Cooking Tips

Tea time

When making your own tea, use organic herbs to avoid pesticides.

When it comes to tea, 54-year-old Donna Werner admits that she’s hooked.

“I have a tea habit,” she laughs. “Of all the habits one can have, I think that’s a good one.”

It’s that tea habit that drew Donna and her husband, Lee Werner, all the way from their home in Berwyn to Family Grounds Café (3652 N. Lincoln Avenue) Friday, April 15 for the “Blend Your Own Tea” workshop, presented by Swedish Covenant Hospital.

At the workshop, Catrine Guzik, who is a dietitian and the clinical coordinator of nutrition at Swedish Covenant Hospital, taught attendees how to make tea from herbs at home, and discussed the healing (and flavorful) qualities of tea for children and adults. For example, catnip soothes fevers and colds, eases upset stomach and calms nerves; lemon balm relaxes away nervousness, whining and crying; rose hips are a good source of vitamin C, as well as a mild laxative; and licorice acts as a sweetener while also calming sore throats and indigestion.

When making tea, Guzik recommended using organic herbs to avoid any pesticides. She said the first step in making your own tea is research. It’s important to understand the properties of each herb; for example, ginger has a warming effect, while peppermint has a cooling effect. Once you know what you’re after, it’s time to experiment.

“It’s like cooking, you have to try different things,” said Guzik.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money on specialized tea ware. All you really need is hot water, a mug or heat resistant cup and either a tea bag or a strainer to contain the herbs within the hot water. Guzik said pottery and glass work best for brewing tea, and advised tea drinkers to avoid metal teapots or containers, except for stainless steel (the tannins in the herbs leach out and react to the metal). Once the water has boiled you simply steep 1 teaspoon of herbs (1/2 teaspoon if it’s for a child) for five to 10 minutes (depending on which herbs) and, voila, tea.

If you’re having trouble coaxing a cranky or sick child to drink the tea, you can actually apply the tea topically, Guzik said. Simply use three to four teaspoons per cup of water and pour the tea on a towel to make a hot compress for the forehead, neck or stomach. Or you can even pour the tea directly into the bath.

After talking about the qualities of different teas, Guzik passed out sealable teabags that were made by Mountain Rose Herbs, and invited attendees to make their own tea from her herb supply.

Some attendees followed the recipes provided, while others, like Donna, made her own combination, focusing on the calming and digestive properties in orange peel, hibiscus, licorice root and chamomile.

Donna said she plans to continue learning about the therapeutic qualities of tea.

“I’ve been involved in holistic medicine and how the body can help heal itself, and I have loved teas for a long time,” she said. ”Once I found out there were therapeutic benefits, I wanted to find out anything I could about how to use it and drink it.”

Shari Marcus, 40, traveled from her home in Highland Park with her 4-year-old daughter, Jayla, to attend the workshop.

“We have many a tea party at home, and I know a lot of people with kids will give apple juice, but it’s a tea party, so we’ve always had real tea,” she said.

Shari said that she learned a great deal about the therapeutic value of tea during the workshop, and plans to plant a tea garden at her home and grow her own.

“I love tea, and I like the idea that you can heal yourself with tea, something all natural. That was the big draw for me,” said Shari. “I was especially interested in the compresses you can use. You don’t have to drink it. You could just soothe [your kids] and put it on their bellies. We’ll do that soon.”

Jayla, who drew pictures of green tea and pomegranate tea during the program, said that green tea is her favorite.

“I like tea,” she smiled.

Therapeutic Tea Herbs and How They Heal

Catnip – Use for fevers, colds and flu. Catnip also eases upset stomach, flatulence, colic, and diarrhea. Its sedative action also makes it a good remedy for calming nerves.

Chamomile – A very mild and safe herb with relaxing, sedative qualities, used in anxiety and insomnia; also used for indigestion, gas and abdominal pain.

Citrus peel – Use dried orange or tangerine peels to help with gas, nausea and vomiting. Use lemon for digestion. Use grapefruit for cold, flu and fevers.

Fennel – This sweet-flavored herb soothes stomach cramps, gas, spasms, nausea and vomiting and helps digestion. It is also calming.

Ginger – Use to soothe cold, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, cramps, gas and stomachache.

Lemon Balm – This mild and safe herb eases simple colds, coughs and fevers. It is also relaxing and good for nervousness, or for easing a child’s crying.

Licorice – Soothes cough, sore throat, digestion and acts as a mild laxative. It is also calming and relaxing.

Passion flower – Treats insomnia, anxiety and nervousness. It is particularly helpful in lulling tight muscles and an overactive mind to sleep.

Peppermint – Use to relax muscles, relieve gas and colic, or ease motion sickness and vomiting. Also soothes cold and flu, headaches, anxiety and tension.

Rose petals – Soothes cold and flu and helps relieve unwanted sadness and dark feelings.

Rose hips – A source of vitamin C, rose hips soothe colds and act as a mild laxative.

Recipes

Calming tea
½ tsp. each catnip, chamomile, passion flowers, lemon balm leaves
¼ tsp. peppermint
2 cups boiling water

Sleep tea
1 tsp. chamomile
1 tsp. lemon balm
½ tsp. fennel
1 cup boiling water

Digestive tea
3 tsp. lemon balm
2 tsp. chamomile
2 tsp. catnip
1 tsp. licorice
Use 1 tsp. of mix in 1 cup boiling water

Refreshing tea
1 tsp. each red clover blossoms, lemon balm, linden flowers
½ tsp. each hibiscus, rose buds, fennel seeds and orange peel
Use 1 tsp. of mix in 1 cup boiling water

For more information on tea, Catrine Guzik, who is a dietitian and the clinical coordinator of nutrition at Swedish Covenant Hospital, recommends the following books: Herbs for Health and Healing by Kathi Keville, Holistic Herbal by David Hoffmann and A Kid’s Herb Book by Lesley Tierra.

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