Herbal teas

[Lois]

Hello all.
Thinking about starting to drink herbal tea. Has anyone ever tried them? Do they really make you feel better and do they taste ok?!

[pmanson]

Peppermint tea is nice!

[scared but happy]

Smell fantastic! But in reality

[seafarer]

I've heard that you should only drink the Echinacea/Goldenseal tea when you actually have a cold (it supposedly helps with immune response and cold symptoms). So, whatever you use, some may not be good for all the time. It doesn't taste all that great anyhow. They make teas for everything...indigestion, headaches, etc.

I'm not too impressed with the flavor of Ginko biloba or Ginseng tea. I guess the herbs just don't taste that great, so I never took them for very long.

You can get decaf green tea, and decaf white green tea, both of which come in flavors and taste pretty good (tea-like without tasting mediciney). They have antioxidant benefits. CelestialSeasonings makes a bunch of them. I drink them mainly for flavor. I don't notice the difference because I don't drink them religiously, and I also take a multivitamin with an antioxidant group, so I don't know that I'd be able to tell the difference anyhow. Just drink what you like.

[wedge girl]

I've drunk green tea and chamomile for years, try a little honey if you need to sweeten it.

[Pigeon]

I had a mate who only ever had herbal tea in the house because he reckoned he was allergic to the real stuff. I got to try several different varieties. They all tasted like hot water with grass in. In the end I just said "no thanks" when he put the kettle on.

[2 Smokin Barrels]

Try Lager tea.

[cosmoschick]

I tried Echinacea tea once and it was so vile I literally . I think it also had raspberry in it, I can't remember. (I now have a mental block concerning that episode!)

However, a chap at work drinks Camomile tea and reckons its calming. He's pretty chilled out so I reckon it works.

[Caduceus]

Chamomile and spiced apple from Tesco is pretty decent.
I don't drink milk so herbal tea or black coffee is my cuppa.

[alexkp]

All tea is filthy muck.

I tried Earl Grey once because Captain Picard likes it.

It was the most repellent thing I have ever drunk.

[t1grm]

Stay away from Earl Grey. It’s like drinking aftershave. What’s wrong with Milk?

[Iria]

Hi Lois! Get a Twinnings mixed box - each one contains four different flavours - and try around. Do not worry about the effects, just go for the flavour - apple and cinnamon is one of my favourites!

I gather that the main possitive efect of herbal teas is to make you drink more water, and to keep you away from caffeine, etc, and hey, some of the plants are actually good. It seems that green tea is full of antioxidants against cancer, it tastes rather harsh, so the version with lemon is good (add honey if not). Honeybush is supposed to be really good... do not know for what though, I am not too sure on whether it is the equivalent to what we call "carqueixa," which strengthens your inmune system and bones, etc. Echinacea is good for colds (as said before) but my doc recommended to take it as preventive, not during the cold, since it is no magical cure).

I have tried proper old-fashion curative herbal teas - as in going to the countryside and picking the appropriate plants and then boiling them hoping you will not poison yourself - and they can work instantly. Pinetree is disgusting but it keeps you awake and energetic for hours. The water of boiled lettuce causes all the contrary effect - used in the ol' times to keep teenagers quiet and safe from temptation. Poppy has the obvious effect to let you sleep... Und so weiter.

Camomile is soothing, aniseed is good for your digestion, mint just tastes lovely.

Earl grey is one of my favourites, but it is proper tea, but just with spices, so does not count as "herbal". I think it is a matter of getting used to them so go ahead!

says she with a thermos flask full of random herbal tea sitting next to the computer

edited to add that Seafarer is right, Celestial Seasonings have some of the best tasting mixed herbal teas. Sleepy time one or whatever is the name is lovely! Actually... all of them are.

>> Edited by Iria on Sunday 21st August 22:13

[cyberface]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

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There are a lot of 'herbal' products you can make 'tea' with As to those that make you feel better, poppy seed tea and Kratom most certainly work, but are about as sensible a long-term tipple as oxycodone.

Being sensible, peppermint is a good-un for sorting indigestion, camomile gets a good rep for non-psychosomatic relaxation, and I'll come out against echinacea as I reckon it's scarcely better than placebo.

The fruit infusions you can get smell nice, but what's the point? Fruit juice tastes better. I'd only bother with tea if there's some botanical chemical that needs steeping to make bioavailable that I'm interested in.

However if it's just cos you like the taste of them, then ignore my beer-fuelled rantings. Most do

[mad mark]

I can't drink normal tea it upsets my stomach, so i've been drinking peppermint tea for years now. I think to begin with it takes a little getting used to but after a while you really do enjoy it.

I've just been trying Dr Stuarts energy plus with ginseng and ginger, tastes quite nice but not sure if its actually made me more energised.

There are loads of different flavours so try them all i'm sure there will be one that you like.

mrs mad mark

[ichikitsune]

I can't have most hot drinks as I am intollerant to caffeine, tanins, and artificial sweetners.

One tea that I can have is Tetley's Rooibos (Red Bush) & Vanilla tea. Rooibos tea is from South Africa and it's naturally caffeine free and low in tanins. You can keep rooibos tea boiling on the stove all day and it will never stew.

This one smells like cream soda and tastes like hot pear juice. You can have milk in it but I find its lovely just with a bit of sugar.

[puggit]

Stick with Twinnings - avoid Tetley herbal teas at all costs. I find them offensively sickly and sweet

[seafarer]

I've often thought they taste like boiled pot pourri or air freshener. I guess it depends on what your expectations of it are. It's like hot, weak fruit juice, to me.

[shadowninja]

Just go and buy a random selection from Tescos. No need for PH input on tea is there??

PS avoid any fruit teas as they smell great but taste shite.

>> Edited by shadowninja on Sunday 21st August 22:47

[speedychrissie]

it does depend on your tastes adn the type you get.

if you get real chinese green tea then you need to reuse the leaves a few times before you get the best flavour. on the long distance (37hour) train journeys they often give you one cup of tea and you reuse the same tea leaves for the whole 37 hours. normally hte 3rd or 4th cup is the best (but it does obviously depend on what type it is)

if you are just starting out i guess it is not a bad idea to get a mixed selection from a well known tea manuafturer like twinnings and just seing which varieties you like. after that you can be more adventurous.

chris

[mad mark]

puggit said:

Stick with Twinnings

I agree these are my favourites along with Dr Stuarts botanical teas.

Don't forget to brew them for at least 5mins to allow the flavours to infuse properly.

mrs mad mark