# Herbal Teas And Aromatherapy



## Zhizara

I enjoy making herbal teas that have health benefits.  They definitely have effects that can be used, and many good ones are handy in my spice cabinet.

One that I enjoy is basil.  It's good for you, and tastes good too. I  love to make a batch of chicken broth using a palmful of dried basil.  I  drink some, and use some to cook with.  

Do any of you like to do this?  If so, what are your favorites and why?


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## PrincessFiona60

Chamomile Tea at bedtime.  Peppermint tea during the day will wake you up without giving you the jitters like coffee can.

I am interested in knowing more about parsley tea.


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## Zhizara

Good morning, Princess.  You and I must be on the same wavelength. camomile and peppermint are the two I use the most lately (Bigelow).

I boil a couple of bags in water, let it steep, then use a funnel to put in a quart container, adding water to fill.  

I've been getting too much salt lately, and I can really tell my blood pressure is way up there.  For that, I'm drinking these teas just to have a beverage that isn't stimulating.

At first I was afraid to drink camomile during the day because I thought it would make me nap all the time, but I found that it's just a delicious relaxing tea.

This shopping trip I got more of the camomile and some mint, but I also got Red Raspberry.  Boy, is that tasty!!!


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## PrincessFiona60

Zhizara said:


> Good morning, Princess.  You and I must be on the same wavelength.  Camomile and peppermint are the two I use the most lately (Bigelow).
> 
> I boil a couple of bags in water, let it steep, then use a funnel to put in a 2 quart container, adding water to fill.
> 
> I've been getting too much salt lately, and I can really tell my blood pressure is way up there.  For that, I'm drinking these teas just to have a beverage that isn't stimulating.



Good morning, Zhizara!  I'm down to one cup of coffee a day...mostly because of my additives...cream and sugar.  I have to decide what I _GET_ to have during the day since I am low-fat, low-salt, low-carb etcetera, ad-nauseum...

I better get moving...don't want to miss anything today!


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## Izghoga

Tea mushroom
Sweet and sour!
Kombucha (_Medusomyces gisevi)

Kombucha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It is especially good in the morning, after a drunken feast...

And in general a good tonic.

It is a lot of recipes.
Depending on that what tea to use. Black or green or infusion of herbs. To use sugar or honey...

And yes, it is impossible for diabetics!

_


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## Alix

Zhizara, there are so MANY lovely teas out there that have health benefits. I don't know if you can find rosehips or lavender where you are, but both of those are really fragrant and good for you. There was a discussion recently about any of the Celestial Seasonings fruit teas being good for bringing down your BP because of the hibiscus in them. I'm also fond of cranberries and lemon zest with boiling water poured over them. Zippy!

Incidentally, if you are working on getting the BP down, apparently bananas are REALLY helpful with that. My sister is using a combination of natural things to bring her BP down and they are really working well for her. 2 bananas, 2 cups of hibiscus tea and a tsp of benefibre stirred into one of those per day. Its brought her down to within 7 points of normal and she was scary high.


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## Izghoga

The whole science about that: herbal medicine (phytotherapy). The same principles as at pharmacology. In difference from similar to homeopathy...

And the blood pressure well normalizes ginkgo 
Ginkgo biloba - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## Dawgluver

I love hibiscus tea with a bit of cranberry juice, over ice.  Hibiscus tea/Celestial Seasonings also reportedly lowers cholesterol as well as BP.


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## taxlady

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Chamomile Tea at bedtime.  Peppermint tea during the day will wake you up without giving you the jitters like coffee can.
> 
> I am interested in knowing more about parsley tea.



That's funny. I dislike mint, especially peppermint, but I will drink mint on the rare occasion I can't sleep. All the mints I have tried make me sleepy.

I don't like chamomile either, but it makes a good, soothing eye wash.


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## Zhizara

One tea to avoid if you have high blood pressure is Rosemary.  I had a plant last year, and made a strong tea.  It took a couple of days to have an effect.  My heart was pounding hard for a couple of days until it was out of my system.

I knew that it would raise my blood pressure, but didn't think it would have such a strong effect.  No more Rosemary for me.


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## PrincessFiona60

I just remembered I can have my ginger tea now that I am done with one medication.  I love Ginger tea, great for anti-imfammatory action.  It will help me with my arthritis,  I also can use my chili teas again.


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## Snip 13

I like parsley tea with lemon, parsley has a great deal of health benefits.
I drink aniseed tea with lemon and honey for indigestion and it's really tasty too!
Celery seed tea for water retention, ginger tea for nausea, mint tea when I feel bloated or have a tummy ache, celery leaf tea for water retention and for the taste, cayenne pepper tea for cholesterol and heart problems, strawberry leaf tea for female troubles and taste, lemon verbena for taste or just a mix of herbs. Herbal tea is also great with a bit of honey, lemon and chilled for summer days


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## Zhizara

Is the cayenne pepper tea a mixture you make up yourself, Snip?  If so, how do you make it?

I've got a huge bottle of cayenne.  It's one of the spices recommended for high blood pressure.


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## Izghoga

Tasty tea turns out: hawthorn (flower),wild strawberry (young leaves), Currant black (leaves). From those that lower a blood pressure.
And in general for treatment or normalization of a condition it is better to use concrete grassy gathering.
But they not the tasty as a rule.
Gathering by itself needs to be selected according to specific features.
If the raised blood pressure is a consequence infringement of work of kidneys - one, if heart - another, vascular - the third and so on...


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## Snip 13

Zhizara said:


> Is the cayenne pepper tea a mixture you make up yourself, Snip? If so, how do you make it?
> 
> I've got a huge bottle of cayenne. It's one of the spices recommended for high blood pressure.


 
I started drinking cayenne tea for weight loss a few years ago but discovered that drinking a cup a day lowered my cholesterol from 9.3 to 6.1. I drink 1 tsp of cayenne powder and a good dash of lemon juice in a cup of boiling water in the morning. You can start with 1/4 of a tsp since it's really hot if you're not used to it. Cayenne is great in all tomato based sauces and in tomato juice or gazpacho. I like the taste so even though I don't need to lose weight I still drink it  It's great in dry rubs for meat and chicken too!


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## Zhizara

Thanks for the reminder, Snip.  I tried one yesterday and survived, but haven't yet today.  I need to get a habit started.

For some heat in cooking, I like the taste of cayenne and/or a pinch of red pepper flakes over all the others.


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## Zhizara

I've gotten into the cayenne habit.  It was a lot easier when I found out I only needed 4 oz. of warm water and as little as 1/4 tsp. of cayenne.  It's only been a few days, but the heat is barely there, and 4 oz. is easy to drink right down.  

Research has turned up another blood pressure remedy - Hawthorne berry supplements.  One reference referred to getting 100 tablets for $5 at Walmart, so I've added that to tomorrow shopping list.


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## Alix

Zhizara said:


> I've gotten into the cayenne habit.  It was a lot easier when I found out I only needed 4 oz. of warm water and as little as 1/4 tsp. of cayenne.  It's only been a few days, but the heat is barely there, and 4 oz. is easy to drink right down.
> 
> Research has turned up another blood pressure remedy - Hawthorne berry supplements.  One reference referred to getting 100 tablets for $5 at Walmart, so I've added that to tomorrow shopping list.



Well I bet the cedar waxwings in my neighborhood have really LOW BP then. They clean off my tree every winter. Want me to bag some up and send them to you?


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## Zhizara

At $5.48/100 capsules, it probably wouldn't be worth the postage!  

I found the capsules today at the above price.  I'll try them and report any noticeable effects.

I did wonder, since you do have the natural ones - do they taste good?


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## Alix

I thought they were inedible as they have little barbs inside them. I never thought of making tea with them. I will give it a go though. Likely not this year as they are pretty withered and frostbitten. In the late summer I'll pick them and try it out. Remind me!


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## Zhizara

Alix said:


> I thought they were inedible as they have little barbs inside them. I never thought of making tea with them. I will give it a go though. Likely not this year as they are pretty withered and frostbitten. In the late summer I'll pick them and try it out. Remind me!



Presuming they work for me.  They do have it in tea form, also in tinctures.  

Barbs?  Dunno about that.  Maybe berries aren't the way to go.  Darn, I was thinking on munching roasted berries for a snack.

All the sites I visited raved about the use for lowering blood pressure, and they are definitely cheap.  I have great hopes.

My blood pressure is so sensitive, that I can easily feel changes in it.  I got some decaf coffee today.  Depending on how much salt I've had the day before, sometimes, just a sip or two of regular coffee sends it soaring.

I bought a rotisserie chicken today.  Delicious, but the salt was very noticable.  I'll have to use constraint with the rest of it.  GRRRRrrrrr.


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## PrincessFiona60

Hawthorn...may try that.  Even with the meds I take and the diet restrictions...I'm still border line high.


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## taxlady

I think the fruit of the hawthorn was called a haw.


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## Dawgluver

taxlady said:
			
		

> I think the fruit of the hawthorn was called a haw.



I remember a show back in the ’70s called "Hee Haw".  Must have been about thorny berries that help reduce blood pressure.


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## Zhizara

I've been doing more research on Hawthorne.  It sounds like it's made just for me.  ALL my health issues are listed.  PAD, angina, insomnia, anxiety, stress.... and so on.

The bottle I bought yesterday said one a day 575 mg. capsule, but research informed me that no matter the type, syrup, tincture or capsule should be taken 3 times a day.  I'm going to go with that since you can't overdose.  I also got the information that noticeable results can start within several days.

In combination with the cayenne, I should be in great physical shape soon.


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