What is Herbal Tea?

Herbal tea or tisane is an herbal infusion that does not contain any leaves from the tea bush, Camellia sinensis. (Although tea leaves can be flavored as well, as is the case with Earl Grey, which is black tea and bergamot.) Herbal tea is made by pouring boiling water over loose or bagged fresh/dried flowers, leaves, seeds or roots. 

Herbal tea is flavorful and soothing and comes in many varieties: red raspberry, peach, chamomile, orange spice and lemon among them. In addition to great taste, as Organic Tea blog points out, herbal tea is often used to try to combat sleeplessness, alleviate menstruation pain, detoxify the body and clear the mind.

Chamomile tea, for instance, is thought to have sedative effects. Interestingly, even in fiction, author Beatrix Potter, who wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit, had Peter Rabbit’s mother serving him Chamomile tea to make him feel better And she isn’t the only one. In a number of her mysteries, Agatha Christie’s sleuth, Hercule Poirot, drank herbal tea in order to recover from wet weather. Many modern day celebrities enjoy herbal tea as well.

Pick your flavor! There are so many delicious herbal teas to choose from.