5 Healing Herbs to Grow for Tea

By Colleen Vanderlinden, Planet Green

Few things say “summer” like a refreshing glass of iced tea. While traditional iced tea, or even iced green tea, is delicious, making herbal iced teas allows you to add different flavors, as well as vitamins, to your day. With that in mind, here are five great, cooling herbs to grow for tea.

5 Refreshing Herbs for Tea

1. Lemon Verbena

Lemon verbena has a wonderful lemony aroma, but actually tastes somewhat like licorice. It has been shown to have a cooling effect on the body (even to the extent of being recommended as a fever reducer). In addition, it has been shown to calm upset stomachs and coughs.

Brewing Lemon Verbena Tea: Steep 1/4 teaspoon of fresh leaves in one cup of boiling water for five minutes. Add honey to taste, if desired. Better drunk hot than as iced tea.

2. Lemon Balm

Lemon balm, a member of the mint family, has a wonderful lemony scent and flavor. It has been shown to be a calming herb, and is therefore perfect to drink before bed.

Brewing Lemon Balm Tea: For a hot tea infusion, steep one and a half tablespoons of fresh lemon balm leaves in one cup of boiling water, and let it steep for up to 10 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea. For a cooling lemon balm infusion, simply add a cup (or more) of fresh leaves to a pitcher of cold water, and let it steep in the refrigerator overnight. Strain the leaves out, and drink.

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Sarah M.

4:31PM PDT on Oct 29, 2011

thanks

send a green star

Sharon K.

5:48PM PDT on Oct 16, 2011

Thanks for the info.

Joy J.

3:39PM PDT on Sep 26, 2011

sounds great :)

Courtenay M.

8:52PM PDT on Sep 13, 2011

Thanks!

Devayani P.

6:44AM PDT on Sep 11, 2011

Magdalena R.

11:52AM PDT on Sep 4, 2011

Wow, I have most of these in my garden but have never thought to make tea with them. I'm excited to try it!

I have been drinking tea from calendula flowers, however, to help with recent stomach problems - it's surprising delicious, especially with a bit of honey.

Dawn C.

5:23AM PDT on Sep 4, 2011

Is green tea grown only in China? Green tea has health benefits no other herb provides, correct?

Lady K.

6:01AM PDT on Aug 30, 2011

cool thanks

Tim C.

7:51PM PDT on Aug 28, 2011

Barbara G.

7:10PM PDT on Aug 28, 2011

Just a heads up: Lemon Balm and the rest of the Mint family are highly invasive plants. Best to grow them in a pot or container.

Also, if you have thyroid issues you should avoid Lemon Balm.