The Many Benefits of Dill (Antheum Graveolens) Tea Review

This is my first tea review from the Toronto Total Health Show 2009.  It’s also my last post from Toronto, as I will be flying in a few hours to go to San Francisco then Las Vegas!  I can’t wait but I’m also in denial that I’m leaving for 16 days!  When I come back, I will be reviewing all the tea that I was sent before I left for the show.

The dill I am reviewing today is from Black River Gatehouse. Their site will be up next week, so stay tuned.  You can find Linda, the owner, Saturdays at the St. Lawrence Market North in Toronto.

It’s funny to review dill as a tea because people normally associate dill with cooking or pickles!  On the package Linda gave me, it said that dill is a:

Spicy warming herb affecting the stomach, spleen and liver.  Used as tea for children’s colicky stomach aches; also useful for adults for insomnia caused by stomach aches.

I steeped about a tablespoon and a half.  Dill is actually a perennial herb originating from Eastern Europe.  You can see from the image that it is the thick stalk that I am steeping for tea and some of the thin willowy leaves.

When I steeped the tea, I noticed a bit of oil on the surface.  Dill oil can actually be extracted from the plant.  The nose is fresh and quite frankly, reminded me of pickles and salmon!  Not necessarily a bad thing, but when you already have that association embedded into your mind, it’s hard to shake off.

The liquor turned ever so slightly into a shade of pale yellow.  On first sip I was pleasantly surprised, as the tea was very sweet.  The tea itself is very refreshing and light.  I really like it.  After a while of sipping it though, the roof of my mouth became a little numb.  I wonder why that is.

I highly doubt anyone would drink this as a regularly daily tea, unless you are some sort of pickle fanatic, but for what it does it is a great tool.  If you have stomach problems or gas, this is the herb for you.

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The Health Benefits of Calendula (Calendula officinalis) or Pot Marigold Tea

Pot marigold, better known as calendula, is a beautiful flower that also possesses a multitude of health benefits.  Rich in phytochemicals including lycopene, which is recommended to assist with the prostate and found in tomatoes, it is also rich in nutrients including – calcium, coenzyme Q10, vitamin C and vitamin E.

The actions and uses for this tea from Balch include:

Reduces inflammation and is soothing to the skin.  Helps regulate the menstrual cycle and lower fever.  Useful for sunburn, as as well as for neuritis and toothache.  Good for diaper rash and other skin problems in small children.

It is usually nonirritating when used externally.  You may notice that many ointments and pregnancy creams have calendula.  Calendula creams and ointments can be applied on wounds, bruises and burns several times per day.  Make sure the ointment contains at least 2-5 grams of calendula flowers per 100 grams of ointment.  Because of it’s anti-inflammatory properties, it is excellent for a baby that has diaper rash.

The taste and smell of this tea is sweet and flowery.  Use 1-2 tablespoons of dried flower petals per 250ml of hot water 3-5 times per day, or as required.  Flora, the brand of calendula tea that I’m drinking above says,

Calendula flower tea was traditionally used internally as a gargle for reducing inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat, for soothing sore throats, laryngitis and tonsillitis, coughs, dryness of the lungs and digestive upsets. The tea was also used against fever, cramps and spasms of the digestive and urogenital systems. The most notable use of calendula, however, is for its use externally on wounds, burns and abrasions – and especially for rejuvenating skin and helping the body to prevent and/or overcome abnormal skin growths.

Calendula tea or a calendula tea bath is not recommended for pregant women.  You can buy organic calendula flowers from Frontier Natural Brands for about $5.00 here.

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The Health Benefits of Echinacea (Echinacea species) Tea

Echinacea is one of the most used herbs when it comes to colds, flu and boosting the immune system when one is sick.  the actions and uses of this echinacea are as follows from Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing:

Fights inflammation and bacterial and viral infection.  Stimulates certain white blood cells.  Good for the immune system and the lymphatic system.  useful for allergies, colic, colds, flu, and other infectious illnesses.

Nutrients: Calcium, iron, magnesium, maganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, vitamins B1, B2, B3, and C.

Caution: It should be used with caution by people who are allergic to ragweed or to plants in the sunflower family.  Should not be taken for prolonged periods by people with autoimmune disorders, as it stimulates the immune system.

I’ve taken echinacea both as a supplement in both tablet and liquid forms, and as a tea.  I found the teas helped me just as much as the supplements.  Celestial Seasonings Echinacea Complete Care tea is blended with peppermint leaves, licorice root, roasted chicory root, natural menthol extract, eucalyptus leaves, ascorbic acid, lavender flowers, stevia leaves, star anise and zinc.  Alvita, another popular tea company, carries both Echinacea and Echinacea with Goldenseal, which can give your immune system an added boost.

From Alvita,

Echinacea/Goldenseal is an excellent combination of herbs for all kinds of viral & bacterial infections, strengthens the immune system against pathogenic infection by stimulating phagocytosis & T-Cell formation, blood cleansing properties, acne, bronchitis, colds & flu, congestion, psoriasis, tonsillitis, wounds, ear infections and stimulates the immune system.

I recommend you seek out this wellness tea if you haven’t tried it already.  It definitely help me when I feeling under the weather.  I even take it when I just need a little boost; as I did today.

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Aviva Ginger Peach Yerba Mate Tea Review and The Health Benefits of Yerba Mate

Today is Day 3 of Aviva Yerba Mate week. Today I will be reviewing their Ginger Peach Yerba Mate. The ingredients are wild harvest grown yerba mate, black tea, bits of ginger and peach. The dried teabag smelt faintly of apricots, yum! You could smell the black tea with the peach barely coming through because the mate, again, is so strong. The taste is nice and crisp, a little bit spicy like their Chai mate.  This is definitely a great tea for energy boosting because it’s mate mixed with black tea.

The health benefits of yerba mate are numerous, there are always new studies coming out.  A few of the benefits of mate from Wiki and the Yerba Mate Association.

• Studies are showing yerba mate to exhibit significant cancer-fighting activity.  Researchers at the University of Illinois (2005) found yerba mate to be “rich in phenolic constituents” and to “inhibit oral cancer cell proliferation” while it promoted proliferation of oral cancer cell lines at certain concentrations.
• Some users report a mental state of wakefulness, focus and alertness reminiscent of most stimulants, but often remark on mate’s unique lack of the negative effects typically created by other such compounds, such as anxiety, “jitteriness”, and heart palpitations.
• Mate contains contains elements such as potassium, magnesium and manganese
• The yerba mate plant contains a number of powerful phytochemicals called saponins.  These important phytochemicals, along with the many antioxidants found in yerba mate, stimulate the immune system and help the body fight disease.  When studying the role that saponins have within plants, it was been discovered that saponins are the plants’ active immune system and that they function as a “natural antibiotic.”
• Yerba mate can reduce the severity of some allergies and hay fever.  A recent study by Linda Rector Page, N.D., Ph.D., notes that yerba mate is helpful for opening respiratory passages to overcome allergy symptoms.  Yerba mate works by stimulating the adrenal glands to produce corticosteroids, which help suppress the inflammation and immune response due to allergies.
• Yerba mate quickens the mind and increases alertness and acuity. Yerba mate also provides sustained-release energy due to its complex combination of xanthine alkaloids, (including caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline) and nutritional support (including B vitamins and chromium).
• For many years now, physicians in Europe have been incorporating yerba mate in treatments for obesity. Heat production is a normal part of metabolism, and yerba mate stimulates this process, thereby increasing the body’s metabolic rate and the burning of stored fat.  Before the fat can be burned, it needs to be broken down into smaller particles.  The xanthines in yerba mate have properties that help break down fat through a process called lipolysis.
• A study conducted by Gugliucci and published in Biochemical Molecular Biology International (1995) claims low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad cholesterol”) oxidation is inhibited by extracts of yerba mate. Oxidation of LDL is considered to be the initiating factor to the onset of atherosclerosis (thickening and hardening of the arteries).

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Celestial Seasonings – Sleepytime Throat Tamer Tea Review

There are so many amazing tea companies from Colorado, and Celestial Seasonings is another one of them. I’ll be reviewing one of their caffeine free herbal supplement teas today – Sleepytime Throat Tamer.  To start, the ingredients of this tea are chamomile, licorice, tilia estrella (a flower), ginger root, slippery elm bark, spearmint, west Indian lemongrass and natural lemon and ginger flavours with other natural flavours (contains soy lecithin).  Phew what a mouthful – no pun intended.  The dosage of the first 5 ingredients are:

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) (flowers) 550mg
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) (root) 260mg
Tilia estrella (Ternstroemia pringlei) (flowers) 150mg
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) (root) 70mg
Slippery Elm Bark (Ulmus rubra) 35mg

The purpose of this tea is to soothe minor throat irritations that may occur between seasonal changes.  This is all too common when the harsh cold winter turns into spring!

I brewed this caffeine free tea with water that was almost at boiling point for 6 minutes or so.  With herbal teas you can always steep longer to get a stronger flavour without risk of it being too bitter.  After steeping the tea became a dark golden brown.  It smelt heavily of lemongrass and chamomile when I first dipped my nose into the tea.  Now comes the sipping.  This tea was very light in body and is very soothing.  There was a strong kick to the tea from the licorice, ginger and slippery elm.

If you’ve never had licorice as a root before, there is the possibility that you may not like this herb!  Licorice as a herb gives off a sweet and almost minty type of sensation in your mouth.  It can be very refreshing and cooling to the body.  it’s great for reducing inflammation and detoxifying.  Please note licorice root is not safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women, so if you are, do not take this tea.

Overall, I recommend this tea, if you need something soothing to sip throughout the day, in the evening or at night to sooth the throat and cool the soul.

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Two Leaves and a Bud – Organic Acai White and Peony White Teas Review

I’m reviewing two Two Leaves and a Bud White Teas today – Organic Acai White Tea and Organic White Peony Tea.  White teas unlike green or black teas, are made from the bud of the tea plant. White tea from what I’ve read had very little caffeine in it, although in The Harney and Sons Guide To Tea on page 19 it says

“To further deter predators, buds also contain extra caffeine and polyphenols…White teas are therefore more caffeinated than green and black teas.”

The first tea I am going to review is the Organic Acai White Tea.  Acai has been all the rage in the health industry lately thanks to a show where Oprah uncovered the amazing health benefits of acai.  It is Number 1 of Dr. Perricone’s Top 10 Superfoods.  The ingredients are organic white tea, conventional acai berries and natural flavor.  The white tea they used as a base in this tea is the silver needle.  This tea is nice.  It’s aromas are reminiscent of a bouquet of fresh flowers from the garden.  As with silver needle tea, the body is quite thin.  The tea is more on the vegetal side rather than fruity.  Either way, I would recommend this tea if you are looking for the antioxidant effects of the acai berry in a tea.

Next is the Two Leaves and a Bud White Peony Tea.  A little darker in color, this tea is still a light golden brown shade.  it is suppose to be the darkest of all white teas.  The ingredients are organic white peony blossom tea with rose petals.  The taste is a bit like a steamed pumpkin or melon on the end note.  Any white tea enthusiast needs to try this tea.

It took a while after I sampled these teas for the caffeine to kick in.  I usually feel the effects right away from teas, my conclusion is that these teas are very light in caffeine.  Be careful when brewing though, both of these teas are heavy in tannins so don’t forget to take it out after the recommend times 5 and 4 minutes respectively.  Oh and these teabags are good for multiple steepings.

9/15 teas down – 6 more Two Leaves and a Bud teas to go.

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Adorable Tea Video

An adorable video on why you should drink tea over coffee or soda!

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