Super Tea

Shirli and I really enjoy what we call our Super Tea.

3/5ths of the ingredients in our tea are harvested either outside the door of the cabin or on a short walk from the cabin. 

The hibiscus and peppermint are purchased.

Any one of the five ingredients will stand alone as a pleasant beverage. Any one of the five has important health benefits.

Combined in a tea, what we have is a powerful blend of healthy and tasty goodness that works as both a preventative and a curative. We like to add a little honey to ours. Any honey will do for a little sweetness. For the best health benefits, honey robbed from hives situated close to home (wherever home is for whomever) is best.

Let’s look at what the ingredients provide when steeped into a tea. Here's what we've discovered in researching these ingredients.

Blueberry / Huckleberry Leaves

+ The leaves of these berry bushes contain 31 times the antioxidants as the berries.

+ They are a great source of Vitamin C.

+ Improves memory and helps prevent cognitive decline associated with aging.

+ Fights inflammation and helps prevent cardiovascular disease, cancers, and strokes.

+ Lowers triglycerides.

+ Lowers blood pressure.

+ Helps heal and prevent eczema, psoriasis, and other inflammatory skin diseases.

+ So high in antioxidants that it can prevent and possibly heal Type-2 Diabetes.

+ Lowers blood sugar up to 27%.

+ Studies show that properties in the leaves may prevent and heal Hepatitis C by preventing replication of the virus.

+ Helps prevent Macular Degeneration.

+ Helps prevent and heal Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

+ Has shown to have a healing effect on Multiple Sclerosis.

+ Helps prevent and repair DNA damage caused by free radicals.

+ Strengthens veins, arteries, and capillaries.

+ Helps the female reproductive system. Helps to heal fibroids. Helps with cramps. Helps with P.M.S.. Tones the uterus and fallopian tubes.

Goldenrod

+ Tightens and tones the urinary system and bladder and helps with Urinary Tract Infections.

+ Restores balance to the kidneys.

+ Flowers and leaves can be infused in oil and used to tread burns and wounds.

+ Provides an antidote for seasonal ragweed allergies.

+ Has antiseptic and antimicrobial properties to treat sore throats.

+ Acts as an expectorant.

+ Opens the pores of the skin to release sweat during fevers.

+ Contains Rutin … a powerful flavonoid that benefits the cardiovascular system.

+ Contains antifungal saponins and is a useful alternative for treating Candida type yeast infections.

Pine Needles

+ Rich in antioxidants, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and flavonoids that protect cells from damage by free radicals.

+ Helps prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.

+ Contains anti-inflammatory properties that help prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein … the bad cholesterol.

+ Contains Shikimic Acid … the main ingredient in Tamiflu.

Hibiscus

+ Lowers blood pressure.

+ Has diuretic properties.

+ Helps lower bad cholesterol.

+ Helps heal liver disease.

+ Contains Hibiscus Protocatechuic Acid which has anti-tumor properties that slow down the growth of cancer cells by inducing programmed cell death.

+ Has properties that calm the nervous system, reduces anxiety and depression.

+ Contains anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that prevent catching colds and flu.

+ Relieves menstrual cramps and pain. Restores hormonal balance to reduce mood swings and depression.

+ Improves digestion.

Peppermint

+ Soothes upset stomach.

+ Aroma boosts mental performance.

+ Helps loosen congestion and relieve coughing.

+ Relieves halitosis.

That’s a lot of good stuff in a handful of ingredients steeped into a tea.

There are only two cautions that I know of where these ingredients are concerned.

They have to do with the pine needles.

Some sources insist that pregnant women should stay away from pine needles. One of the pines, the Ponderosa, is suspected to cause abortions in cattle that graze on the needles. Nothing is said about how long they grazed or the quantity of needles eaten.

The other caution concerns the Norfolk Pine.

The Norfolk Pine (something that is more of an ornamental than a tree growing in the woods) is toxic.

Where topics such as this are concerned, it's always in the best interests of people to do their own research, arrive at their own conclusions, and make their decisions based upon what they have discovered and concluded. That's the way we go about it and that is what we are comfortable with.

Also, when harvesting from nature, make certain that you can positively identify what you are harvesting. Mistakes on your part are your responsibility.