature.
One of the most ancient aspects of health known
is herbalism. Long before the apothecaries of old
dispensed their medicinal and herbal drugs to
relieve bodily illnesses, pristine people employed
herbs in a diversity of applications with success­
ful results. Modern people are astounded at how
illness was cured without the aid of modern sci­
ence. But it was; and only because people learned
to observe Nature and to follow their intuition.
The modern trend has been to cpange Nature,
so we think, to fit into our "scientific" concepts of
how it should be. We employ complex diagnostic
techniques and follow up with complicated chem­
ical drugs as supposed solutions to personal health
problems, problems which were ignored in their
early and acute stage because we were too busy
to take heed or because we did not know or use
some simple kitchen remedies, believing them to
be old-fashioned and quackish.
Very recent years have witnessed a consider­
able tum of direction of medical science. It now
seeks to embrace the preventative disciplines, to
take cognizance of early indications by the body
that all might not be as it should be. And how
often this occurs, while we are living at such a
pace, with so much tension and anxiety, so many
demands and emotional involvements.
By taking notice of our body we can save our­
selves considerable inconvenience, expense and
pain. Our body does not lie. If we learned to
understand its language, to recognize its warn­
ing signals· in their early and acute stage, our
state of personal health would be greatly im­
proved. And when we hear such warnings we
must know what to do. This is where the ancient
botanic science of herbalism comes into its own.
Most people understand enough about them­
selves to know when they should consult a pro­
fessional practitioner about their diet or their
body and its function. But few realize just how
much independence they can achieve by using a
basic selection of suitable herb teas to relieve
those acute health problems.
It is for this reason that The Herb Tea Book has
 been written. For decades there has been a need
for a book which gives a clear, reasoned, uncom­
plicated set of guidelines on what herb teas to
use, when and why. And who better to undertake
such an important assignment than Australia's
foremost authority on herbs and herbalism­
Dorothy Hall.
It is doubtful if anyone else has a better un­
derstanding of the use of herbs in relation to the
problems of today's Western civilization. She is
certainly the leading exponent of herbalism in
Australia. Her years of botanical training, which
preceded her medical practice, gave Dorothy an
unshakable foundation for her later studies and
practice. She has consulted thousands of patients,
written dozens of articles for magazines and jour­
nals and has written books on natural health,
iridology and herbs, bringing to over 100,000 the
total number of books in print under her enlight­
ened authorship.
One of the secrets of Dorothy's success is her
practical, down-to-earth, friendly approach to
health and her patients. She is a lady who prac­
tices what she believes. This becomes readily
evident to the reader of her books, and is espe­
cially apparent in this book.
Like any top nutritionist, Dorothy recognizes
that the most important aspect of diet is enjoy­
ment, so she pays particular attention to the
flavor picture of herb teas, guiding her readers
through a tea-tasting session such as has not
appeared in any herb tea book previously.
 Nothing of importance or interest is omitted
from this book. It is indeed a most important
addition to one's collection of books on health
and nutrition.

DAVID A. PHILLIPS, PhD, ND

 WHY DRINK HERB TEAS?

THERE SEEMS to be no valid reason for re­

stncting our consumption of hot beverages to
two plan't sources. In many households a cup of
tea or a cup of coffee are the only choices avail­
able when a hot drink is required.
How limiting this is! There are many plants
which have been used in hot beverages, and not
to investigate their uses in maintaining health
and in simple disease prevention seems to be
narrow and restricting.
In Europe, the Middle East and many of the
more primitive communities, the range of plants
to choose from in making a cuppa is more varied.
Recorded information about various plants used
in the making of teas has been proven beneficial
to the human body by many thousands of years
of use. How many pharmaceutical drug compa­
nies can claim such a period of testing?
There is, therefore, a need to have facts made
available on the simple use of herbal plants in
tea form. It is then up to each individual to

[3 )
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

decide which herb teas benefit and comfort them.

One person's herb tea may be distasteful to an­
other, but more exposure to trying the various
teas and discovering those most suitable is need­
ed. It is my wish that the information in this
book will make you more venturesome ln testing
and trying.
Most herb teas are made from dried plant
materials. It becomes too difficult to always make
herb teas from the fresh source, even if one has
fresh herbs available in the backyard all year
round. Equally limiting, many of the teas which
are useful are not easily grown, preferring the
more alkaline soils of Europe or the more mineral­
rich soils of other parts of the world. Many soils
are deficient in nutrients needed by herbs to
maintain their chemical balance during growth.
For instance, some of the minerals necessary for
the leaf growth of many plants are only minimally
available in sandstone regions. Soil variations
can be quite extreme, resulting in fresh herbs
with such widely varying physiological effects
that you would swear that botanically they were
not the same.
Thus, in one country, teas made from fresh
herbs can be quite different in content to those
brewed in countries where the herbs grow natu­
rally in more suitable soil conditions. Many of
the reported "odd" results obtained when makil}g
herb teas from fresh sources are directly attrib­
utable to these soil and climatic differences. It is
much wiser to obtain herbs dried professionally
in the countries where they grow best. Such dried

[4]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

material, correctly packaged to maintain its fresh­

ness, is often better for tea-making than the fresh
plants.
Ease of use is another important factor for
today's busy people. I find that people prefer to
drink herb tea if it is readily available from a jar
in the kitchen rather than if they have to take
five steps outside the back door to harvest the
fresh plant!
The method of making herb teas is much the
same for all varieties, but teas made from bark
and plant roots need a little longer to brew. Gen­
erally, bark and root teas are higher in mineral
content, especially heavy minerals such as iron
and copper. This property demands extra brew­
ing time for maximum extraction of flavor and
nutrients. A general rule to apply, if your herb
tea is made from these parts of the plant, is to
allow it to stand in the pot for five to ten minutes.
You can often benefit from slightly reheating
these teas before drinking them.
If your herb tea is made from the leaves of the
plant it is better to brew it quickly and drink it
piping hot, and in that way gain the maximum
vitamin content.
Teas from flowers of plants fall in a middle
area between these two extremes. They should
be brewed for a few minutes more than leaf teas.
Now let us get down to the simple techniques
of making herb tea. The general instructions are
to take a teaspoon of the dried material for every
cup of liquid needed, and a little extra for the
pot-if you are making tea for a few people. Soak

[5 )
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

the herbs in water which is just off the boil for

three to five minutes before drinking the tea.
If making just one cup of tea for yourself, you
can use the good old-fashioned infusion method.
Simply place the herbal material in your cup and
pour the boiling water on it. The plant material
will become saturated and sink slowly to the
bottom of the cup during the initial minutes of
brewing so that you need not sip mouthfuls of
stalk and leaf fiber when drinking the tea.
The brew can be strained into another cup, but
don't throw out the residue of your herb tea with
the kitchen garbage. Return it to the soil, either
via the compost heap or lightly dug into the
topsoil. This way, many of the more stubborn-to­
extract mineral contents remaining after brew­
ing are returned for the benefit of other plants.
Many herb tea manufacturers are aware of
customer resistance to some of the strange and
wonderfully exotic tastes available from plants.
For this reason they have blended many herbs
together to form more palatable mixtures which,
although still acting in the body according to
their individual components, are vastly more at­
tractive to the taste buds.
Such mind-tickling names as "Stockman's
Brew," "Sleepy-time Tea," "Orange Mist," "Peli­
can Punch" and "Dreamtime" have come onto
the market to pander a little to those folks who
will not experience something new unless it is
also easy and pleasant. Some of these blends are
quite exquisite in flavor and many have spices
added to highlight particular fragrances and

(6]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

tastes. It is sometimes possible to find herb tea

available in single tea bags or in small sample
packets, so that if you don't like a particular flavor
or combination you need not be stuck with an
enormous jar of it.
It is fun to try blending your own flavors, but
keep the savory flavors together and sweet flav­
ors separated if possible. One patient reported to
me that she experienced great delight from a
blend of fenugreek, chamomile and comfrey, with
a pinch of pepper and a slice of lemon! Her palate
must have been either jaded or dead if it could
not recognize that these flavors were basically
incompatible.
Experiment by mixing and matching herb teas
according to either their sweetness or their pun­
gency: but you will drown one with the other if
you mix the two.
Add fresh material to your herb tea to give
variation to its taste. A slice of lemon, a piece of
orange peel, a pinch of cinnamon, even a smidgen
of good vegetable salt or seasoning can be added
to some teas to make each cup a different experi­
ence. One lady I know pours her lemongrass tea
over a few raisins in the bottom of the cup. A
busy executive takes his rosehips tea with a cin­
namon stick. One of the worst herb tea combina­
tions I have ever heard of was concocted by a
gentleman who added a teaspoon of cooking salt
to his fenugreek tea under the impression that
he was improving its flavor! Instead, he produced
curry-flavored sea-water. Be careful with your
additives.

(7]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

BecQme aware of the many taste experiences

possible with herb teas. Do it gradually. Is your
palate so deadened by the over-use of salt and
sugar, then kicked back to life by black coffee,
that the subtle differences of herb tea flavors
are lost on you altogether?
Don't go overboard and buy sixteen different
packets of herb tea. Pick a tea which appeals to
you, then decide whether it is your "thing'' or
not.
Be especially prudent where caution is advised
in the use of any of the teas in this book. You
will certainly find it's best to start with a pleasant­
tasting blend. Do not try to treat yourself for
major illness-seek professional advice.
In my practice as a herbalist I treat patients
with many therapeutic concentrations of plant
material. I recommend the use of various extracts
and tinctures, oils and ointments, to help them
achieve a particular plateau of health. But when
they ask me if they need to keep coming back
now that they feel so good I explain that they
can maintain this plateau with such simple sub­
stances as herb teas and dietary control. I advise
the patient who had lost chronic sinusitis and is
terrified of its return in winter to start in au­
tumn on fenugreek tea. This particular program
can mean that the sinusitis is simply and per­
manently out of the way.
The home use of herb tea as preventive medicine
is a relatively untapped and vastly useful health
measure. If you resent dependence upon expen-

[8)
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

sive health care after illness has developed, take

simple preventive measures in the home to main­
tain general good health. This will enable you to
quickly balance those initial processes of illness
so that, in many cases, they need not deteriorate
into chronic ill health.
If it sounds like a return to grandma's day
when strange brews with wonderfully exotic
smells were prepared in the kitchen and doled
out in wineglassful doses to protesting relatives,
maybe it is. But in grandma's day home health
care was better understood. It was much less
intrusive than many of the more unsavory acute
treatments of disease then available. Once a pro­
cess of disease was past the home treatment stage,
you were often as good as dead! Modern scientific
medicine has made this situation less likely, but
I feel that the relatively untapped areas ofhome
prevention and simple health care have fallen
into disuse, resulting in over-dependence on
medical care to treat major disease. How nice to
become a little more self-sufficient in maintaining
one's health, and in such a simple, pleasant and
non-costly way!
So start your herb tea adventure soon. Explore
the delights of flavor and fragrance, experience
changes which you might have thought impossi­
ble. Never believe for a moment that the average
householder is qualified or trained to correct major
disease by a cup of this and a cup of that. But
simpler symptoms, readily understood and easily
predictable, can be treated at home by the wise

[9]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

use of herb teas. If the process of illness is not

halted this way, I strongly recommend that you
seek professional attention.
Sensible use of herb tea offers social and healthy
eJ\ioyment. Do not overuse or abuse herb tea
drinking-it is intended to be an occasional plea­
sure, not an endless habit. Remember, even the
healthiest habits demand the exercise of modera­
tion.
Have fun with your taste buds! Try this, try
that; open up a whole new approach to drinking
pleasure and to maintaining health and well­
being.

[10]
ALPHABETICAL LISTING
OF HERBS

[11)
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

Chamomile

ALFALFA
(Medicago sativa)

Probably best known by its American name, al­

falfa ("lucerne" to the British) is an extremely
deep-rooted legume. It has pretty, purple flowers
and a habit of growth which draws nitrogen from
the soil, storing it in nodules on the stem.
Any plant with this ability has an alkalizing
effect when taken into the body. Thus alfalfa tea
can be one of the best choices for people with
hyper-acid stomachs. People with arthritic acid
conditions in the joints and people who have re­
cently given up meat often find their stomachs
produce too much acid. If they are still eating
fish they could again find too much gastric acid
is being produced. Alfalfa tea can rearrange this

[12]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

balance a little so that gastric acid production

drops to suit a vegetarian diet.
Alfalfa as a general tea should be used in coun­
tries where a high proportion of carbohydrate
prevails in the diet. If you enjoy eating pasta, if
you often eat bread, or if you are fond of the
"good" complex carbohydrates, such as buckwheat,
rice and whole wheat (even if you are having
muesli every morning), you can find that your
. gastric acidity is a little higher than it should be.
Alfalfa tea is an excellent acid balancer. This tea
also helps to produce saliva which provides a
benefit for the digestion by initiating the early
breakdown of starches in the mouth.
Alfalfa contains nine amino acids similar to
those contained in animal protein. Thus, it can
help to break down hard-to-digest protein resi­
dues from animal sources. For this reason it is
also beneficial for folk with particular protein
allergies. These include the sinus and hay fever
sufferers as well as those who break out in a
rash when they drink milk or eat eggs, straw­
berries, prawns or any other substance which
produces uncomfortable allergic reactions. These
people are probably deficient in one or more amino
acids needed to properly digest these foods. Al­
falfa can provide home help for a person with
such a history of food allergies. It can also bene­
fit children who are allergic to particular kinds
of foods.
Alfalfa tea can be mixed with mint to give it a
much more sparkling flavor. You will find chil­
dren rather enjoy the mint taste. They can be

[ 13 ]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

started on alfalfa tea quite early if they have

difficulty with particular foods.
The dried leaves and flowers of the plant
are used to make alfalfa tea. Being such a deep­
rooted plant, alfalfa draws minerals from the
subsoil and its tea is high in alkalizing salts,
especially sodium phosphate. It also contains vi­
tamins A, B and C although, as with any herb
tea, the content of these nutrients depends sig­
nificantly on the care with which the plant was
dried.
Alfalfa tends to support enzyme activity, so
you can think of it as a digestive tea. Its combi­
nation with peppermint results in a most benefi­
cial digestive aid. The best time to drink it is
between meals, when you stop work to have a
cup of something hot. Drink alfalfa tea if your
stomach is upset from the previous meal. As a
cold tea it can be added to fruit cups in the
summer. Mix it with a little chopped mint and
some orange rind or lemon peel to use as a cold
additive to juices. Alfalfa is a flavor which mixes
well with fruit or vegetable juice.

ANGELICA
(Angelica officinalis or
Angelica archangelica)

This herb is occasionally found in mixtures and

blends of herb teas. Its mild and rather pleas-

[14]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

antly sweet taste (like celery flavored with sugar)

can also make it a very pleasant tea for children.
Angelica can be used therapeutically to make
the patient feel better during any cold, virus or
influenza-type illness. Historically, it was often
given to prevent such an illness becoming a chron­
ic, long-term health hazard for the patient.
Angelica, which could be classed as a green
vegetable, grows in many temperate parts of the
world. Its leaves are large and profuse and the
name derives from the supposition that the leaves
possessed angelic healing properties. The upper
stems of the plant can be candied and used as a
confection. It is a pleasantly-flavored tea which
can be mixed with any other sweet-tasting bev­
erage.
Its contents are quite remarkable: Angelica
contains about 5 percent copper salts. It also
contains carotene, providing the liver with the
raw material from which vitamin A is made.
Angelica possesses some plant steroids, thereby
helping to support processes of immunity in the
body. Another of its contents is valerianic acid,
helpful in calming the nerves. Pectin, an enzyme
essential for the stomach's easy digestion of food,
is also present. This helps angelica to become a
mild antispasmodic and digestive aid. Because of
these factors, angelica can be truly called a broad
general tonic.

[15]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

ANISEED
(Pimpinella anisum)

Most people know and like the flavor of aniseed,

but we occasionally find some who think it re­
pugnant. If this is the case, it means that your
body does not require anethol, aniseed's most
prominent ingredient. Anethol is an oil found in
the seeds and leaves of the plant (a small flower­
ing annual). It works within the pancreas to help
the digestive processes connected with pancreatic
enzymes.
Aniseed tea can be prepared by crushing the
anise seeds with a blunt instrument, such as the
end of a wooden spoon (you could even use a
kitchen grinder), pouring on boiling water and
allowing to stand for at least five minutes. The
tea can then be drunk hot or cool.
Aniseed tea is particularly refreshing when
you are experiencing the throbbing miseries of a
head cold-when nostrils are blocked, the throat
is catarrhal and clogged, breathing is difficult
and upper sinuses are aching. It should be taken
three or four times a day when the cold is at its
worst.
Most small children like the flavor of aniseed
and will drink the tea with honey or some lemon
juice. When other means of removing cold and
flu symptoms may be too unpleasant or diffi­
cult, aniseed tea can be an excellent deconges­
tant for children.

[16]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

BARLEY
(Hordeum vulgare)

Barley as a tea? Yes, certainly! The process of

boiling barley grains until they are soft. and then
straining the thick liquid from the soggy remains,
produces a substance which can be called tea.
Before serving, flavor the thick barley liquid
with a little lemon juice or cinnamon, or mix
with a fresh fruit juice to thin it a little.
It is such a valuable panacea for the modern
scourge of so many females-cystitis-that I feel
it should be included as an important household
remedy. Barley tea should be taken in half to
cupful doses during painful urgency and frequency
of urination in a cystitis attack. It can soothe the
irritated bladder linings and bring symptomatic
comfort quickly. Meanwhile, professional advice
should be sought to discover and correct the cause
of the cystitis.
Even for those other present day curses of
monilia and trichomonis, barley tea can be a
boon while the symptoms are troublesome.

BASIL
(Ocymum basilicum)
& BORAGE
(Borago officinalis)

These two pleasant-tasting herbs have quite

[17]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

marked cooling and tonic effects. Together they

make an ideal "housewife's tea" to remedy that
mid-morning slump which occurs after the fam­
ily has gone to work and school, the house has
been tidied and the lady of the house feels the
need for a general pick-me-up. The powerful and
fast-acting basil balances the slower and more
cooling borage to rapidly stimulate you, then
maintain you at that improved level.
Basil is an annual plant found in most tropical
regions. It can be easily cultivated as a kitchen
herb. Many people fail to pick it during its growth
period, only to find at the end of the season that
the basil is yellow, woody, dying off and rather
useless as a household plant.
Borage does not suffer from this problem. If
you have ever grown borage you know that you
will never get rid of it from your garden. It will
self-sow and distribute its little seedlings for many
yards around, even onto your neighbor's proper­
ty. There will be no shortage of borage leaves to
mix with the basil leaves for your household tea.
The therapeutic properties of both plants are
remarkably reduced after the leaves have been
dried. Tea prepared from the dried ingredients
has a less noticeable effect than that made from
the living plants.
The basil half of this mixture is a general
pick-me-up tonic and stimulant for the tissues of
the brain. It clears the head and can help remove
that pressure feeling (which later in the day can
produce a "pressure" headache and feeling of nau­
sea).

[18]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

Borage works through the kidneys, the skin

and the heart to support energy by maintaining
good circulation through these organs. A notice­
able boost in energy is often the first feeling
after a cup of basil and borage tea. This effect
can last for the remainder of the day. Thus the
tea is better taken as a mid-morning beverage
than at night, when you really don't want to
produce a surge of energy, you just want to go to
sleep! So try basil and borage as your morning
cuppa.

BILBERRY
(Vaccinium myrtillus)

All the berry fruits contain iron, copper, vitamin

C and the vitamins known as the bioflavonoids.
This combination, found in all ripe berries, works
through the bloodstream-through the major and
minor circulation to all organs of the body.
Bilberries are bluish in color and are the fruits
of a perennial shrub which does best in sandy
soils and temperate climates.
Bilberry tea is made from the dried berries
after they have ripened to the point where their
vitamin and mineral content is highest. It has a
pleasant taste and can be a beneficial drink for
elderly people with circulation problems. It can
also be beneficial as a post-operative tea to sup­
port the circulation after interference with its
processes during surgery.

[ 19]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

Lemon rind blends very nicely with bilberry­

fruit tea. Some people might feel the flavor of
bilberry is too bland, in which case the lemon
will add a pleasant tanginess. Many people have
enjoyed a fruit punch made on a base of bilberry
tea: to a large bowl, add your choice of diced
fruits and/or juices, plus sprigs of fresh spear­
mint, some apple cider and lemon juice; then mix
in cold bilberry tea to give color and depth of
flavor.

BLACK CURRANT
(Ribes nigrum or ribes americanum)

As a household cool tea in the summer and a hot

beverage in colder weather, black currant is a
delightfully versatile drink. As with all berry­
originating herb teas, black currant is a valuable
source of vitamin C, accompanied by the biofla­
vonoids {vitamin P), making for the best assimi­
lation of both. If the tea is made without the
inclusion of any berries, at least try to have some
of the leaf stems included, for they provide some
of the vitamin and mineral contents of the ber­
ries themselves.
Black currant tea is usually made only from
the leaves of the bush, when obtained commer­
cially. But many people prefer to prepare their
own black currant tea after collecting and drying
the leaves and stems of the bushes they have

[20]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

cultivated in their garden or orchard. In this

manner, they obtain those extra nutrients and
the unparalleled satisfaction of doing the whole
thing themselves.
The black currant bush is an attractive and
useful addition to any home garden and can be a
valuable commercial asset to any orchard. It gen­
erally grows to a height of up to seven feet,
producing a mantle of pale greell' flowers in the
springtime as a prelude to fruiting in the sum­
mer. Its fruits are very small, delicious eaten
fresh or dried, but they can cause diarrhea if
, taken in excess, whereas the tea will not.
In addition to the nutrients already mentioned,
folic acid (an important member of the B-group
of vitamins), is present in both leaves and fruit.
Its value in the leaves provides further contribu­
tion to the usefulness of this herb tea and the
pleasures it can create as a social drink. As a
pleasant stimulus to the taste buds, black cur­
rant tea can be enjoyed by every member of the
family. It mixes well with other flavors, such as
rose hips, lemon verbena or lemon grass. It can
also be effectively used as a base for delicious
fruit punches.

BLUEBERRY
(Gaylussacia frondoas)

Almost as American as apple pie is the deep

[21]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

indigo hue and the succulent sweetness of the

blueberry. Softer in texture than most other ber­
ries, it can be very easily digested and is very
easily cultivated, being found almost everywhere
in the U.S.A.
Therapeutic properties of the blueberry bush
are similar to most other berry varieties, the
leaves of which are utilized for herb tea brewing.
Nutritional properties include vitamin C, iron and
copper, accompanied by the bioflavonoids and folic
acid.
Blueberry leaf tea makes a very pleasant pre­
meal or social beverage. It can be served hot in
winter or cool in the warmer weather. Either
way, it is easy to prepare and enjoyable to drink.

SOLDO
(Pemeus boldus)

A comparative newcomer in herb tea lists, boldo

can be found added to teas blended together for
slimming diets. The plant is a small shrubby
tree, a native of Chile, with strong-smelling leath­
ery leaves and unpleasant-tasting yellow-green
fruits.
Its function in the body is to work through the
"yellow" system-the liver, gall bladder and
pancreas-and also through the digestive tract.
It is known to aid digestion by stimulating these
organs and, for some people, body weight appears

[22]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

to drop on drinking boldo tea regularly. Howev­

er, if the excess weight is coming from some
cause other than sluggish digestion, boldo tea
might not be as effective as the label could have
you believe. It certainly stimulates gastric acid
production and therefore enables food to be di­
gested more completely.

BURDOCK ROOT
(A�tium lappa)

This is a perennial plant which enjoys growing

wild in temperate climates.From the root of Bur­
dock comes a highly medicinal tea. I hesitate to
recommend the general use of this tea, for its
silica and iron compounds are anything but gen­
tle. An overload of these chemicals can induce
uncomfortable elimination symptoms through the
skin, soft tissues and . bowels, increased urina­
tion, stronger sweat and abdominal discomfort.
But the story is not all bad ...
The herb tea, brewed from dried root pieces of
the burdock plant, offers important therapeutic
properties. It can be of appreciable benefit to
sufferers of sciatica and the type of rheumatoid
arthritis which has dry, hot joints creating sharp
pain on movement. Its silica salts help burdock
root tea break up crystals of uric acid and pro­
mote its fluid excretion through the kidneys and
bowels as well as via the skin's perspiration. Its

[23]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

use should be employed sparingly, even for such

rheumatic sufferers. A medium-strength cup
should be adequate each second or third day,
increasing the intake only if under professional
guidance. A cup each day is almost certainly too
much.
Burdock root tea contains bitter resins, one of
which is the alkaloid lappine. It is responsible
for the strong purging effect if taken in excess.
Another ingredient, potassium nitrate, can stim­
ulate heart function for rheumatic sufferers. But
ingredients can be not only uncomfortable, but
downright dangerous if the drink is taken in
excess. That bitter taste should be your warning.
Successful use of herb teas often depends on the
accuracy of your information. They are not all
the same. Care and proper guidance should al­
ways be employed.

CATNIP
(Nepeta cataria)

Catnip is a garden herb, a member of the mint

family which has grown wild in England for cen­
turies. This shrub is perennial and much old
information about it seems to be somewhat
misleading as to its relationship to cats. Some
cats will walk past catnip without so much as a
flicker of interest. Others will rush up fu it, roll
around in it and become wildly excited by the

[24]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

smell from either the leaves or the roots. Other

cats will be distressed and infuriated by the plant
and endeavor to remove it from the garden by
scratching it out.
Likewise, catnip tea will produce a variety of
reactions among humans. You may find that it
either calms you and makes you feel delightfully
relaxed, or can upset you a little and produce a
mild depressive effect. This latter property of the
plant makes its use as a tranquillizing tea de­
batable and somewhat chancy. You must try it
yourself to find out which way it affects you.
However, it often works as a mild sedative to
calm down those hyperactive, energetic moods
most healthy children seem to experience all day
and far too long into the evening hours.
Catnip tea is brewed from the dried leaves of
the plant. It has a taste one can only describe as
bitter-sweet.

CELERY SEED
(Apium graueolens)

This tea must be used with extreme care. The

seeds of celery contain such powerful mineral
combinations that too much celery seed tea can
upset the body's mineral balance. This tea should
definitely be recorded as ..medicinal only" because
its action in the body is indeed a strong one.
Celery seed contains potassium and phospho-

[25]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

rus compounds of a type which stimulate kidney

function and the excretion of uric acid. These
same mineral compounds are used in healthy
muscle function. Thus, the combination of these
chemicals tends to reduce muscular pain, spasm
and cramps, especially in some arthritic condi­
tions.
High in sulphur compounds, celery seed tea is
alterative in its action through the bloodstream
and the bowels. It also contains many iron salts
to help oxidize and burn out rubbish. Two signif­
icant minerals in celery seed tea are silica and
. sodium. These two work nicely together to blast
out acid residues from tissues and from general
body structures. Magnesium, also found in this
tea, contains salts which support physical nerve
function.
It can be occasionally used by diabetics because
it tends to be compatible with pancreas function
and will not raise or lower blood sugar levels.
Vitamins A, B-complex and C are present in
celery seed tea, although there is more vitamin
C to be found in the leaves of the plant.
Celery seed is often blended with juniper ber­
ries. This combination gives an extremely sharp
stimulus to kidney function. The added juniper
stimulates renal arteries and the renal pelvis.
Thus, for arthritic and rheumatic sufferers, symp­
tomatic treatment can regularly include celery
seed tea.
The level at which this tea is tolerated varies
from individual to individual. A good dose to
commence with is a cup each day made from a

[26]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

teaspoon of the ground, pulverized or crushed

seeds. Celery seed tea can be made in advance
and added in small quantities to soups and stews
if the flavor is enjoyed or if the therapeutic prop­
erties are desired. Prepared in this way it can be
equally useful, in small amounts on a daily basis,
for an arthritic or rheumatic person.

CHAMOMILE

(Anthemis nobilis)
' English Chamomile

(Matricaria chamomilla}

German Chamomile

This is one of the most useful teas for everyone,

from the youngest child to the oldest grandpar­
e.nt. Chamomile tea is so well known in Europe
and was so extensively used as an everyday bev­
erage two or three generations ago that its rela­
tive lack of use today is surprising.
The part of the chamomile plant used is the
golden conical center of each of the small daisy­
like flowers of both varieties of the plant, to­
gether with a few of the petals surrounding this
central cone. German chamomile has a little more
volatile oil available than the English variety,
but the English flowers can be effectively blended
with it. This is often done in commercial prepa­
rations.

[27]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

The habit of growth of each plant is quite dif­

ferent. The English chamomile is a perennial
creeper, often used as a lawn in Europe, with
tiny daisy-like flowers. It needs a humid, cool
climate in which to grow best. The German vari­
ety is a more hardy annual and needs to be
resown every year. Its feathery leaves have a
grey tinge and its upright habit of growth is
botanically quite different from the English vari­
ety.
The unusual flavor of chamomile tea intrigues
many people. It could be described as a silky
smooth blend of apples and cloves, with the de­
lightful aroma of an arrangement of sweet spring
flowers.
Most people, especially children, enjoy the flavor
of chamomile tea. This is indeed fortunate be­
cause chamomile tea is excellent as a general
herb tea for children, those who are small and
teething as well as older ones who are having
difficulty with starting school and are tense, ner­
vous and highly strung. Chamomile tea is espe­
cially beneficial for hyperactive children, its effect
being to calm their nervous activity and assist
them to gain better control of it, certainly not to
stop it. As· a pre-bed drink for children, especially
if they have engaged in stimulating activities
after dinner, chamomile tea can aid in securing a
good night's sleep-and this contributes to a bet­
ter night's sleep for the parents!
For those self-same parents, it may be a good
idea to try chamomile tea at night, especially

[28]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

after too much food, drink and good company

have been enjoyed. Many people have complained
to me that on getting into bed "a large lump
seems to sit fair in the solar plexus." This is
undigested food about to inhibit the relaxing sleep
which that particular person invariably needs.
As a nightcap, a cup of chamomile tea is un­
beatable. One of its best uses is for calming the
vagus nerve (the tenth cranial nerve), which plays
. a large part in the digestive and respiratory pro­
cesses. It is also extremely beneficial for relax­
ation of the muscular patterns around the head
and face and in the calming of processes of over­
active thought, when the head is busy and full of
the past day's doings or the next day's problems.
Chamomile's effect on the vagus nerve is also
beneficial for the stomach. This nerve ends near
the base of the stomach and is involved in the
digestive processes. Chamomile tea will provide
it with enough calcium phosphate to aid the di­
gestion, leaving still more calcium available for
the nervous system, so that it can relax.
The nutritional and therapeutic contents of
chamomile include the phosphates of calcium,
magnesium and potassium-all of which play a
large part in calming the physical, emotional
and Intellectual nerve centers of the body. This .
makes it a useful tea for relieving those cramp­
ing spasms some women-especially teenagers­
experience at period time.
Chamomile tea is relaxing, but it is not a seda­
tive. It is calming, but not addictive. It is pleasant7

[29]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

tasting, but does not need to be increased in

quantity to stimulate the taste buds or produce
the same overall effect.
Chamomile tea is an excellent aid to dispelling
tension, to calming the muscular and nervous
systems and to preparing the digestive tract for
the evening meal. For this reason, chamomile
tea is excellent for adults and children who suf­
fer from "abdominal migraine"-those grabbing
pains in the stomach which prevent them from
eating when under any form of tension. It's also
ideal for those overworked people who are so
exhausted when they arrive home in the evening
that the digestive tract is not fit to handle an
evening meal. I have known many patients who
like a cup of chamomile tea as soon as they
arrive home in the evening; they spend the next
hout before dinner quietly, feeling relaxed, com­
fortable and well able to digest their food.
You can add chamomile tea to cool bathwater
in cases of severe sunburn. You can use it as a
rinse if your hair is naturally fair and lacking
lustre and brilliance. You can rub the slippery
soft remains of the chamomile flowers through
your hands and find that the smooth silkiness of
chamomile acts as an emollient on the skin.
As you can see, chamomile is a useful herb t ea
and it is universally available in dried form. It is
a shame not to use this herb often as a regular
household remedy to help prevent the serious
accumulation of nervous tension and digestive
problems so characteristic of modern living. Most
suppliers have it available in tea-bag form, en-

[30 ]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

couraging its use in the office, for the mid­

afternoon cuppa, especially after that rather tense,
rather too heavy, rather indiscreetly--chosen busi­
ness lunch. Chamomile tea is an absolute boon to
those of us living a "civilized" existence.

CHICORY
(Cichorium intybus)

The root of chicory, chopped and dried, makes a

passable stand-in for coffee. Many of the coffee
substitutes on health food store shelves contain
chicory root, as well as grains like rye, barley,
buckwheat, and legumes such as soya beans.
When young, the chicory plant looks a bit like
dandelion. As it grows, its green rosette of young
leaves shoots up a tall candelabra-shaped flower
spike with new, deep blue petals fading to white
each day. The plant is grown as a fodder crop in
many parts of the world, but its root is far more
valuable for it contains starch and choline, im­
portant in the regulation of the liver's choles­
terol metabolism. Chicory is also high in vitamin
A (needed by the liver, eyes and skin) primarily
in the form of carotene.
As chicory works so well through the liver, it
is recommended for illnesses such as hepatitis,
alcoholism and similar diseases of "civilized" liv­
ing. Nothing is harder on one's liver than the
combination of over-refined foods, over-indulgence
in alcohol and smoking. People who are deter-

[31]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

mined to keep (or unable to give up!) such patterns

should drink herb teas of chicory root and dande­
lion to help their overloaded livers cope better.
Chicory leaves, when fresh, contribute a strange­
ly bitter taste to a green salad. However, the
leaves are usually not added to the tea.

CINNAMON
(Cinnamomum zylanicum)

A member of the huge laurel family of trees and

shrubs, the cinnamon tree is native to the Middle
East and parts of Central America, Asia and
Africa. The powdered aromatic spice is extracted
from the bark, not only of the cinnamon tree, but
of many of those of the laurel family. Its unique
flavor is characteristic of Lebanese vegetables,
as well as of Indian curries. Its original use was
as a preservative for meats which required lengthy
periods of storage in hot climates.
As a herb tea, cinnamon is chosen more for
its flavor than therapeutic properties. It is one of
my favorite flavors, especially when added to
other aromatic spice teas, such as hibiscus. It
also mixes exceptionally well with berry teas
and those with a lemon flavor.
Therapeutically, cinnamon tea is used by many
people to help clear the brain and improve the
thinking processes. It can be very beneficial to
students when studying intensively prior to ex-

[32]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

amination time. A drop of oil of cinnamon in a

warm bath is known to have a similar effect, but
care must be taken to use only one drop and to
mix it well with the bath water, for cinnamon oil
can be almost caustic in its pure, concentrated
form.

CLOVES
(Caryophyllus aromaticus)

Cloves are a spice formed by the unopened, dried

flower buds of an evergreen native to the tropical
Spice Islands, probably originating in the Moluccas.
They have been known and used from classical
times for their preservative and anti-putrefaction
effects on foods. Throughout the centuries before
refrigeration, cloves were used as one of the pre­
serving spices which arrested food decay, simul­
taneously conferring upon the food a delightfully
new and spicy aroma and flavor.
For centuries, clove oil was used as an ingredi­
ent in embalming. It was also found to be useful
in the household to gently anesthetize various
types of nerve pain. The old household remedy of
applying a drop of clove oil to an aching tooth is
well known.
Cloves used as an additive to some of the spic­
ier herb tea blends can have an amazingly gentle
effect in soothing the gastric and intestinal mu­
cosa (the linings of the stomach and intestines).
They also tend to offer a neutralizing, counter-

[33]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

irritant effect when cooked with foods which are

acid or otherwise highly spiced. If your stomach
is protesting against the last trip to the Indian
Curry House, you should ensure that next time
you select dishes with some form of cloves in the
spice mixture added to the food. Or better yet,
when you get home have a herb tea which con­
tains cloves mixed with, say, ginger or cinnamon
or even some mint leaves. Cloves mix best in
herb tea blends which use a mild flavor base,
such as alfalfa (which also adds to the antacid
benefits), orange peel and rosehips (a fruit and
spice effect) for a sparkling midday boost of en­
ergy.
A so-called nervous stomach can be made to
feel quite relaxed after a cup of tea containing
cloves. The prolonged use of clove tea might just
send your stomach to sleep, and it may not know
what it is eating if you over-indulge in other
particularly powerful spices.

COLTSFOOT
(Tussilago farfara)

Coltsfoot does not grow naturally in sub-tropical

or warm temperate climates, preferring the de­
ciduous beech and oak forests of England, Eu­
rope and North America. An unusual little plant,
it is a perennial and one of the first to appear on
the forest floor in the early spring. Its stems

[34]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

resemble brown asparagus, and its bright, open­

faced, yellow flowers cheer away the last cold
days of winter.
People who smoke tobacco may use coltsfoot
tea to offset some of the effects of the dreaded
weed. It is better to give up smoking altogether,
but if you are finding it difficult to do so (which
means you can dismiss the thought of all those
coal tar deposits in your lungs and irritated bron­
chial tubes), coltsfoot tea can help loosen some of
the residues caused by heavy tobacco usage. You
will realize this when you cough and splutter
and remove a lot of mucus as you drink coltsfoot
tea! You may be quite amazed at some of the
rubbish that your chest has been accumulating
while you have been smoking.
Coltsfoot tea is brewed from the leaves and
flowers of the plant, which contain valuable iron
in phosphate form. It also contains mucilage
which is soothing and a gentle expectorant for the
lungs and bronchial tree. It is high in natural
sugars--providing energy for the muscles of the
chest--and has quite a high organic acid content
to help remove infection from traumatized respi­
ratory areas. The small amount of tannin in colts­
foot also helps to tone and tighten mucous linings
of the bronchial tree and of the lungs, which may
be underactive after heavy tobacco usage or lack
of adequate daily exercise.
The phosphates in coltsfoot tea are supported
by calcium salts, so expectoration, coughing and
elimination of rubbish from the bronchial tree
and lungs should not cause damage. Calcium

[35]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

salts help to heal old scar tissue and irritated

patches.

COMFREY
(Symphytum officinale)

Without wishing to join the technical arguments

about comfrey or any of its supposedly dangerous
ingredients, as a practicing herbalist for many
years I have never found comfrey tea disadvan­
tageous in any way, shape or form. I will leave
the scientists and chemists to argue about possi­
ble toxic effects from the use (or abuse) of the
plant, but in my own experience the contents
of it are balanced and not toxic under normal
conditions of usage.
Over-use of almost any substance can produce
results which are less than balanced. But huge
quantities of comfrey leaves would need to . be
ingested to induce a deleterious effect on the
body, quantities far in excess of the body's nor­
mal digestive ability. Instead, a cup of comfrey
tea can be taken as a pleasant, bland, rather
haylike flavored insurance against various body
disease processes.
Comfrey tea is known to be a safe drink and is
not cumulative in its effects. I would suggest its
use occasionally and also suggest that its contin­
ued use is not necessary. At times when there is
body damage (surgery; accidents where scar tis-

[36]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

sue can be formed, like abrasions, cuts,- fractures;

even when there is severe interruption to body
function by removal of an organ, or even ampu­
tation), comfrey is supportive to the processes of
cell regeneration and normal tissue replacement.
Many people find comfrey to be a tea which
needs some other flavor to support its rather
musty taste. You can add mint, alfalfa or one of
the more cheery-tasting herbs to make a very
pleasant blend. Comfrey/mint is an excellent bev­
erage for people who have a tendency towards
arthritic conditions or gout because it helps to
neutralize uric acid residues.
The nutritional and therapeutic contents of com­
frey are variable, depending on the condition of
the plant at the time of picking and the method
by which it is dried. Chemical changes take place
when comfrey is improperly dried. When purchas­
ing comfrey tea, check the pack to ensure the
contents are still green. Once the comfrey leaves
have browned and oxidized their therapeutic con­
tents can be quite different.
Allantoin is one important substance to be found
in green comfrey leaves. Its value as a healing
agent following body trauma is becoming more
widely recognized. Scar tissue can be minimized
when allantoin is applied and even the later ten­
dency to adhesion formation can be reduced. This
is just one of the therapeutic uses of comfrey tea.
Bear in mind that comfrey should not be used
as an antiseptic. If the skin is damaged and open
you should use a herbal antiseptic, such as Cal­
endula, before applying comfrey leaves because

[ 37]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

the skin could heal too quickly, retaining any

infection underneath.
Cosmetically, the soggy remains of the com­
frey leaves can have many uses. Throw them in
your bathwater for a beneficial skin care treat­
ment while bathing. You can also sit in the sun
with comfrey leaf soggily and greenly plastered
all over your face for a simple inexpensive
wrinkle-removing pack. Another important use
is to dab the mucilaginous comfrey tea residues
on sores or ulcerated areas, particularly around
varicose ulcers, or saltwater ulcers.
Many patients with metabolic diseases-such as
diabetes, celiac disease, anemia, even anorexia
nervosa-can have comfrey tea prescribed by
professionals as a part of their treatment. Using
it as a strong therapeutic agent is most assuredly
best left to professional practitioners who have
studied comfrey's properties.

CORN SILK
(Zea Mays)

Whether you grow your own vegies or buy them

from the markets, you probably throw away some
of their most valuable parts. For instance, corn
cobs usually have their protective covering un­
ceremoniously discarded prior to cooking. But
the tassled creamy silk from the cob can be
chopped up and effectively used as a herb tea.

[38]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

Com silk tea can be easily made at home.

Simply pour boiling water over the thick jelly­
like threads and drink the smooth, mucilaginous
water after it has brewed for a few minutes.
Com silk tea can be highly beneficial as a
kitchen remedy to relieve the pain of urinary­
tract infections, such as cystitis, and for a gentle
soothing of the entire urinary tract.
Com silk might be difficult to obtain dried, as
a prepared herb tea, but it is worth asking for. If
you can't buy it, take pleasure in making your
own home brew whenever sweet com is in sea­
son.

COUCH-GRASS
(Agropyrum repens)

This common European and North African grass

is not the blue couch or lawn couch commonly
grown domestically. Although some of its proper­
ties are similar, a major difference is to be found
in the plant's rhizome-the ground-running,
root-producing stem.
The rhizome is the part used for herb tea prep­
aration. It is a white, thick, clear root which
grows just beneath the surface, where the grass
runners spread and send down their hair roots at
each junction. Have you ever watched a sick dog
eat couch-grass? It is sensing, in its instinctive
animal way, that couch-grass has a powerful di-

[39]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

uretic effect to wash out infection from the kid­

neys and bladder.
Brewed from the dried, chopped-up roots, couch­
grass herb tea is a powerful one and should be
used only when some obvious pathology or trauma
to the kidneys and bladder is in process.
Another problem that plagues many people is
the weakness of the sphincter muscle of the blad­
der. When this condition prevails it is potentially
socially dangerous for the sufferer to cough or
sneeze. Elderly people particularly can use couch­
grass tea to tighten and tone up the bladder
sphincter �d urinary tract to help overcome
this distressing problem. The use of couch-grass
tea in this way is verging on the medicinal, and
it should be taken under professional direction
rather than used as a general household tea.

DANDELiON
(Taraxacum officina/e)

If ever a plant was useful in "civilized" living,

dandelion shares this distinction with chamomile.
Its habit and place of growth will tell you that it
is nudging humankind to make use of it. Dande­
lions grow around telegraph poles, on railway
embankments, on pathways, under gravel and
concrete, on rubbish dumps and roadsides, shout­
ing their message of usefulness to that organ
most overloaded by civilization, the human liver.

[40]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

Although dandelion is frequently regarded as

a herbal coffee substitute, it is brewed in the
same way as herb tea and can be had as often as
China tea or coffee.
The part of the plant most commonly used is
the dried root, after it has been finely ground.
Sometimes the leaves of the plant are added, or
used separately for a milder brew.
Dandelion tea or coffee should be used as an
_everyday beverage in every household. Its use
should not be restricted to occasional therapeutic
doses and its contents will show you why. Dande­
lion contains many substances needed for a
healthy human liver and it supports the function
of the liver in its diversity of physiological roles.
Think of the liver as a chemical factory which
converts food substances into fuel to make them
available for the body to use. You can then bet­
ter understand why dandelion is such a valuable
plant-it helps to improve the functioning of the
liver and its control over all those food additives,
sprays, insecticides, pollutants and other chemi­
cal contaminants used by the precooked, frozen,
prepackaged and processed food industry.
It is often difficult to live only on pure water
and homegrown fresh foods and develop faith to
avoid the perils of civilized living. But dandelion
tea/coffee could be a factor to enable you to live
with better health and better food absorption
with less residual effect from contaminants.
Dandelion contains a balance of iron and cal­
cium and several support substances, such as
choline, to help you cope with cholesterol distri-

[ 41 ]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

· bution. It also contains vitamins A and D-2

(calciferol)-the vegetable variety of vitamin D.
Dandelion contains an average of about 15 per­
cent starch, which varies seasonally, depending
on whether the plant is picked in spring or sum­
mer. The leaves, which have a very bitter taste,
stimulate the function of the gall bladder, as
well as the liver, in the production of bile and its
distribution into the intestinal tract. Dandelion
tea/coffee is especially helpful during that most
debilitating of illnesses, hepatitis, to support the
functions of the liver while the virus is still alive.
Vitamin B is also found in dandelion, an un­
usual vitamin to be found in the green part of
the plant because it is more usually found in
seeds. Supporting vitamin B, we find magnesium
salts for nerve function; sodium salts to give bod­
ily suppleness and flexibility and to aid the circu­
lation of fluids around the body; and silica, which
is helpful in driving out pockets of infection and
rubbish through the kidneys, the bowel and the
skin.
Most of the bitter taste of dandelion comes
from the mineral sulphur, essential in protein
and enzyme activity. It is also high in potassium,
vital to proper kidney function and muscle tone.
You can see that this cheery and irrepressible
plant is a complete package for the human liver.
I often prescribe dandelion tea/coffee as a regular
beverage for teenagers who are having difficulty
with acne and skin problems due to hormonal
change. I also prescribe it for people with metabo­
lic difficulty with certain foods, for food allergy

[42]
 ..

THE HERB TEA BOOK

sufferers, and for young children with allergic

reactions to particular foods.
Dandelion tea/coffee is a healthful habit for
modern living.

DILL SEED
(Anethum graveolens)

-
This is another plant of the family in which
caraway, parsley, fennel, carrots, celery and ani­
seed are found. Dill aids and comforts the diges­
tive tract. The seeds of the plant are the parts
used to make tea and, as -with any seeds, it is
better to crush them slightly before pouring on
the water, just off the boil, to make the tea.
Dill is another exception to the general rule
that herb tea should be drunk while hot. It can
be left to cool and put into a screwtop container
in the refrigerator, then doled out in spoonfuls
for dyspepsia. If you have difficulties with cu­
cumber, sauerkraut, cabbage, coleslaw or raw on­
ions; if you have difficulty eating seafood, es­
pecially shellfish; even if you have difficulty
digesting capsicum; dill water can be used as a
mild medicinal mixture after the meal.
The old-fashioned name for the tea made from
dill is dill water. Indeed, it is still mentioned in
many books on natural child-rearing as the best
way to treat colic. A small teaspoon of dill water,
after each feed, can help your baby to become
contented and non-windy rather quickly.

[43]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

Dill seeds, like all members of this botanical

family, contain anethol, a substance which pro­
duces a quietening and calming effect on the
gastro-intestinal tract. Many people would enjoy
eating those raw foods mentioned above, if only
they didn't suffer afterwards. The use of dill tea
after such a meal could well be their answer.

ELDER FLOWERS
(Sambucus nigra)

Every book written about herbs and their use con­

tains reference to various parts of the elder tree:
the bark, berries, leaves and flowers. The first
three should be prescribed only by qualified herb­
alists because their action in the body can be
powerful. But the flowers of the elder are gentle
indeed and can be used to brew a herb tea which
is calming, soothing, broadly tonic and simulta­
neously relaxing.
If we look at the contents of the flowers, some
idea of their usefulness as an everyday beverage
can be obtained. Its mucilage is the basis of the
plant's soothing effect on the gastric and· alimen­
tary canal. It contains two glycosides, sambunigrin
and amygdalin (vitamin B-17), the latter also
being found in apricot and almond kernels. These
two glycosides are responsible for the tonic and
energizing effect of elder flower tea. There is also
choline for liver function, and a resin which takes

[ 44 ]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

the volatile oil of the plant with it and adheres to

the digestive and alimentary tract all the way
down, enabling good absorption of the herb's other
properties to be made.
The flowers contain malic acid (also found in
apples and stone fruits), which works within the
bowel area to keep the pH (acid/alkaline) level at
its optimum best for digestion. Acetic acid is also
found in the flowers, helping to combat viral and
influenza-type infections. Mineral compounds
present in the flowers are potassium chloride for
endocrine balance; potassium sulphate to help
raise the body's immunity; sodium sulphate for
fluid balance; magnesium phosphate and calcium
phosphate for releasing tension and spasm in
muscles and organs, and potassium nitrate, a
mild heart stimulant.
It can be seen that elder flowers' effect as a
herb tea is a broad general one for any of those
conditions where you feel depressed and miserable.
It is used as a common beverage throughout Eu­
rope and in parts of the United States, and I feel
it could join the ranks of several other herb teas
as an everyday beverage elsewhere in the world.
Externally, the tea can be used as a mild as­
tringent and toning lotion for the skin. Dab elder
flower tea on face and hands, around the neck,
and on rough patches at elbows, knees and feet.
Used regularly, such a lotion can help remove
the odd wrinkle and improve skin tone and func­
tion. It can even be used as a comforting lotion
for sunburn and mild skin infections. Use the
remains of your elder flower tea as a splash-on

[45]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

toner after a shower and even use the cool tea as

a lotion for your eyes. Although !t is certainly
not specific enough to improve vision or to cor­
rect serious eye conditions, it is soothing and
comforting to apply to sore eyes after a day's
driving, after city smog or summertime glare on
the beach.
Use elder flowers in all these ways to save
money on cosmetics and to support you through
some of the earlier stages of infective illnesses
with a maximum of comfort.

EQUISETUM
(Equisetum arvense)

Equisetum is a strange little plant, resembling

grey-green asparagus and growing in a manner
to suggest that it likes to keep close to the earth
to acquire most avidly the minerals from the soil
in which it grows. It is often regarded as a com­
mon weed, being found throughout much of North
America, Europe and Asia. Some people know it
better by its common name of "shave grass".
The bunched-up stems of equisetum have gen­
tle abrasive qualities and were once used to pol­
ish pewter, silver and other soft metals. Luckily,
this abrasive quality is not repeated quite so
strongly in the human intestinal tract!
Of all commonly used therapeutic herbs, equi-

[46]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

setum provides the highest source of silica. The

plant contains, as well as the enormous number
of silicate compounds, salts of calcium and mag­
nesium, which ensure that this silica is correctly
absorbed.
It is certainly not a tea to be drunk in large
quantities every day. Neither is equisetum a quiet
and gentle tea to make you feel good. Its action
in the body is anything but quiet because it tends
to powerfully stimulate kidneys and bowel and
sets about chemically changing any concretions
found in the body, such as stone, gravel and even
such thickened tissue as adhesions and fibroids.
If in doubt about drinking equisetum tea, it is
best to check with a herbal practitioner. For some
people its powerful stimulative and elimative ac­
tion can be very uncomfortable indeed. As a com­
pensation for its noise and fire, it helps to grow
strong fingernails, luxuriant hair and good tooth
enamel. But for many people equisetum tea can
be just too disturbing.
I prescribe equisetum tea for some arthritics
and some patients with fluid retention, but dis­
comfort can be felt in areas of the body where
arthritic nodes and spurs can be stirred mightily
by the silica "arrows." If your naturopath rec­
ommends equisetum tea for you, follow the
instructions accurately and you should not suffer
any of the more stringent effects which this herb
can produce.

[47]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

EUCALYPTUS
(Eucalyptus globulus)

It's an amazing statement for an Australian herb­

alist to have to make, but it is a fact that the
eucalyptus tree is hardly used as a dried herb in
its native country.
Have you ever picked leaves from a gum tree
on a picnic and dropped two in your ordinary tea
to add to the flavor? Add the fresh or dried leaves
of the eucalyptus, in all its many varieties, to
any other beverage and you do two things­
improve flavor and provide a valuable therapeu­
tic agent. The aromatic, penetrating and antiseptic
fragrance of the eucalyptus is known the world
over for clearing the head and the respiratory
passages of the upper sinus and the bronchial
tree. A few leaves from a eucalyptus tree will
provide just a touch of the eucalyptus oil they
contain, without being too strong and without
spoiling the flavor of whatever other beverage
they are added to.
Eucalyptus oil, extracted from the leaves of
many varieties, is well known to herbalists all
around the world, being used specifically for bron­
chial complaints and coughs. But in Australia,
where the plant grows so prolifically, it is rarely
used or sought-a case of familiarity breeding
contempt?
Eucalyptus gives a lift and an extra zing of

[48 ]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

flavor when added to other beverages. Herbal

product manufacturers should add a few dried
eucalyptus leaves to many of their cough and
bronchial teas for the double benefits offered.

EYEBRIGHT
(Euphrasia officinalis)

There are many herbalists who use and recom­

mend eyebright internally to improve the eye­
sight. But in my experience, it can be much better
employed when brewed as a tea for bathing the
eyes externally.
Eyebright is a small annual herb which enjoys
temperate climates and contains strong resins.
These are internally upsetting to many people,
creating a disturbing effect on the liver, even to
producing nausea and dizziness. As a therapeutic
aid, eyebright tea is far more valuable as an ex­
ternally applied agent than as a beverage. An
application of the tea-strength solution once a
day should be sufficient to soothe burning, irri­
tated eyelids assaulted by smog, cigarette smoke,
car exhaust fumes or chemical sprays. It can also
relieve tired eyes resulting from intensive read­
ing or studying.

[49]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

FLAX SEED
(Linum usitatissimum)
Linseed

The flax plant is related to the nettle family.

Like nettles, flax stems contain fibers which can
be treated and woven into fine-quality linen. For
this reason it has been a useful plant for centu­
ries.
Flax is an annual herb, with small blue flow­
ers and a hard brown, shiny, oily envelope around
the soft-centered seeds, often called "linseeds."
Some 15 percent of the weight of these seeds is a
soft lubricating mucilage, soothing to an irritated
or inflamed digestive tract. A tea can be made
from the whole seeds, which should be crushed
a little in a mortar and pestle (or with the kitch­
en mallet, having first put the seeds in a plastic
bag). This tea can be quite useful as a mild
laxative tea, particularly when a dry bowel , is
the cause of constipation.
Flax seed tea can be taken by quite young
babies and by elderly people because it does not
cause griping or strong movements of the bowel.
It can be effectively given after surgery on the
bowel, or after any surgery where bowel functions
might be impaired. It is also beneficial if drugs
have induced iatrogenic constipation, by aiding
the bowel to recommence its natural functioning.
The inner part of flax seeds comprise 30 to 40

[50 ]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

percent of fixed oil and about 25 percent protein

compound, including albumin, plus waxes, resins
and sugars. The seeds are high in phosphorus
compounds and contain lecithin in their soft pulpy
center. Lecithin is also a phosphorus compound,
and plays a major role in maintaining cholesterol
balance in the body and in overcoming nervous
debilitation.
Flax seed tea is also useful for urinary tract
infections and for inflammation in the kidney or
bladder caused by stones or gravel.
Linseed, as most people call flax seed, is often
used as a porridge meal. It is favored because it
is a natural high source of vegetable proteins
and valuable polyunsaturated fats, but such a
meal may be too heavy for some people to digest.
The tea form is an excellent therapeutic aid be­
cause flax seed can gradually help normalize bowel
function without danger and without pain.

FENNEL
(Foeniculum vulgare)

Fennel is often mentioned with respect and just

as often with a great deal of misinformation.
Fennel seems to have two major stories told about
it-the first relating to its effect on eyesight and
the second relating to its "slimming" uses. This
delightfully intriguing information about fennel

[51)
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

can be inaccurately based and the effect of the

plant in the body should be well understood be­
fore its use.
The fennel plant is regarded as a common weed
in most parts of the world, growing, like the
dandelion, round the edges of civilization. It seems
to shout at us that it is useful in such conditions
as polluted atmospheres, as a therapeutic aid
when the diet contains anything but "simple"
food, and when water supplies are less than "pure."
Its tall umbrella-shaped yellow flowers, with the
feathery leaves underneath, can be seen clam­
bering up wire fences and stone walls, or grow­
ing in the most inhospitable, dank and polluted
conditions.
A favorite place for fennel is on roadsides, where
the e�haust fumes from passing motor traffic do
not seem to deter it at all. Certainly, there is
enough fennel available for everyone to pick the
ripe brown seeds in late summer and store them
for use throughout the year.
If you live in areas where fennel hasn't started
to grow, the dried seeds are readily available as
a packaged tea. The aniseed flavor of fennel is
cooling and pleasing to the palate and its pleas­
ant taste as a herb tea should make it more often
used. It can be added to blends, with caraway or
parsley, or it can be used on its own to get the
cooling effect of the anethol-the oil found in all
this Umbelliferae class of plant.
Among its many usages, fennel tea has been
employed as an eye lotion since the earliest days
of herbal recording. It is a mild and pleasant

[52]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

lotion to dab on and around the eyes, similar to

the way elder flower water can be used. Its most
effective result is on the yellow patches in the
white of the eye, known as pterygium. If the
whites of your eyes are a dirty yellow or, even
worse, if the dirty yellow is streaked with in­
flamed blood vessels, fennel tea dabbed on the
eyes can give comfort and a clearer and brighter
color. Those yellowy patches are indicative of
your body's difficulty in absorbing fats. Dabbing
fennel tea on eyes that look like poached eggs is
symptomatic treatment only and certainly not a
miracle cure.
The "slimming" reputation of fennel involves
its action in stimulating, normalizing and bal­
ancing the pancreas. The biochemistry of pan­
creas function is complex. Simply stated, the
pancreas plays a major role, together with the
liver and the gall bladder, in metabolism, espe­
cially of fats and sugars.
If your liver is laboring under a load ofinferior
quality food, if your diet is full of "take-away"
and "instant packaged" processed foods, fennel
tea could certainly help you to lose a little
weight-if the weight is directly attributable to
difficult assimilation of fats and sugars. For those
people whose weight is due to fluid retention or
endocrine imbalance, or any other of a thousand
different causes, fennel tea, sadly, might not have
any reducing effect.
The tea can be drunk by diabetic patients, not
as a treatment but · as a support for a pancreas
laboring with sugar difficulties. Fennel tea has a

[53]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

slightly laxative effect for some people and it

increases the appetite of others for better foods.
No longer do they want the refined or greasy
carbohydrates and filling fats, but find it much
easier to balance their diets with raw fruits and
vegetables and other natural foods.
The nutritional and therapeutic properties of
fennel are indeed complex. High in mineral
salts-mostly compounds of sodium, potassium
and sulphur-plus about 50 to 60 percent of that
volatile oil anethol (which helps to settle queazy
stomachs), fennel provides the elements neces­
sary for efficient digestion of fats. Fennel seeds
also contain sugar and starch in a balanced form
which should neither raise nor lower sugar lev­
els in diabetics.

FENUGREEK
(Trigonella foenumgraecum)

The fenugreek plant is an annual, growing about

2 feet high. It is a native of Greece and other
Mediterranean countries, spreading as far afield
as the Middle East and Asia. The tea is made
from the seeds of the plant and your first cup of
fenugreek tea should tell you that it is more like
a broth than a sweet dessert-type tea.
In the culinary arts, fenugreek is one of the
spices used to make curry, so you can imagine
that its pungent taste does not blend well with

[54]
 A SAMPLER OF
HERBS FOR TEA

Wild strawberry
G reat burdock
White horehound
Valerian
 Speedwell

Wild chamomile
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

other green herb teas. It is better mixed with

other spices such as cinnamon or cardamom, even
with a dash of horseradish, to make more of its
savory taste.
Fenugreek is one of the most useful teas for
the home treatment of simple infective conditions.
Those miseries experienced in head colds---catarrh
from blocked ears, aching sinuses-can be speed­
ily relieved by one or two cups of hot fenugreek
tea.
Fenugreek is one of the best teas for producing
perspiration. It is equally useful in reducing a
, fever and its unclogging effect in the body is its
most important virtue. Mucus can be more easily
coughed up and blown out and further catarrhal
build-up can be minimized after a cup or two of
hot fenugreek tea.
Like fennel, fenugreek is a useful tea for those '
people who have difficulty with fat absorption. It
is rich in mineral salts, particularly in iron phos­
phate, which has a powerful burning-out effect
on minor infections. The seeds contain choline
and lecithin, both substances necessary for the
liver to metabolize fats and oils. Infused as a tea,
it can often prevent the need for antibiotics or
more intrusive and intensive drug therapy if taken
in the early stages of viral and bacterial infec­
tions of the respiratory tract.
Many people find the taste of fenugreek tea
strange. Persevere with fenugreek if your body
tends towards catarrhal and bronchial complaints
because it can be a simple preventive and correc­
tive of such problems in the early stages. Its

[55]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

flavor may become more acceptable as you gain

relief by drinking it.
Help your teenage son or daughter remove some
of the miseries of acne with an occasional cup of
fenugreek tea. Its effect on the skin is slower and
less obvious, but its high vitamin A and D-2
content helps to normalize skin function which
can suffer badly from hormonal disturbance at
puberty. B vitamins are also found in the seeds
(as they are in all seeds), as well as a glycoside
called Trigonellin, a good energy producer in the
body.

GINGER
(Zingiber officinale)

One does not think often of ginger as a base for

making herbal tea. As a powdered spice it is
often added to herbal tea blends to give them the
"zing" from Zingiber! Its piquant taste helps to
liven many flatter and broader tastes in the plant
world, but its use as an ingredient in herb tea is
specifically to help those folks with under-active
stomachs, who have difficulty in manufacturing
or secreting adequate hydrochloric acid to digest
their food. Any herb tea blend containing a touch
of ginger can improve the appetite of such people
by stimulating saliva secretion in the mouth which
can, in tum, stimulate gastric acid production.
The Chinese understand the digestive properties
of ginger and often add it to their foods.

[ 56]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

Ginger is a perennial plant, indigenous to most

tropical regions of eastern Asia. It is now exten­
sively cultivated throughout most tropical and
sub-tropical countries, especially China and India.
The rootstock is that part of the plant from which
the well known ginger flavor derives, and it keeps
almost indefinitely when dried.
Choose a herb tea blend containing ginger for
those children who gulp their food too quickly or
those adults who eat and run. It is also highly
beneficial for people who gulp down a hasty car­
bohydrate breakfast and regret it all the way
through the morning. Any herb tea containing
ginger can help to remove wind accumulated in
· the digestive tract and reduce the social dangers
of flatulence after a rapidly consumed meal.

GINSENG
(Panax schin-seng)
Asian Ginseng
(Panax quinque folium)
American Ginseng

This plant has been so commercially promoted

that many of its properties and the claims made
about them seem to appear so magical that one
would imagine ginseng to be an absolute necessi­
ty, even to enable one to get up in the morning.
As with any commercially-promoted product, one

[57]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

must delve a little deeper into the facts to estab­

lish when ginseng tea is a benefit and when it is
absolutely unnecessary.
Formerly obtainable as a wild perennial, the
ginseng plant is now so sought-after that it is
commercially cultivated. It is a plant with a
uniquely-shaped root, from which its highly­
prized properties derive. The Manchurian and
Korean species are the most sought-after, although
the cheaper American variety is increasingly used
as a substitute.
Ginseng tea is brewed from the finely ground
dried root. Its primary effect on the body is on
one target area, the pituitary gland. Every other
effect experienced when taking ginseng is a di­
rect result of improved function of this gland.
The pituitary, with its conductor-of-the-orchestra
control of the body, can set the pace, tone and
volume of almost every other bodily process.
You can now see why so many claims are made
for ginseng. But care should be taken when using
it. For instance, ginseng tea should not be used
by children whose pace is already pretty hectic.
It is not specifically indicated for adults who are
naturally speedy or hyperactive. If you are pain­
fully thin, and your every action is performed
with lightning speed, ginseng tea can have a
decidedly disturbing effect.
The value of ginseng is to be felt primarily by
those thicker and more solid folk who need a bit
of a prod, a bit of a lift, a bit of an increase in
volume and speed in their daily doings. Ginseng

[ 58]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

is most likely to have the best general effect for

these people if taken in the form of tea.
I feel strongly that ginseng and its effect on
Western bodies is not yet completely understood.
While the tea strength of the product is not suffi­
cient to disturb body functions in the short term,
I would certainly recommend its use only over
short· periods of time to provide the best tonic
effect. In the long term, its more subtle influences
are, as yet, not sufficiently understood.
One of the major chemical compounds in gin­
seng is an iodine salt. This is combined with
phosphorus compounds to stimulate pituitary and
thyroid function. The result of an excess of these
chemicals in the body can be supercharged activ­
ity for hyperactive people. Ginseng tea is quite
unnecessary for those who buzz with a constant
charge of adrenal energy.
For those slower, more lethargic people, gin­
seng can provide a desirable and occasional stim­
ulant after a period of heavy physical work or
mental exhaustion. It is best used to get a quick,
short-term, tonic effect to return you to normal
functional speed.

GOLDEN SEAL ROOT

(Hydrastis canadensis)

What a boon the North American Indian phar­

macopoeia has given to us with this plant. The

[ 59]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

yellow stain from the root was used for centuries

as face paint and eventually some observant Eu­
ropean colonizers noticed that skin and eye dis­
eases disappeared when this long-lasting dye was
used ceremonially. It was then only a step to
employing it therapeutically in ointments and
tinctures for relieving such conditions.
As an herb tea, golden seal root has what could
best be described as an internally detergent ef­
fect. It loosens away from the mucous linings
any "dirt"-bacteria, irritant particles, acid rem­
nants and unexpelled rubbish which are so often
found in the bowel. This cleansing is simulta­
neously highly antiseptic.
As with most plant roots possessing a pro­
nounced yellow stain, golden seal root is rich in
vitamin A and resin. But it also contains an
alkaloid, hydrastine, which indicates this tea
should not be taken in excess.
The best way to use golden seal root tea is as a
"spring clean" for the inner body. Drink a cup
each day or each second day, depending on the
level of your bodily toxicity. Maintain this for a
ten-day period, then discontinue. Every machine
needs a hosing off or a steam clean at times-the
human body, while not exactly a machine, re­
sponds well to regular cleansing. Golden seal
root tea can be effectively used in this way, occa­
sionally, as an herbal insurance against "rust,
coking up or dirty filters."

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

HAWTHORN
(Crotaegus oxyacantha)

The dried berries of the small hawthorn tree, a

native of Europe and Northern Asia, have been
used for centuries in home herbal treatment of
circulatory disorders. It is one of those teas bet­
ter used for a specific purpose, supporting the
function of the major circulation. As such, it cim
be taken as a general beverage, with safety, by
patients with cardiac problems.
Hawthorn tea is brewed from the dried berries
and sometimes the flowers of the plant. It can
have an energizing effect on elderly people and is
similar to mate tea in that it can be drunk occa­
sionally when one is tired after periods of hard
physical work.
By assisting to regulate heart action, hawthorn
tea can normalize blood pressure and it can be
regarded as an antispasmodic. It tones the major
blood vessels and can be especially recommended
for anyone under major circulatory stress.

HIBISCUS
(Malva sylvestris)

The rich ruby color of hibiscus tea (sometimes

called malva tea) is a tonic to the eyes and the
stomach. One of the very richest flower sources

[ 61 ]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

of iron, copper and vitamin C, the tea is often

blended with rosehips to give added color and
extra flavor. Hibiscus tea is also regarded as a
�
mild antispasmodic and a nerve nourisher.
Hibiscus flowers are dried and desiccated to
provide one of the more recently discover,ed herb
teas. Its refreshing and astringent taste is as
easy on the palate as its bright color is on the
eyes. It is readily available in dried form, and
tea bags are available for convenience.
With modern packaging and processing of
herbal products to ensure that they are dried
effectively with all the ingredients intact, it is
possible to explore a much wider range of flavors
and tastes than one can grow in the backyard or
pick from the roadside. This enables the exotic
flavors and colors of far-off lands to be intro­
duced as new and delightful herb tea experiences.
Occasionally, new herb tea blends come onto the
market with hibiscus as an attractive and nour­
ishing ingredient. One especially delicious and
refreshing blend combines hibiscus with rosehips
and peppermint to brighten one's day.

HOPS
(Humulus lupulus)

Everyone knows about hops in beer. Fewer peo­

ple are aware that the same relaxant and calm-

[62]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

ing effects of hops can be gained by drinking tea

made from the flowers.
Beer brewed at home the old way, where fer­
mentation was not stopped artificially and the
beer was matured naturally on the yeast, was a
form of herbal beverage which had strong rec­
ommendations as a medicinal drink. But few peo­
ple realize that it is possible to get the calming
effect of one or two beers after work by having
one or two cups of hops tea instead, without any
of the alcoholic disturbance that goes with beer.
Long used as a herbal tea for sleeplessness,
, dried hops can also be used to make hops pillows,
small sachets which can be placed under your
pillow at night. The refreshing odor of the oil
from the hops can soothe your body's sleep reflexes
all night. Hops tea, drunk the last thing before
retiring, can do the same thing.
Hops contain phosphates of calcium, magnesium
and potassium. All these compounds act towards
releasing and relaxing body tensions. Two sub­
stances, humulone and lupulone, are bitter in­
gredients found in hops flowers and offering
special properties for toning the physical nervous
system. A cup of hops tea, or a blended sleeping
tea which contains hops flowers as one of its
ingredients, can be a highly preferred alterna­
tive to some sedatives.

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

HOREHOUND
(Marrubium vulgare)

This plant is a common pasture weed in Austral­

ia, North America and Europe. It is found in
uncultivated wasteland and grazing land. There
are two varieties, white and black. Both can be
readily used as herb teas, although this drink is
not a pleasant introduction to herb tea drinking.
It is extremely bitter and sufficiently astringent
to make it difficult for some people to swallow.
However, it has an age-old reputation as a coun­
try remedy for coughs and colds in the head and
chest. The fact that it is freely available in pas­
tures recommends it to many rural people.
In its dried form, horehound is often blended
with fenugreek, licorice and thyme as a bron­
chial tea to help loosen heavy mucus. Horehound
tea does not cure a cold, but it does speed up the
eliminatory process and powerfully tones the
mucous linings of the respiratory system.
To be more orally acceptable, horehound is bet­
ter blended with less bitter herbs. Its bitter resin,
marrubin, its content of fat and wax, and the
resinous oils which adhere to the respiratory mu­
cous linings make it a most powerful agent for
moving and loosening hard or congealed mucus.

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HUCKLEBERRY
(Vaecinium pennsyluanicum)

Purely an American plant, the huckleberry is

rarely used in other parts of the world. Drink the
tea as you would blueberry or black currant­
they are all tangy fruit teas. Mix and match
huckleberry with lemon and/or spice teas for a
variety of delightful flavors. In the winter, the
addition of a cinnamon stick to your hot brew
will provide a very warming beverage-in sum­
mer, added mint will provide cooling refreshment.
As with all teas brewed from berry fruits, vi­
tamin C and rutin are valuable nutrients found
in attendance. However, the quantities are not
sufficient for these teas to be regarded as sources
of therapeutic dosages of either nutrient. But for
day to day needs, the quantities present will be
found beneficial.

JASMINE
(Jasminium offreinale)

For many centuries the Orientals have highly

regarded jasmine tea as a special beverage with
two seemingly contrary effects. Some consider
the drink to offer mildly tranquilizing properties
to the nerves, others regard it as having special

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aphrodisiac properties. The dried petals of the

jasmine flowers and the leaves (from which the
tea is brewed) possess traces of alkalizing com­
pounds which could exert a mild sedating affect on
the body's nervous system. For this reason the
herb tea is traditionally regarded as an excellent
pre-meal beverage. In Western society, it may
prevent nervous indigestion.
Its sweet flower-taste makes it a pleasant tea
to offer guests after a meal, too, instead of the
usual coffee.

JUNIPER
(Juniperus communis)

The bluish-tinted berries of the juniper tree have

been used for centuries, mixed with other ingre­
dients, to make gin. Used as a herb tea, the
berries have a powerful stimulatory effect on kid­
ney function, urine secretion and fluid retention.
Many people with chronic edema (fluid retention)
can drink juniper tea regularly, but not heavily,
as a mild corrective for kidneys slow to secrete
urine, which causes fluid to be retained in the
body tissues.
As an evergreen shrub, juniper is widely in­
digenous throughout most of the Americas, Eu­
rope and Asia. It flowers each spring, but the
berries require two years to ripen to a dark pur­
ple, when they are ready for picking and drying.

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

Juniper berry tea is not to be drunk by the

bucketful! In fact, it is a tea to have only during
periods of fluid retention-say, one cup a day,
sipped slowly. As soon as the edematous swelling
reduces, the ankles return to normal size and the
wrists lose their lumpiness, it is better to discon­
tinue this tea.
One of its best home uses is as an immediate
treatment for cystitis. Many cystitis infections
originate in the kidneys rather than in the blad­
der. A cup ofjuniper tea taken every two to three
hours during a painful attack of cystitis can flush
out the kidneys and the entire urinary tract to
remove irritants and reduce infection. This flush­
ing action of the herb is its most specific attri­
bute. Logically then, its use should not be taken
to such an extreme that the kidneys are over­
worked.
Juniper is a significant source of potassium
and oily resins which adhere to kidney tissues,
taking this potassium with them. There is also a
balance of sodium salts to assist the potassium to
"pump" into the kidneys. Because the potassium
content is in higher proportion than is normally
found in the sodium/potassium ratio, it is not
wise to prolong juniper berry tea drinking past
the point where fluid retention has gone and
body tissues are back to normal.
A little barley water can be beneficially added
to juniper berry tea for relief from cystitis. This
mixture can be a boon to people suffering acute
symptoms, but if the condition does not clear
they would be wise to see a professional practi-

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

tioner for advice. If, in spite of juniper tea

drinking, fluid retention is still obvious, further
advice should always be sought.
Juniper berries can be beneficially added to
general diuretic mixtures of herbs. Juniper can
be found in most blended teas which are specific­
ally prepared for kidney and urinary function. In
these blends, the amount of juniper berries is
usually balanced so that there is not such a posi­
tive and powerful stimulus to kidneys as when
taken alone.

LEMON
(Citrus lirrwnia)

The common lemon is one of the best additives to

any herb tea. A slice of lemon naturally perks up
the flavor of a drink, but the oil in lemon rind
adds a special dimension to any herb tea-an
antiseptic quality. Lemon is often added to many
herb tea blends for a flavor boost, especially in
milder herb teas.
Lemon contains vitamins C, P and K and the
mineral calcium. This offers an excellent combi­
nation to stimulate the commencement of heal­
ing processes, and to assist in their continuation.
These nutrients also support the blood quality,
as well as aiding damaged tissue repair.

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

LEMON BALM
(Melissa officinalis)

Often called melissa, lemon balm is a native of

eastern Mediterranean countries and western
Asia. This herb was originally used in the Arab
world to make a tea which could produce a mild
perspiration. Under the thick, yet light, clothing
worn by the inhabitants of these countries, lemon
balm tea produced a marked cooling effect as
perspiration was promoted and then recondensed
to provide a water-jacket insulation effect.
Lemon balm is sometimes called "the scholar's
herb," although it is absolutely no use drinking a
cup of this tea just prior to a final examination!
One needs to drink it frequently while studying
to help clear the head and freshen the senses. It
is reputed to exercise a beneficial effect on the
memory and this could certainly help in prepara­
tion for an examination.
The taste of lemon balm tea is similar to that
of a sweet mint tea with a touch of added lemon.
When used in combination with other sweet­
flavored herb teas, it can be a pleasant taste
sensation for children of all ages.
The action of lemon balm lies in its balance of
the minerals sodium and chlorine. These com­
bine effectively to prevent excessive metabolite
loss during the process of perspiration. As a mild
digestive aid, lemon balm tea is especially bene­
ficial in hot weather, as well as being useful as a

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

refreshing, cooling drink to revive a "hot" head

and body.

LICORICE
(Glycyrrhiza glabra)

Deriving from a perennial plant growing wild in

the lower parts of Europe and Asia, the sweet
taste of licorice has become the confectionary fa­
vorite of many generations. The root and wood­
stock of the licorice plant provide the source of
the blackened delight on the faces, tongues and
fingers of virtually all children at some time in
their lives.
Licorice is a valuable source of iron salts and
is one of nature's gentlest and yet most effective
laxatives. When brewed into a tea, licorice re­
tains its important therapeutic properties and
also provides a very tasteful beverage which is
surprisingly sweet and "more-ish." In fact, it leaves
such a pleasant after-taste that many people find
it a most refreshing drink and very soothing for
the throat.
But the most valuable property of licorice tea
is its laxative power. Too many people, especially
children, develop the habit of not developing the
habit of regular bowel evacuations. Excuses such
as "it's inconvenient to take the time," or "I'll
miss something," or "the toilet is not clean in
public places when I'm away from home," or a

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

thousand and one other problems which often

give rise to constipation. Such "holding off' cre­
ates a dry bowel whose walls have removed so
much residual liquid from the feces (due to their
unduly long stay) that when the bowels finally
do move, straining and discomfort, even hemor­
rhoids and bleeding, can result. Licorice has a
softening effect on hard, compacted fecal matter.
Such a simple and pleasant therapeutic aid sur­
prises most people, but nature teaches us so often
that her simple abundance is there to be used.

LINDEN
(Tilia americana and
tilia europaea)

Both the European and American lime trees are

deciduous, often growing to well over one hun­
dred feet in height. Often known as linden trees,
they both produce leaves and flowers which have
long been employed for their herbal properties;
those of the American variety generally have
the stronger sedative, anti-depressant effect, while
the European leaves and flowers are milder, more
like chamomile in action.
This herb tea has a gentle flavor, is lightly
perfumed and makes an excellent late-afternoon
social drink over which the affairs of the day can
be discussed in a happy, relaxed atmosphere. This

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prepares one for the enjoyment of a nourishing

evening meal which of course is so much more
beneficial when the body is relaxed and its food
intake can be most efficiently assimilated, free
from any tension or turmoil.
This tea is especially pleasant in summer, for
it offers a delightful cooling effect on the throat
and body. Some people prefer to drink it cold in
summer, hot in winter. Whichever way it is con­
sumed, linden tea is a most desirable pre-dinner
drink. It can help the cares of the day slide away
as easily as the pleasant fluid slides down the
throat.

MATE
(]lex paraguariensis)

I remember my grandmother brewing her daily

pot of strong green mate tea, her white hair
shining and her blue eyes twinkling with fun.
She ascribed much of her energy and good health
(at eighty-four years of age) to drinking this strong
concoction every day. And never a day went by
when my grandmother was not working hard!
Mate tea has long been regarded as a safe,
general stimulant during periods of hard, physi­
cal work. However, it does contain small amounts
of caffeine and oxalic acid, so care should be
exercised in the frequency of its use. It is best
taken on its own because the flavor does not
blend easily.

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The mate bush is a native of the temperate

central area of South America-its botanical name
taken from the country in which it is most abun­
dant, Paraguay. It is a member of the holly fami­
ly, producing the characteristic small, reddish
holly berries and tiny white flowers. But it is the
leaves and, occasionally, the stems from which
the characteristic mate tea is made-the drink
which has become known as the equivalent of
coffee in terms of its stimulating properties. The
strong, bitter/astringent brew is the regular drink
of the tough, outdoor, high-country dwellers of
Paraguay, northern Argentina and southern Bra­
zil. You too will find that a cup of mate tea tones
up the muscles, especially the smooth muscle of
the heart.
Like many plants native to high altitudes, mate,
when brewed into a tea, supports oxygen flow
around the body. It also supplies salts of iron and
potassium from which the muscles of the body
derive added energy. Adding a pinch of vegetable
salt or a slice of lemon to this tonic restorative
tea will greatly improve the flavor for people
who do not normally drink such strong brews.

NETTLE
(Urtica dioica)

Everyone knows the acid sting of the common

nettle. But this plant has many valuable proper-

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

ties which far outweigh its discomforting reputa­

tion.
The dried, green leaves of this common peren­
nial make a very useful herb tea for people with
low blood pressure, anemia and other symptoms
of lack of good arterial blood flow in the body. An
"arterial tonic" is an appropriate way to describe
nettle tea.
Another of our "civilized" plants, nettle grows
almost everywhere. It is to be found around
barnyards and home paddocks, along roadsides
and against fences, in fact almost every block of
wasteland will be seen to support some common
nettle in nearly every country of the world. But
nettle needs plenty of moisture and a soil con­
taining adequate animal manure and/or organic
matter to grow to its dark green, medicinal best.
The stinging hairs of the nettle are no longer a
human hazard once the plant has been cut and
dried in preparation for its brewing into herb tea
or its equally valuable use as a herbal ointment.
Fresh nettles can be used as a brew for herb tea,
or perhaps lightly steamed as a green vegetable.
Once hot water has been added, the sting of the
nettle is inactivated, as the carbonic and formic
acids are quickly broken down into harmless com­
pounds.
Nettle contains iron and phosphorus and is an
excellent source of both these minerals. Howev­
er, care should be taken not to drink quantities
of nettle tea if one tends towards hypertension.
Nettle tea can increase blood pressure and is

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

more suitable for tired people with poor circula­

tion than for overwrought, tense worriers.

PAPAYA
(Carica papaya)

One of the most popular warm-climate fruits,

known everywhere around the world, is the pa­
paya. In some countries, it is called "paw paw,"
but wherever it is grown, it is consumed with
avid enjoyment. Papaya is a tropical and sub­
tropical fruit tree with huge, green leaves and
yellow-golden fruit. It is easy to grow, easy to
harvest and extremely nutrient-rich, both in fruit
and leaves.
Although not regarded as one of the most pop­
ular herb teas, papaya leaf tea has many valu­
able properties for therapeutic employment. It is
a strongly astringent tea with an anti-parasitic
and vermicidal action. In being effective at kill­
ing off many varieties of intestinal worms, pa­
paya leaf tea is especially beneficial to people
living in tropical climates. It is as though nature
intended us to employ her "local" products, for
intestinal parasites are far more prevalent in
tropical regions, which is where papaya trees
abound.
Travellers in Asian, African and some Latin
countries often find they must restrict their food

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

intake to guard against parasitic invasion. In

some countries, no matter how careful you are,
intestinal upsets will occur, as most visitors to
Mexico have discovered, for instance. Always take
along some papaya leaf tea and drink a cup of it
at least once a day when traveling through such
regions. It is the best insurance you can have.

PARSLEY
(Petroselinum crispum or
petroselinum sativum)

So many varieties of parsley are grown and occur

naturally in almost every country of the world
that it is impossible to consider each one indi­
vidually. But therapeutically, only two varieties
are strongly medicinal-the common curled and,
even stronger, the Italian straight-leaf varieties.
There is so much of almost every nutrient and
so many therapeutic properties in parsley that it is
hard to give an order of preference for its virtues.
Parsley leaf contains vitamins B, C and E, the
alkalizing minerals calcium, iron and potassi­
um, as well as the appetite and digestive stimu­
lants, apiol and apiine. The potassium salts are
responsible for making parsley leaf tea a power­
ful diuretic and a strong heart, kidney and liver
tonic.
No matter how parsley is taken, whether as a
vegetable, garnish or herb tea, it is sometimes the

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

most nutritious part of the meal. Parsley is such

a strong tonic to the body that it should not be
drunk to excess; every day is too much. Body
fluids are stimulated to move more rapidly and
there is strong excitation of nerve plexuses right
thru the body, improving the quality of the
messages carried. Arthritis sufferers may find
that parsley tea gives them more positive excre­
tion of uric acid and stimulates kidney function
generally. The improvement in the pain of the
disease can be an added benefit as nerve reac­
tions are strengthened.
Parsley leaf tea may be used as a "blood tonic."
For any disease where blood quality is less than
good, it can be drunk every few days until there
is improvement. Of course, it is only a general
support for such diseases which will certainly
need therapeutic correction as well. Eating the
fresh green sprigs of parsley with a meal lessens
the need for parsley leaf tea.

PENNYROYAL
(Mentha pulegium)

Wrongly classed by many herb books as "an abor­

tive," pennyroyal appears to have developed a
reputation based on ignorance and supposition.
It will most certainly not help to terminate a
pregnancy, but if a period is missed due to a
chill, a shock, emotional trauma, even fatiguing

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travel, pennyroyal tea can restore the usual

menstrual flow by gently adjusting hormones back
to normal.
A native of northern Europe, pennyroyal is a
perennial which grows best in moist shade. It is
a creeping plant, giving off a characteristic, pleas­
ant aroma and producing clusters of smallish,
purple flower stems in summer. The complete
plant lends itself to drying for herb tea prepara­
tion, with a mint-like flavor and a pleasant cool­
ness to the palate.
Pennyroyal tea should not be used on a regu­
lar basis. It offers specific benefits for occasional
therapeutic use and should be drunk mainly for
its corrective properties. A cup of pennyroyal tea
taken each day of the week prior to the usual
commencement of a period has helped many
women who have suffered from pre-menstrual
tension and cramps. For children, its mild anti­
depressant properties can also be of benefit if
taken only occasionally. Its pleasant flavor might
tempt you to drink · it more often, but always
treat it as a purely medicinal beverage.

PEPPERMINT
(Mentha piperita)

The strongest in flavor of all the mint family,

peppermint has a flavor most people know well
and enjoy. The plant is easy to grow, likes sun

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and moisture, but dies back and disappears in

the winter months.
Peppermint is a hybrid perennial plant origi­
nating in the cooler temperate regions of North
America and Europe, although it is now found
throughout the world as a cultivated herb. The
leaves lend themselves perfectly to herb tea brew­
ing, either fresh or dried. However, as the fresh
leaves are not readily available in winter or
spring, the dried form can always be found in
health food stores.
As a hot beverage in winter, or as a cool drink
or the base for a fruit punch in summer, pepper­
mint is easily one of the most popular of all herb
teas. It is sold in tea bags, loose, or as a basis of
blended herb teas, and is also available in the
modem form of an instant tea. But the risk with
instantizing is that some of the valuable and
characteristic menthol oil will be lost during the
process.
As a settler for overloaded, windy stomachs,
peppermint tea has no equal. After that business
lunch, the birthday party or that enormous annual
gorge-the Christmas dinner-sit back and sip a
cup of freshly brewed peppermint tea. Its menthol
oil is a valuable digestive enzyme stimulant,
which also leaves the palate feeling freshened.
Combined with alfalfa, its digestive benefits are
accentuated-hence the deserved popularity of
alfalfa-mint tea after a meal.
Hot peppermint tea can be a marvellous drink
for anyone suffering from �he clogged head that
goes with a cold or influenza. Children, especial-

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

ly, respond to its powerful menthol cleansing ac­

tion when they feel their breathing become easier
and their upper sinuses, respiratory passages and
throat begin to clear. The addition of a slice of
lemon and/or a small spoon of honey will further
increase the palatability of this already-pleasant
herb tea.

RASPBERRY
(Rubus striqosus or
Rubus idaeus)

These slightly different varieties of raspberry bush

offer leaves which brew into a very useful herb
tea. The former variety is found primarily through­
out North America and is distinguished by its
prickly stems; the latter is indigenous to Europe
and has few, if any, prickles. Both varieties grow
wild in untended fields and forests, producing a
red, summer-ripening fruit. The leaves of the
wild raspberry produce the best tea.
For centuries raspberry leaf tea has been a
well known and oft-used support for pregnant
women. A cup of this tea each day during the
first few months of pregnancy can provide folic
acid, iron and copper salts, plus vitamin A and C
in good proportion. Raspberry leaf tea can often
remove the tendency towards morning sickness.
During the last few months of pregnancy, rasp­
berry leaf tea tones and strengthens the pelvic

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muscles and ligaments to help with an easy, nor­

mal birth. Should a rash appear around your
pregnant middle, you could be taking too much
of this herb tea! Curb your enthusiasm and re­
duce the number of cups you drink each day.
Raspberry leaf tea can also help overcome pro­
lapse of the uterus in older women or in those
who have a structurally tired uterus from child­
bearing traumas. This tea has an affinity for the
ligaments which support the uterus, tightening,
toning and strengthening them.
Other than for its pleasant taste, this herb tea
offers little value to males-it is, therapeutical­
ly, a ladies' beverage.

RED CLOVER
(Trifolium praetense)

Sometimes known as "wild clover," this plant is

commonly found in meadows and fields through­
out many of the world's temperate countries. It is
a perennial, with deep red flowers (although some­
times they appear paler and in some varieties
are even whitish). It is the clusters of small flow­
ers of the deep crimson type from which the herb
tea can be brewed.
The strong, metallic flavor of red clover tea
results from its high concentration of iron and
copper salts. These minerals make it a vital blood
tonic, as well as being an important blood cleans-

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er. Red clover tea can improve the blood's hemo­

globin levels and the size and number of blood
platelets. It can be a helpful tonic for a spleen
which is below par.
Taken in medicinal strength of tincture or ex­
tract, red clover can be a powerful herb, exerting
a positive effect on certain toxic symptoms. For
this reason, it has long been used in clinical
treatment where cysts of various types have been
diagnosed. However, as a herb tea it is much
gentler and more suitable for regular inner cleans­
ing. It can be taken each day, over a period of
several weeks, to cleanse the female reproduc­
tive system. I would recommend this course of
tea no more than twice a year, or an occasional
cup, as desired, between your other favorite herb
teas.

ROSEHIPS
(Rosa canina)

For availability, economy and taste, rosehips tea

has to top the bill! It ruby-red color and its berry­
like aroma make it sensually refreshing taken
either hot or cold. As a winter drink, served
piping hot with a wedge of lemon and a pinch of
ground cloves or cinnamon, it is stimulating and
restorative. In summer the cold tea can be di­
luted and served with peppermint leaves, lemon
and ice. Really refreshing!
The hips from the Australian variety of the

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dog rose (Rosa rubiginosa) can also be success­

fully used to make tea.
Iron and copper compounds are found in rosehips
tea, together with a type of vitamin C which
actually needs the heat of water just off the boil
to free it from its resin-clad molecular bond. There
is plenty of this vitamin available from one cup
of rosehips tea, enough to make its daily use a
good supplementary source of vitamin C.
As rosehips is technically a berry-type fruit,
vitamins P and K are also found in it. These help
to maintain blood quality and normal viscosity,
as well as providing a general circulatory tonic.
Rosehips tea_ .can replace that habitual cup of
coffee as a stimulant for adrenal glands in a
mid-morning or mid-afternoon tea break. Many
people find that their need for many cups of
coffee daily drops quite remarkably when rosehips
tea is drunk regularly. Indeed, rosehips tea is a
good herb tea to try as a pleasant introduction to
the huge range of teas to be investigated. It can
be sipped by young and old alike, especially during
a cold or a viral infection, but because of its
adrenal stimulus it is not such a good tea for
late-night use. Serve it as a pick-me-up during
daytime energy slumps.

ROSEMARY
(Rosemarinus officinalis)

Have you ever wondered why rosemary is the

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

plant-symbol for remembrance? A better name

for it would be "the memory herb." Rosemary
stimulates brain function through its strongly
aromatic oils, which penetrate directly to the
brain's memory-stimulus cells. As with lemon
balm, rosemary will be of little use to y<>;u drunk
only on the eve of an examination. The secret is
to drink it regularly for months beforehand, to
stimulate comprehension and memory recall.
Many people are familiar with the dark green
opposite leaves of the rosemary shrub. Its woody
upright bushy stems and leaves enable it to with­
stand a vast variety of climatic conditions. This
makes it a favorite of home herb-growers.
Restrain yourself with rosemary! If you pick it
as often as you want to use its leaves, you will
not have any rosemary bush left to admire before
long. Buy some dried rosemary leaves for tea
brewing, and pick fresh leaves from your bush on
special occasions.
Rosemary tea is a cheerful drink, ideal after a
hard day of outdoor muscular activity. Drink it
after gardening or exercise because it is an effec­
tive muscle-relaxant, acting through the sympa­
thetic nervous system.
Here is another excellent use for rosemary:
after brewing your tea, tip all the residue from
the teapot into your bathwater to relax mus­
cles which might protest after a strenuous day of
hard work or exercise.
On that special culinary occasion, the added
touch of fresh rosemary is piquant and appetiz­
ing. Add dried or fresh rosemary leaves to steam-

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ing vegetables, exotic casseroles or slow-cooking

meats. This is a favorite flavor of Mediterranean
chefs, in whose part of the world rosemary is
indigenous. Add rosemary leaves to chicken-in-a­
frypan, or to egg dishes.
You will find it easy and enjoyable to become a
rosemary fan, for the relaxing properties of this
special herb can be used in many ways.

SAGE
(Salvia officinalis)

With rosemary as the memory tonic and muscle

relaxant of the body, sage is a close working
partner, for it acts directly through the tissues of
the brain and the eye to support memory clarity
by strengthening the thinking processes. If there
is to be any hope of your achieving the wisdom of
Solomon, sage tea could be your salvation.
The therapeutic action of sage in the body is
often overlooked. For too long it has been rele­
gated to the kitchen when actually it has greater
effectiveness in the study or living room. As a
seasoning to mix with maljoram or thyme, sage
is well known in stuffing mixtures for poultry
and game, but do not overlook it as a valuable
aid to mental alertness, especially to prolong such
faculties in old age.
None of us can retard the inevitability of ac­
cumulating years, but we do not have to equate

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added years with declining mental processes. In­

deed, the reverse should apply-and sage tea can
materially assist in ensuring that it does.
The more a person is engaged in intensive
mental activity, the more benefit will be derived
from converting one's beverage choice to sage
tea. This tea is most beneficial when brewed
from the dried leaves because when dried they
increase in strength and potency. Its aromatic
oils and strong resinous substances become even
more strongly active in bodily tissue.
While the Scottish custom of eating sage leaves
on bread and butter as between-meal snacks would
have some relation to the ready availability of
the plant from the backyard, it has perhaps
contributed to the reputation of Scottish heads
for accumulating a notable degree of wisdom.
The Chinese also used sage in the same way-to
increase the ability of the brain in its perceptive
and receptive learning processes. As an everyday
beverage, the ancient Chinese often preferred sage
to what we now know as "China tea."
The regular drinking of sage tea is unneces­
sary if you are a vital, alert and "with it"
eighty-year-old who is looking forward to the
future and searching for a large home near a
school! But if you are a listless, discontented
eighteen-year-old, then a few cups of sage tea
each day may help dust away those cerebral layers
of lethargy and apathy.
For students who are studying intensely, the
drinking of sage tea throughout their academic
year can be subtly supportive as a brain nour-

[86]
 THE HERB TEA BOOK

isher. But, as with lemon balm and rosemary

teas, a cup half an hour before the examination
is going tO do you no more good than to assist
with urination!
Sage should be regarded as "the wise person's
tea" or "the thinker's tea." No matter what your
age, sage's brain-supportive properties can be ben­
eficial. Too many Westerners use old age as an
excuse, often when they are still in their thirties.

SARSAPARILLA
, (Smilax officinalis)

Many sarsaparillas have medicinal uses, but the

Jamaican variety is herbally the best. It is a trop­
ical perennial plant which throws out vine-like
branches, the tendrils of which facilitate climb­
ing and allow its delicate green flowers to blos­
som over an extensive area.
What a complexity of important therapeutic
properties this plant possesses. Its chemical bounty
includes valuable hormone stimulants for both
men and women. I have prescribed it hundreds of
times for both sexes whenever reproductive prob­
lems, related to low or inefficient hormonal pro­
duction or distribution, are apparent. Ladies with
heart-rending difficulties trying to fall pregnant,
with dry vaginas, pubertal acne, menopausal de­
pression and period change, early aging, adrenal
insufficiency, etc, can all benefit from drinking
sarsaparilla tea. So, too, can men with low sperm

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counts or prostate insufficiency, or with any

symptoms related to hormone imbalance, benefit
from sarsaparilla tea as part of their treatment.
It is important to note here that I would not
advise the drinking of sarsaparilla tea as the
only or complete therapy for such conditions thus
far described. Rather should it be supportive of
the primary treatment-dietary and/or therapeu­
tic adjustment.
For many people, sarsaparilla tea induces quite
a laxative effect. For this reason, it should rarely
be drunk as an everyday therapeutic aid. Two to
four times a week will usually provide best sup­
port for the body's efforts to balance its hormone
production and distribution.

SASSAFRAS
(Sassafras officinale)

This herb is incorporated into many herb tea

blends for laxative use. It is also widely used in
many herbal laxative mixtures.
Sassafras is an unusual herb tea because it
is made from the bark of a tall tree. This rough,
greyish bark has been peeled from the native
sassafras trees of North America for countless
centuries by the American Indians, who have
long been aware of its laxative properties. Some
Indians still brew the occasional cup of sassafras
tea to keep themselves regular.

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In practice, we find the laxative properties of

sassafras derive from its strong resins and oils.
These are valuable in assisting to overcome the
dryness of many Western bowels, often the key
to their sluggishness. But care should be taken
jn the frequency with which sassafras tea is con­
sumed, for these resins and oils tend to remain
in the bowel for long periods and can actually
overdo their job by becoming sources of irrita­
tion.
The lack of natural lubrication and inadequate
fibrous residues in the bowel are frequent causes
of straining to move one's bowels. This may con­
tribute toward the formation of bowel fissures
and hemorrhoids. Sassafras tea, if mildly brewed
and drunk occasionally, can be gently supportive
in restoring the natural peristaltic movement of
the lower intestine, re-establishing easier bowel
habits.
The laxative properties of sassafras tea are, in
my professional experience, of more desirable ben­
efit when balanced with a blend of other teas
with laxative properties, such as licorice and/or
senna. This will allow a broader laxative effect.
Even the best therapeutic agents can be over­
done. If constipation persists, consult a health
practitioner.
Sassafras bark possesses reasonable quantities
of iron salts, which are important to the blood
. because they help to provide rapid oxygen for the
body's energy needs. But it is a herb which should
be handled carefully and in moderation and used
only for its therapeutic laxative effects rather

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than its mineral properties, which are secondary

benefits.

SENNA
(Cassia acutifolia)
Alexandrian Senna
(Cassia marilantica)
American or Wild Senna

Perhaps the oldest laxative in recorded history,

senna has two source variations. Alexandrian
senna is a small shrub, native to eastern Medi­
terranean and northern African countries. This
yellow-flowering plant grows to some 2 feet in
height and is especially well known in Arabic
regions. American or wild senna is native to the
eastern United States, where it grows wild and
reaches a height of up to 5 feet. It has adapted to
the richer soils of the region, reflected in its
greater stature, but is unaffected in its medicinal
properties which remain identical to the Asian
variety.
Older civilizations became familiar with the
cathartic properties of senna as a means of re­
lieving their bowels following their indulgences
in overeating during those occasional times of
abundant food. It was also found useful in rid­
ding the bowels of intestinal worms.

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Today, senna is used in much the same way as

sassafras. It is most commonly found in herb tea
blends designed for laxative application. The
leaves are dried and mixed together with ground
pods of the senna plant for best therapeutic use.
It is non habit-forming and does not have to be
increased in strength to maintain a firm laxative
effect in cases of stubborn constipation. In chronic
cases it is always best to investigate the causes
of such constipation.
Senna tea is regarded as the safest laxative for
use during pregnancy, if constipation occurs. It
should not gripe or produce contractions in the
abdomen, which could be dangerous for the
mother-to-be.

SLIPPERY ELM BARK

( Ulmus fulva)

Many and varied are the extravagant claims made

for slippery elm bark. Anything from an unwanted
pregnancy to an hiatal hernia has traditionally
had it prescribed. In its powdered form, slippery
elm bark has afforded such beneficial relief for
many people's ulcerous or irritated stomach or
bowel linings that the abatement of pain has led
them to attribute quite imaginative powers to
the powdered bark of the tall, deciduous elm
tree.
In powdered form, slippery elm bark contains

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such a high percentage of mucilage that it pro­

vides an effective coating of the entire gastroin­
testinal tract-from the throat to the anus. This
soothing film contains valuable calcium salts,
plus sugars and starches to support the healing
processes of the gastrointestinal tract under its
protective cover. But such powerful support is
not so available when slippery elm is taken as a
beverage.
In the form of an herbal tea, slippery elm of­
fers a very mild application of the pain-relieving,
soothing properties of its presence. Similar to
marshmallow tea, this tea contains small amounts
of mucilaginous properties which, although not
sufficient to provide effective coating of badly
ulcerated or irritated gastric or intestinal linings,
can nevertheless confer sufficient pain relief as
to be highly recommended as part of the treat­
ment. This tea is quite safe for home use to drink
as often as is reasonably desired, but if any gas­
trointestinal pain persists or recurs, professional
guidance should be obtained.

SPEARMINT
(Mentha viridis)

Spearmint is almost identical to other mints in

its action within the body. The dried leaves of
this plant, which is common to most gardens
throughout the world, infuse into a most palat-

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able herb tea. This is one of the most useful and

effective drinks for counteracting flatulence after
a large meal and for cooling and refreshing the
body in summer.
The cooling and cleansing effect of the taste of
spearmint on the tongue might tempt those who
fiercely reject the more unusual flavors of other
herb teas. It is ideal for finicky palates and espe­
cially for children-they relish its crisp flavor.
Apart from its therapeutic benefits, spearmint
tea makes a most pleasant drink by itself, or as a
base for more elaborate drinks. It can be pre­
pared hot in the morning for a stimulating drink
or it can be cooled for a refreshing midday bev­
erage. Its delightful flavor can provide an excel­
lent base for mixing with fruit juices, fruit punches
or vegetable juices. It should appeal to children
on a hot afternoon after school or after a day of
intense sports activities.
As an introductory herb tea, I would strongly
recommend spearmint for those non-believers who
have not yet taken a voyage of discovery into the
new world of herb tea drinking. This is a most
palatable means of starting their adventures, by
"turning on" to one of nature's most refreshing
drinks.

SPEEDWELL
(Veronica officinalis)

Originally native to Europe, speedwell IS now

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 THE HERH TEA BOOK

widely found throughout most temperate coun­

tries, in meadows and wooded areas. It is quite
abundant in eastern United States and in cen­
tral Europe and Scandinavia, where its employ­
ment as a herb tea has the longest history.
Hungary and Czechoslovakia are, perhaps, the
two most ancient homes of speedwell tea.
Its general therapeutic usefulness makes speed­
well tea a popular beverage. One might almost
call it an ideal everyday beverage and general
tonic. Similar to elder flowers in its herbal prop­
erties, speedwell is a mild physical stimulant,
although rather non-specific in its action. Its gen­
tle tonic effects make speedwell an excellent al­
ternative to conventional tea drinking.
Containing many organic acids, such as tartar­
ic, citric, acetic and lactic acids, speedwell tea
derives its stimulating properties from its effect
on the body's nerve and muscular systems. Be­
cause of this, it would be wise to suggest that
this tea not be drunk in limitless quantities. But
then, no tea, herbal or otherwise, should be drunk
in limitless quantities; variety is essential.
The rather bland but pleasant taste of speed­
well tea allows it to be regarded as a good kitchen
standby. Whenever you feel just a little below
par, reach for the packet and brew yourself a
cup; then allow yourself the privilege of a few
moments relaxation in a comfortable chair to
enjoy it.

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

TANSY
(Tanacetum vulgare)

Extreme caution should be exercised in the use

of this herb tea. It is, in fact, a very powerful
kidney stimulant and should be used only under
professional guidance-frequent drinking oftansy
tea, if brewed strongly, could be dangerous.
An aromatic perennial herb, tansy is identified
by its curious flowers which have the appearance
of a yellow daisy with the petals stripped, leav­
ing only the center. The plant is native to tem­
perate Europe and North America, growing to a
height of 2-3 feet. The entire plant is harvested,
dried and prepared for use as herb tea. It should
never be used ip. its fresh state because its chem­
ical contents are far too powerful for the body.
The Scots have traditionally used a sprig of
tansy in the preparation of the haggis because it
is a valuable herb for killing parasites that may
remain in the lining of sheep's stomach (in which
the haggis is prepared).
The application of a powerful herb, such as
tansy, should only be undertaken with the direc­
tion of a qualified herbal practitioner. Although
this remedy is very effective in the treatment of
intestinal worms, tansy is so powerful that one
could easily become over-enthusiastic in its ap­
plication, thereby causing possible harm to the
kidneys. The high concentration of potassium salts
in tansy can cause a definite diuretic effect which

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

is intensified by the presence of the glycoside

tanacetin. But in moderation, tansy tea can be
quite helpful for some people in assisting kid­
neys which might be laboring to excrete excess
uric acid.
Also present in tansy are organic acids which
reinforce its diuretic properties. These acids con­
tribute to the unusual, rather bitter flavor of
tansy as a tea. Fortunately, the flavor is often a
deterrent to the habitual drinking of tansy tea.
Unless your practitioner advises to the contrary,
safeguard yourself against the harshness of tansy
by drinking it no more than twice a week; and
then only if you feel the need for its particular
therapeutic properties.

THYME
(Thymus vulgaris)

The common or garden thyme, though well known

as a culinary herb, is somewhat unfamiliar in its
tea form. Thyme is one of the most powerfully
aromatic of all herbs, containing oils and resins
which volatilize when subjected to the heat of
boiling water. So strongly do they penetrate into
nasal and throat cavities on drinking the tea
that you might gasp at the breath-catching flav­
or.
Thyme is one of the most cultivated of all herbs.
It is present in many gardens throughout the

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world, recognized as a tiny shrub, growing only

up to a foot in height. It blossoms throughout
most of summer with a purplish cluster of tiny
flowers. The leaves and the stems are dried for
making into thyme tea.
The oil content of the thyme plant varies from
20 to 25 percent. The predominant oil is thymol,
which is found useful in a great many household
antiseptics. Carracol is another oil present-this
is the major oil in caraway seeds. Pinene-an oil
present in all members of the pine tree family-is
also found in thyme, as is menthol, the refresh­
ing oil found in mints.
With these four strong oils present it is little
wonder that thyme has such a powerful aroma. If
you find this tea to be too strong, dilute it with a
suitable quantity of hot water after the tea is
made. Many people find that a 50/50 dilution is
the most desirable. But for therapeutic purposes,
a stronger concentration will induce the most
desirable results.
For sore throats and catarrh of the lower res­
piratory tract, thyme tea is highly desirable in
affording prompt relief. However, if the problem
persists, be sure to seek the advice. of a qualified
practitioner. For singers, teachers and actors, for
all who use their voice constantly or powerfully,
I do not hesitate to recommend they drink thyme
tea. When the vocal cords tire at the end of the
day and the throat becomes tense and constrict­
ed, making it susceptible to invasion by all
manner of bacteria and viruses, thyme tea should
be on hand. It is not necessarily recommended

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for drinking every day, but before and during

periods of overuse of the voice, thyme tea can be
remarkably supportive.
Slightly diluted thyme tea is also useful as a
throat gargle. Whenever you feel hoarse, when­
ever your throat is sore or irritated, you can find
this gargle relieving-use it often at such times.
Do not waste the remains of your thyme tea.
The soggy residues make an excellent toilet flush,
for the antiseptic oils they contain are power­
fully germicidal. They can also be tipped into
outside drains and vents to keep them smelling
"sweet."

VALERIAN
(Valeriana offu:inalis)

It is always a difficult choice to determine which

herb tea is the best. Although "the best" is dif­
ferent under varying circumstances, it would be
hard to overlook valerian's claim to being one of
the most valuable of all herb teas.
There is almost total agreement on the un­
pleasantness of the rather fetid odor (someone
once likened it to the smell of dirty feet in a
stuffy gymnasium) and the taste of valerian tea.
This has been known to stop a great many people
from using it. But if you are in need of its valu­
able properties, why continue to crave for only
the niceties? Sometimes the medicine is unavoid-

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

ably slightly unpleasant. Sadly, in practice, I

have found many people who refuse to try a
small and marginally difficult change, preferring
to accept the long-term chronic illnesses which
valerian tea might, in the early stages, help to
prevent.
Common to northern Europe and northeastern
USA, valerian is a wild, perennial plant, the
root of which contains its sought-after herbal
properties. It prefers a humid climate, where the
ground temperature is cool for most of the year.
Valerian grows well under these conditions, es-
, pecially with its roots under a stone.
The odor of dried valerian root is indeed pene­
_trating. It should be stored in tightly stoppered
jars; away from foods which are known to absorb
odors. The process of drying valerian root is very
time-consuming. It can take as long as four years,
contributing to its rather high cost. When this
drying has been completed, the root is generally
regarded as safe for human use, but in its fresh
state it can be classified as dangerous to human
health. So the process of drying has to be care­
fully monitored to ensure that all necessary chem­
ical changes have taken place.
As a natural sedative, valerian tea stands on
its own, but it is definitely not habit-forming. A
cup of valerian tea before bed does three impor­
tant things: its magnesium phosphate relaxes
spasms and cramps in the muscles; its calcium
phosphate relaxes the internal organs; its potas­
sium phosphate relaxes general nerves, to release
tension throughout the body. A cup of warm va-

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 THE HERB TEA BOOK

lerian tea before bed can bring relaxing sleep,

from which one can awaken refreshed. It is also
important to note that the quantity of valerian
tea does not need to be progressively increased
to maintain the same tranquilizing effect.
There is only one proviso against its use-if
you have recently suffered from liver problems,
such as viral infection or hepatitis, your liver
could be very sensitive and might cause you to
feel nauseous when drinking valerian tea. This
can be caused by an increase in bile flow, which
valerian can sometimes induce. Do not persevere
with valerian if the nausea persists.
Many people who suffer from hypertension,
cramps, muscular twitching or any other symp­
tom of "up-tightness" receive a mild surprise on
drinking their first few cups of valerian tea. After
each cupful they feel somewhat listless, a sensa­
tion they erroneously interpret as tiredness. This
is not so. What they are experiencing, perhaps
for the first time, is genuine relaxation! As they
grow to accept their body's need for occasional
daily relaxing, they can monitor such processes
without interpreting relaxation as tiredness.
For children who are buzzing about happily
and actively, experiencing life in all its wonder­
ment, valerian tea is most certainly not suggested
Their ability to express naturally and vigorously
during the day should induce them to sleep deeply
and relaxed. They should then awaken next morn­
ing full of energy. However, if the child is
hyperactive and finds it difficult to unwind be-

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fore bed, a cup of the milder chamomile tea can

be a preferred alternative.
For hypertensive adults who cannot sit still for
a minute, who wear out their bodies with the
intensity of nervous energy dissipated in many
directions at once, valerian tea can be a boon. It
can be an ally against the processes of premature
deterioration and disease due to nervous tension.
Even the strongest bodies can break down under
the strain of constant over-work.
Remember, valerian is a "medicinal" tea. You
will need to experiment a little to discover your
most suitable level of application. The concentra­
tion of the beverage and the frequency of its
partaking will depend on your personal needs. If
at all uncertain, seek the advice of a consulting
herbalist with clinical experience in prescribing
valerian.

WILD STRAWBERRY
(Fragaria vesca)

Properties of the leaves of the wild strawberry

are similar in every therapeutic way to those of
the raspberry vine. There are also close climatic
and horticultural similarities in that both plants
prefer the colder northern climates of America,
Europe and Asia and have similar growth cycles.
Leaves of both plants can be brewed to make
tasty and therapeutically beneficial herb teas,

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but the wild strawberry has some special proper­

ties which are important to consider.
Leaves of the wild strawberry plant have been
held in high esteem by herbalists for many cen- .
turies because of their special affinity to certain
parts of the female anatomy. When brewed into
an herb tea, these leaves provide important
minerals for the strengthening of ligament struc­
tures which hold female suspended organs in place
in the pelvic region. Especially after too many
children, repeated miscarriages or constantly
heavy menstrual periods does the uterus tire and
drop. Medical treatment for uterine prolapse is
often radical surgery, sometimes without recourse
to possible natural alternatives. Surgery should
be regarded as the last resort, for often a mineral­
rich, low-toxicity diet, supported by two or three
cups of wild strawberry leaf tea each day, can
provide gradual corrective properties.
For the male body, where pelvic ligament weak­
ness has resulted in an inguinal hernia, the same
dosage of wild strawberry leaf tea can afford
important assistance to the body's healing actions.
Such treatments, for both male and female, can
be continued almost indefinitely, for this tea has
no harmful properties. However, it is important
to note that the therapeutic aspects of wild straw­
berry leaf tea do not prevail if cultivated straw­
berry leaves are used. In cultivated varieties,
most of the nourishment is transferred into the
fruit, which makes it a highly desirable addition
to any diet.

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YARROW

(Achillea mille{olium)

Our last tea, made from yarrow leaves, is my

personal favorite. Almost any symptoms of ill­
ness I might personally experience can be re­
moved by yarrow tea. It is not a panacea for all,
although its common names, such as "all-heal"
and "soldier's herb" should indicate that it can
defend you against many of the slings and ar­
rpws of your day-to-day existence.
The habit of growth of yarrow is really delight­
ful. It is a perennial and is found in all sorts of
cracks and crevices, meadows and gardens through­
out the world. Often known as "milfoil," its pink
or white heads of daisy-like clustered flowers in
late summer make a most decorative addition to
any garden rockery. However, one small garden­
ing problem with yarrow is its tendency to spread
and creep, attempting to take over the entire
garden with a little too much vigor. You can
then dig up some of it as gifts for your friends
or for drying to brew into tea. So long as a small
piece of root remains in the soil, it will grow
again into a flourishing plant.
As a tea, yarrow can be effectively used for
those days when you have the feeling that your
load seems impossible. I know that many of you
will say this happens every day of your life, but
this is stretching it rather a little too far. For

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those days when your load is over-heavy, when

your ability to get through the day is going to
take every last bit of adrenal energy, endurance,
· stamina, will-power and down-right cussedness
that you possess, fortify yourself with a morning
cup of yarrow tea.
The tonic effect of yarrow is indeed powerful.
Its composition of iron salts and organic acids is
complex, but its effect is observable, even as soon
as a few minutes after the first cupful. I regard it
as a crutch for temporary support during the
period when confidence in one's ability to suc­
cessfully complete a day's task is low. Here, you
can recognize its application to "soldiering on!"
You can also realize that its employment should
not be a daily affair, otherwise something is amiss
with your thinking, your life-style or your organ-
·

izing ability.
Yarrow tea should be an occasional beverage,
taken when the going gets tough. Then, you
should not think of it again until the next "im­
possible" day occurs. Hepefully, you should rec­
ognize your need to direct your attention to
correcting your life-style or your organizing of it
so that these days occur less and less regularly.
Care should be exercised when taking yarrow
tea. Some women have missed a menstrual pe­
riod after drinking yarrow tea for two or three
days. Other people have experienced the sensa­
tion of a dry mouth after drinking this beverage.
Both occurrences reflect 'its astringent properties.
It should be regarded as an occasional "pick-me­
up" only.

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Exceptions to this rule of moderation apply

only to people recuperating from an enervating
sickness or for those who have a mammoth task
ahead of them. Then, I might suggest yarrow tea
as a regular drink over a few weeks. But once
the recovery has taken place or the task is ac­
complished, this beverage should not be needed.
It can be especially beneficial to people recover­
ing from severe viral infections or from such
debilitating diseases as to keep them incapaci­
tated for a period. Likewise, for anyone with a
mountain to climb, a long voyage to sail, a huge
job to be completed on time or any other excep­
tional activity, yarrow tea can provide strong
support. But remember it will only support your
effort; it will not provide the effort without you.

[ 105]
 SELECTED REFERENCES
& ADDITIONAL READING

Angier, Bradford. Field Guide to Medicinal Wild Plants.

Stackpole Books, 1978.
Back, Philippa. Choosing, Planting & Cultivating Herbs.
Keats Publishing, 1977.
Bellew, Dr. Bernard A., M.D., and Joeva Galaz Bellew.
The Desert Yucca: A New Approach for Health and
A rthritis. Spa City Grafics, Inc., n.d.
Bianchini, Francesco, and Corbetta, Francesco. Health
Plants of the World: Atlas ofMedicinal Plants. News­
week Books, 1977.
Castleton, Virginia. Secrets of Natural Beauty. Keats
Publishing, 1972.
Challem, Jack Joseph and Renate Lewin-Challem.
What Herbs Are All About. Keats Publishing, 1980.
Conway, David. The Magic ofHerbs. E.P. Dutton, 1973.
Curtin, L.S.M� Healing Herbs of the Upper Rio Gran­
de. Southwest Museum of Los Angeles, 1965.
Fielder, Mildred. Plant Medicine and Folklore. Win­
chester Press, 1975.
Fisher, Bonnie. Way with Herbs Cookbook. Keats Pub­
lishing, 1980.
Ford, Karen Cowan. Las Yerbas de la Gente: A Study
of Hispano-A merican Medicinal Plants. Museum of
Anthropology, University ofMichigan publication #60,
1975.

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Fulder, Dr. Stephen. "Ginseng: The Plant That Hides

from Man" in Nursing Mirror, November 30, 1978.
Genders, Roy. Growing Herbs as Aromatics. Keats Pub­
lishing, 1977.
Harris, Charles Ben. The Compleat Herbal. Larchmont
Books, 1972.
-- . Eat the Weeds. Keats Publishing, 1973.
-- . Ginseng. Keats Publishing, 1978.
Heinerman, John. Medical Doctor's Guide to Herbs.
BiWorld Publishers, 1977.
Hill, Ann (editor). Visual Encyclopedia of Unconven­
tional Medicine. Crown Publishers, 1979.
Hills, Lawrence D. Comfrey: Fodder, Food, and Reme­
dy. Universe Books, 1976.
Kadans, Joseph. Encyclopedia of Medicinal Herbs. Par­
ker Publishing, 1970.
Krochmal, Arnold and Connie. Guide to Medicinal
Plants of the United States. Quadrangle Books, 1973.
Lewis, Walter Hepworth. Medical Botany. John Wiley
and Sons, 1977.
Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam, 1974.
Moerman, Daniel. American Medical Ethnobotany.
Garlant Publishing, 1977.
Moore, Michael. Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West.
Museum of New Mexico Press, 1979.
Morton, Julia F. Major Medicinal Plants: Botany, Cul­
ture, and Uses. Charles C. Thomas Publishers, 1977.
Muenscher, Minnie. Herb Cookbook. Keats Publishing,
· 1980.
Null, Gary and Steve. Herbs for the Seventies. Robert
Speller and Sons, 1972.
Petulengro, Leon. Herbs, Health & Astrology. Keats
Publishing, 1977.
Robbins, Wilfred, et al. Ethnobotany of the Tewa.
Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin #55, Smith­
sonian Institution, 1916.

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Rose, Jeanne. The Herbal Body Book. Grosset and

Dunlap, 1976.
Sanderson, Liz. How to Make Your Own Herbal Cos­
metics. Keats Publishing, 1980.
Schauenberg, Paul, and Paris, Ferdinand. Guide to
Medicinal Plants. Keats Publishing, 1977.
Seifert, Martin. "Ginseng Research from Behind the
Iron Curtain" in Lefs Live, September 1978.
Siegal, Ronald K., Ph.D. "Ginseng Abuse Syndrome:
Problems with the Panacea" in Journal of the Ameri­
can Medical Association, April 13, 1979.
Spencer, Mike. "Yucca: New Hope for Arthritis" in
Let's Live, February 1975.
Thomson, William A.R., M.D. Herbs That Heal. Charles
'
Scribner's Sons, 1976.
-- . Medicines from the Earth: A Guide to Healing
Plants, McGraw-Hill, 1978.
Veniga, Louise. The Ginseng Book. Big Tree Press,
1973.
Vetal, Paul A. The Ethnobotany of the Ramah Navaho.
Peabody Museum of Harvard University, 1952.
Vogel, Virgil. American Indian Medicine. University
of Oklahoma Press, 1970.
Walker, Elizabeth. Making Things with Herbs. Keats
Publishing, 1977.
Weiner, Michael A. Earth Medicines, Earth Foods.
Collier Books, 1972.
Whiting, Alfred R. Ethnobotany of the Hopi. Museum
of Northern Arizona, Bulletin #15, 1939.
Wren, R.C. Potter's New Encyclopedia of Medicinal
Herbs and Preparations. Harper Colophon Books,
1972.

[ 109]