Herbal Tea Bags

Both herbal and regular teas are brewed and consumed the same way – in hot (not boiling) water with steeping for a few minutes for flavour. The differences are in the ingredients.

Normal tea is made from the Camellia sinensis plant – this includes black teas (oxidised leaves), green teas (unoxidized), oolong teas (half and half), white tea (unprocessed) and pu-erh tea (wild leaves). You can find blends which have additional flavourings from flowers, fruit and herbs such as earl grey and jasmine tea too.

Herbal teas are infusions of herbs in hot water such as chamomile, fruit tea and peppermint. They are not technically tea at all, but as they are brewed the same way, they are marketed that way.

Drinking herbal tea every day is fine, but you should keep an eye on how much you are consuming. While they are natural substances, it doesn’t mean they’re good to drink all the time.

Drinking too much can lead to some negative side effects, eg. Chamomile tea in large doses can result in nausea and vomiting. Here are some tips to remember:

• Try to limit your intake to one or two cups a day.
• Use reputable brands.
• Ask your doctor to see if herbal tea may affect your medication.

It’s very similar to regular tea:

1. Boil some water
2. Pour it in the mug and let it cool slightly
3. Add in one teaspoon of leaves to your strainer (or more to find your preferred flavour) or one herbal tea bag.
4. Cover with a lid and let it stew for five minutes
5. Remove the strainer or bag, then enjoy.

You can also cold brew some herbal teas by stewing two tea bags or two teaspoons of leaves in a sealed container with one and a half litres of cold water in the fridge for at least 12 hours.