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Friday, February 15, 2008

Herbal Teas and Drinks

Herbal Tea: Warm Spiced Tea

Drink as a revitalizer. Useful to relieve intestinal distension and to cleanse the blood.

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp cardamom seeds
1/4" piece cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tablespoon unrefined brown sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp black tea (optional)
2 cup certified raw cow's milk
A few drops almond essence

Directions:
Warm a large heavy pot by pouring hot tap water into it and letting it sit for a few minutes.
Remove the water and add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and brown sugar.
Pour the boiling water over the herbs and tea (if desired); cover and steep for 8 minutes.

In a saucepan bring milk to boil and add almond essence.
Strain the spices and return liquid to pot.
Add the boiled milk and serve hot.

Serves 2

Herbal Tea

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh milk
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried mint leaves
3 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon Garam Masala #2
3 full teaspoons fresh loose tea leaves (no bags)

Directions:
Put the milk, water, mint leaves, sugar, Garam Masala #2, and fresh tea leaves into a saucepan.
Bring to a slow boil. When done, remove from heat and strain.
Place in a teapot and serve, or pour directly into individual cups. Sugar may be added or subtracted based on your taste.

This tea keeps quite well. If any is left over, it may be warmed up. In summer, it is a delight served iced.

Add a sprig of fresh mint for decoration.

Herbal Tea: Ginger, Cumin, Coriander Tea

Ginger, a potent stimulant, relieves phlegm and mucus from the lungs, relieves gas, and encourages sweating and the elimination of wastes through the skin. Cumin synergizes well with ginger, performing most of the same functions; it cleanses the blood also. While ginger and cumin have a heating tendency, coriander is cooling. It provides the cooling balance to both herbs while performing most of the same actions; it is also a diuretic.

Ingredients:
1/4 tsp roasted cumin seeds
1/4 tsp roasted coriander seeds
1/4 tsp grated dried ginger
2 cup boiling water

Directions:
Warm a teapot by rinsing with hot tap water.
Place seeds and ginger into the warmed pot and cover with boiling water.
Steep for 5 minutes, strain, and serve.
When cooled, add a touch of honey for Kapha types.

Serves 2

Herbal Tea: Cardamom, Coriander, Fennel Tea

This tea is excellent for balancing Pitta, and is a great thirst quencher to take after physical exertion.

Coriander and fennel have a cooling tendency, while cardamom is heating. This combination makes a good year-round brew. In the summer, you may substitute 1/4 teaspoon chamomile leaves for the cardamom to provide a totally cooling trinity. The actions of all three herbs are carminative ( relieve intestinal gas and distension) and diuretic (promote urine flow ). Fennel also relieves muscular spasms.

Ingredients:
1/4 tsp cardamom seeds
1/4 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
2 cups boiling water
1 tsp maple syrup or unrefined brown sugar (optional)

Directions:
Warm a teapot by rinsing with hot tap water.
Place all seeds into the warmed pot and cover with boiling water.
Steep for 5 minutes and allow brew to cool.
Strain and add maple syrup or brown sugar, if desired.

Serves 2

Herbal Tea: Ginger, Cinnamon, Clove Tea

This tea is best taken in the late winter and early spring. However, it may be used throughout the year. The tea is useful to relieve phlegm and mucus from the lungs, tone the intestines, relieve gas, and stimulate the digestive system. The cloves also add a delicate aphrodisiac energy to this tea.

Ingredients:
1/4 tsp ginger powder
4" piece cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
2 cups boiling water
1/4 tsp honey (optional)

Directions:
Warm a teapot by rinsing with hot tap water.
Place ginger, cinnamon, and cloves into the warmed pot, and cover with boiling water.
Steep for 5 minutes.
Strain and allow to cool. Add honey and serve.

Serves 2

Winter Tonic

We all need a tonic to provide us with the much needed energy and to uplift us from the occasional winter blues. Here is a traditional winter tonic that is claimed to do just that.

This formula is believed to be useful for the treatment of coldness, negative emotional states, weakness, irregular menstruation, and menstrual cramps. It is also considered useful for those, be they male or female, who suffer from muscle cramps.

Ingredients:
2 parts raspberry leaves
2 parts cramp bark
2 parts angelica root
2 parts squawvine
1 part chamomile
1 part ginger root
1 part lobelia
1 quart good quality red wine (Port is traditional, but you may substitute any rich red wine of your choice.)

Directions:
1. Assemble and blend all the herbs.

2. Put the wine into an enameled saucepan. Measure out 6 ounces of the combined herbs and stir them into the wine. Cover the pot and heat gently just until the wine begins to simmer. Do not permit the mixture to boil. (If you wish to eliminate the alcohol content of the tonic, uncover the pot and let the mixture bubble for 5 minutes or so. This method will allow you to retain the medicinal qualities of the herbs and all the flavor of the wine, but the alcohol will evaporate as the brew boils.)

3. Cover and let the blend stand for 24 hours. Strain off the exhausted herb parts and bottle the tonic.

How To Use:
Take 1 tablespoonful of this warming Winter Tonic 3 times daily, 20 minutes before meals.

Ginger Routine

Dried into a powder or used fresh, ginger is praised as the best spice for helping the agniayurveda) of all body types. (digestive fire in

If your appetite and/or digestion become poor as the result of nervousness, stress, or illness, an excellent way to restore it is with the following ginger routine.

In a small glass, metal, or ceramic bowl, mash four table- spoons each powdered ginger, brown sugar, and ghee. Mix to a uniform consistency, cover, and store in a cool place.

Take a little bit of this ginger mixture every day before breakfast, making sure that you follow it with a good breakfast (hot cereal, grape juice, muffins, and herb tea with cinnamon in it is a good menu). Consume the ginger mixture according to the following schedule.

First day: 1/2 teaspoon
Second day: 1 teaspoon
Third day: 1-1/2 teaspoons
Fourth day: 2 teaspoons
Fifth day: 2-1/2 teaspoons
Sixth day: 21/2 teaspoons
Seventh day: 2 teaspoons
Eighth day: 1-1/2 teaspoons
Ninth day: 1 teaspoon
Tenth day: 1/2 teaspoon

After finishing the ginger routine, your digestion should be normalized. If you still experience digestive difficulty, see a doctor; at the first sign of digestive cramps and pain, do not attempt this routine-consult a physician instead.

Ginger Follow-up

If you are trying to cure a long-standing vata imbalance or want to keep your digestion at its peak, taking a little fresh ginger every day is a good idea. It is also considered the best preventive against building up ama through improper digestion.

Cut a thin, nickel-sized slice from the end of a fresh ginger root, cut off the peel, and chop very fine. Add a few drops of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Eat this mixture a half-hour before lunch and dinner to stimulate your digestion. If that is inconvenient, the mixture can be eaten just before the meal.

Herbal Tea: Morning Energy Booster

Ingredients:
1 cup soy milk
1 cup water
1 tbs grain beverage (such as Pero, Roma)
½ tsp cardamom powder
Pinch turmeric
Pinch black pepper

Directions:
Heat milk and water for 3 minutes.
Add grain beverage and spices.
Allow to come to a frothy boil. Serve hot.

Serves 2

Horehound Cough & Cold Syrup

This cough and cold syrup had been a staple of the medicine cabinet in the old days.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup dried horehound parts
1 cup water
2 cups honey

Directions:
1. Boil horehound parts in the wafer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes. Strain out the exhausted herb parts by pouring the liquid through cheesecloth.

2. Add honey and stir until it is smoothly combined with the herb mixture. Pour into a glass jar.
Store at room temperature.

How To Use
Dispense the horehound syrup by the tablespoonful as needed to ease a cough and comfort a cold sufferer.

Please Note: We make no representation as to the suitability of using this product or recipe. You should make your own investigation before using any herbal product.

Appetite Stimulant Tea

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon, fresh, grated or dried ginger root
2 cups water
¼ teaspoon each peppermint leaf, anise seed and cinnamon
1 teaspoon honey (optional)

Directions:

Simmer ginger in water a few minutes, then remove it from heat.
Add other ingredients.
Cover and steep for about 20 minutes.
Strain.

Drink 1 or 2 cups as needed.

Chinese Asthma Tea

Ingredients

1 teaspoon magnolia flowers
1 teaspoon rehmannia root
½ teaspoon don quai root
3 cups water

Directions

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Turn off heat and steep for 20 minutes.

Take 1 cup daily. Store extra tea in the refrigerator.

Diuretic Tea

Ingredients

1 quart boiling water
2 teaspoons dandelion root
½ teaspoon nettle leaf
½ teaspoon oat straw
½ teaspoon fennel seed
½ teaspoon corn silk

Directions

Pour boiling water over herbs, then steep in a covered container for 20 minutes.

Strain herbs.

Drink 1 or 2 cups as needed.

Almond milk

Almond milk is revered by people from India like champagne is by the Frenchman.

Ingredients:
1 cup almonds
4 cups water
4 black peppercorns
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:
Blanch the almonds.
Place the almonds, water, and peppercorns in a blender. Blend.
Strain through muslin or several thicknesses of cheesecloth.
Discard the residue. Add the sugar to the almond milk.
Mix well.
Chill. Enjoy.

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