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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Let’s Do Tea – Jellybean Dream Rooibos Tea Review

I was contacted by Amy, a tea consultant from Let’s Do Tea, to sample some of their teas.  Let’s Do Tea hosts tea parties all over the United States, but you can also order tea from them.  I will be sampling Jelly Bean Dream today and another 2 teas tomorrow.  I was suppose to review this tea with Jonquil, a friend of mine, but we became so full after bubble tea that she had to decline so I’m doing this review solo!

The ingredients of this caffeine free herb and fruit tea are hibiscus, rosehip, apple bits, currants, pineapple, strawberry bits, Jelly Belly jelly beans, and flavourings.  There are no instructions on how to brew this tea, so I am going to remove the Jelly Belly jelly beans before brewing!  I got watermelon and vanilla Jelly Belly jelly beans.  As my sister said “What they put Jelly Belly jelly beans in their tea?  That’s so pimp.”  You can include them into your tea brew but I would imagine that it would taste like a hot sugary soda.  Ew or mmmm depending on your tastes!  Imagine if you got a jalapeno and butter popcorn jelly bean in your tea sample!

Anyways time to try this tea.  As I’m steeping this tea, the apple pieces are expanding and I’m picking up aromas of berries.  The color has become a brilliant red, the hue of the tea looks a lot like cranberry juice.   This tea is very mild and the body was quite light.  There wasn’t an overwhelming berry aroma.  I was definitely tasting the apples in the tea over the berries.  I wish this tea was more balanced – maybe the jellybeans would have helped?  I imagine this would be a good tea to lure kids into trying tea with a treat lol!  Or if you like teas with a overpowering apple base and a hint of berries then this is the tea for you.

Can anyone comment and let me know if they’ve actually tried this tea with the jellybeans?  I really curious as to how the flavour profile changes.

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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 Pomi-Berry, Peppermint and Chamomile Tea Review

I’m going to be reviewing a trio of caffeine free herbal teas from Two Leaves and a Bud today.  It’s 5pm and I really don’t want caffeine coursing through my veins if I go to hot yoga tonight.  The three teas are peppermint, chamomile and Pomi-Berry.

I’m starting with the Pomi-Berry first.  The ingredients are organic: chamomile, lemon balm, lavender, apple, linden flowers, lemongrass, hibiscus, strawberries, raspberries and natural berry flavor.  The tea is a nice smell of chamomile and berries.  The color of the tea is brown with a red tones underneath.  The tea tastes strongly of chamomile and apples!  There is a hint of citrus and lemongrass on the end note.  The taste is very mellow.  I think this would be a good tea to drink while you’re camping.  This tea is so down to earth and cozy, it’s like hug from your grandmother.

Next is the chamomile tea.  This is every sick persons favourite.  The ingredients are pure organic Egyptian chamomile flowers.  The flower heads are left fully intact in the teabag.  Many companies choose to use broken down versions of the flower heads.  This tea is silky smooth, light and super gentle.  I love their version of this classic herbal tea.

Finally we have the 100% organic peppermint tea.  Peppermint is excellent for digestion, so after a heavy heavy meal this would be the tea to enjoy.  This peppermint definitely has some body and kick to it.  Some peppermint is thin and watery without much taste.  The mintyness is akin to my mouthwash!  Wow.  It’s very nice.  Talk about peppermint umami.  I could really go for some chocolate right now to complement this cup!

7/15 down – 8 more teas to go!

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Two Leaves and a Bud – Alpine Berry Herbal Tea Review

I got this package from Two Leaves and A Bud last week and I finally had a chance today to review one of the teas. I’m seriously contemplating doing a tea week dedicated to these guys because of the sheer amount of samples they sent me. If I go forward with this, this will be 1/15 teas. I’ll see how I feel tomorrow.

Two Leaves and a Bud from Colorado is one tea company that I would be proud of owning.  Their packaging design is colorful, fun and engaging!  Their packaging and press kit actually reminded me of my website.

I decided to kick start off, hopefully, Two Leaves and a Bud Week with the caffeine free Alpine Berry.  I’m not a fan of berry teas, but I’m optimistic.  The ingredients are: hibiscus, apple peel, rosehips, blackberry leaves, orange peel, and natural berry flavors.

I brewed the tea with almost boiling water and steeped for several minutes. The liqueur instantly became a brilliant burgundy.  The color reminded me of a deep red wine or pomegranate juice.  The smell of the tea is very light.  It’s smelled of baked apples and strawberries.  Now comes the taste test.  Wow.  I love this tea.  It is completely unlike many of the berry tea experiences that I’ve had in the past.  The flavours are rich and fragrant.  I feel like I’m drinking plump raspberries, blackberries and strawberries in a tea.  I’m used to berries being very sweet so I would definately add some honey into my tea in the future.  I think this would also make a fantastic iced tea – add some apple and lemon slices with some honey and you’re good to go.

I highly recommend this tea to people who are looking for a berry based fruity herbal tea that is caffeine free.

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