Herbal Teas – Natural Blends for Calm, Immunity & Digestion

The taste of a herbal tea varies greatly depending on the herbs included in the blend and their quality. Although individual tastes vary, at Zen Maitri we pay a lot of attention to ensuring that all of our herbal teas are made with high-quality ingredients and have an enjoyable taste; even the ones that are primarily crafted to address specific health concerns. In order for the treatment to be effective, it is important to take the medicine consistently – and if a medicinal tea tastes bad you are less likely to take it on a regular basis.

In principle, it is absolutely ok to drink herbal tea every day, and many of us do - but it is important to note that certain medicinal herbs should not be taken above a certain dose. It is essential to speak with a medical herbalist before taking significant quantities of a specific herb, to avoid any unwanted effects or potential interactions with medications you may be taking.

Many herbs have mildly sedative, relaxing, calm-inducing properties and help promote restful sleep.

Skullcap for example is a natural sedative that calms anxiety and stress. It’s an effective treatment for tension headaches and insomnia and works to relax the muscles and digestive system. It is particularly helpful to calm a busy mind which is unable to switch off.

Passionflower reduces stress, helps to induce sleep, and is a natural antispasmodic, helping to relax tense muscles which may prevent you from getting off to sleep and staying asleep.

Wild lettuce is a strong sedative herb that eases restlessness and induces deep and restful sleep. It also eases pain and muscle tension, ensuring nothing gets in the way of your beauty sleep.

These are just three examples - there are many more. All three of these herbs are included in our Deep sleep tea: a natural sleeping aid that helps you unwind before bedtime and promotes deeper, more restorative sleep.

Water is a great solvent for the active compounds contained in medicinal plants. Herbal teas (when you pour boiling water onto fresh or dried herbs and let them infuse for 5-15 minutes before drinking) and decoctions (when you gently simmer herbs for 5-20 minutes before straining and drinking) are the most popular forms of herbal preparation in the world. Many practitioners regard them as one of the most effective and deepest-acting herbal medicines. Herbal teas really are good for you!

There is a very wide range of medicinal plants that are used in herbal tea blends. Common examples may include wild plants that you may be familiar with, such as nettle (Urtica dioica), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), plantain (Plantago spp.) or horsetail (Equisetum arvense). Other commonly used and potently medicinal herbal teas may include chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), peppermint (Mentha x piperita) or liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra).