Cornsilk (Zea mays) is exactly what it sounds like … tea made from the silk of corn plants. You can use the silk of fresh corn, dry it in the sun, and make your own cornsilk tea. It is a diuretic and soothes the urinary tract, so it is useful for urinary tract infections. It has also been used to break up stones (but hydrangea is probably better for that purpose).

Cornsilk has cosmetic uses as well. It is ground into a fine powder and used as a face powder or a baby powder.

Contains saponins, volatile alkaloids, plant sterols, allatosin, tannins, and resin.

Chasteberry (Vitex agnus castus) is generally used as a woman’s herb. It can be beneficial to reduce the problems associated with PMS, can help regulate a woman’s cycles, and can be helpful to alleviate menstrual cramps.

Chasteberry has been used since ancient times, and was written about in the works of Hippocrates and his contemporaries.

Valentine’s Day seems like an appropriate time to discuss Rosehip (Rosa canina) tea. Rose hips are the fruits that remain on the bush after the flowers are gone. Rose hips were called “the Food of the Gods” by the ancient Greeks and regarded as beneficial for a number of health reasons. Rose hips are, indeed, a valuable food source as one of the richest sources of vitamin C, complete with flavenoids.

Because of the abundance of vitamin C and flavenoids, rosehip tea is useful for fighting colds and respiratory infections.  It is also helpful against stomach problems involving inflammation and/or diarrhea with infection or because of food-borne illness, and is a common ingredient in colic remedies. It also has astringent properties and may be used cosmetically, but the rose oil derivatives are more commonly used for cosmetic purposes.

Dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale) is one of the best teas to promote liver health. Those with any liver condition can use it continually to their benefit. It does also have a very mild laxative effect.

It is a common herb in food use, with the roots being used in salads or cooked as a vegetable or added to other vegetables, and the leaves are used as salad greens. It is sometimes brewed as a coffee substitute, an can be used in making root beer.

This is the same dandelion that is the bane of many homeowners, popping up in otherwise well-manicured lawns. If not exposed to pesticide, herbicide, or car exhaust, common dandelions can be harvested and used as salad greens. Dandelion is very rich in nutrients, including vitamins A, B, C, and D and minerals, particularly potassium and calcium.

Dandelion is also used as a natural dye plant, with the whole plant being boiled down to make a deep magenta colored dye.

Black Cohosh Root (Cimicifuga racemosa) has long been used by Native Americans for a variety of purposes, both internally and externally. Because it was recognized as helpful for women, it was also called “squaw root.”

It has some benefit as a nerve tonic and for arthritis suffers, but is most commonly used to treat problems associated with menopause, menstruation, and has been used before childbirth. However, it is important to note that black cohosh should NOT be used as a single herb or a major constituent by pregnant or lactating women, and for those who do use it, the body should have a break if it is used for 6 months continuously.

Nutritionally, black cohosh provides isoflavones, isoferulic acid, salicylic acid,  tannins, resin, fatty acid, and simple and complex sugars.

Spearmint leaves (Mentha spicata) are used to brew a tea that is not only refreshing and flavorful, but has some medicinal properties as well. It is especially useful for soothing stomach upsets and can decrease stomach acids and bile. It is also helpful to drink when one has diarrhea. It can be helpful for jaundiced persons for its action on the liver.

Spearmint has many of the same properties as peppermint, but is milder and many people find it easier to use than peppermint, especially children or those not used to herbal teas.

Spearmint also has cosmetic uses. It can be used in the bath to soothe the skin, in steaming water for a facial, and also as an astringent to clean oily skin.

It is very commonly used in foods and drinks, adding a minty flavor or aroma to cold drinks, salads, jellies, meats, sauces, and many other dishes. Experimenting with spearmint in a variety of dishes and with different methods is likely to produce very good results, as it is complementary to so many kinds of foods.

Elderberry (Sambiacus nigra) is another wonderful immune system herb with a variety of other uses as well. It works as an anti-viral and so is helpful to fight colds and flu, but if one is already ill, it also works as an expectorant, soothes throat inflammation, and helps fight fever. It also helps stimulate blood flow, and has been used as a mood enhancer as well.

The berries are very nutritious, offering high levels of vitamin C, biotin, beta carotene, protein, fiber, sugars, and tyrosine.

Elderberry syrup is also popular for colds and flu. It soothes the throat, helps with coughing up mucous, and helps fight infection.

Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is among the best-known of herbal teas.  Nearly everyone recognizes its calming effects and it is prized as a before-bedtime relaxing tea. It also helps to ease digestive discomforts and can help abate nausea, and has anti-inflammatory properties.

Chamomile is also useful cosmetically and can be added to the bath or used as a facial. If applied to brown hair, it tends to bring out golden highlights.

Damiana (Turnera diffusa) is usually first thought of as a woman’s herb, but it has a variety of uses. It can be beneficial to lift mood and is helpful to those with depression, and is also often used as an aphrodisiac herb. It has a generally stimulant effect, and also works in a very mild way as both a laxative and diuretic.

Tea made from blueberry leaf (Vaccinium) has been used for diabetes when insulin is not being used because it can reduce blood sugar. It also cleanses the urinary tract, and has general astringent properties. It has been used for diarrhea as well.

This tea nutritionally provides oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, beta-amyrin, fatty acids, sugars, and tannins.

Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is most well-known for its use in improving vision. Bilberry can be helpful for both night vision and helping with retinal deterioration.

Nutritionally, bilberry provides manganese and tannins. It has a slight diuretic effect, and a slight antiseptic effect. Besides improving sight, it also helps to improve circulation and strengthen blood vessels.

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is most commonly used (in humans at least!) as a soothing tea for the digestion. It is often used in preparations for colic in infants, either alone or in combination with such herbs as fennel. Catnip also works as an antispasmotic and has astringent properties, and can help reduce fever as well.

This is the same catnip used for cats, which will excite and seemingly intoxify susceptible cats. Because the cats do not respond until after they reach puberty, and because of other physiological responses seen in the cats, it is likely that the response for them is more related to hormone-driven ecstasy than intoxification.

Catnip contains volatile oils, tannins, and bitter principle.

Echinacea (usually E. angustifolia and E. purpurea) is a well-known herb commonly used for its immune-boosting properties. Native to the United States, Echinacea was used by the Plains Indians more than any other herb. Echinacea is useful for treating infections, and also as an immune system stimulant. It has both anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, as well as being somewhat anti-inflammatory.

All of this makes it perfect as a tea to use when you expect to be around groups of people or to enter a place where the likelihood of encountering infection is high. It is also very beneficial if used as soon as you begin to feel ill.

The effectiveness of echinacea in treating  an illness decreases with the length of time a person is sick before they begin taking it. Using echinacea immediately or within the first 12 hours is best. If you have been sick for 4 days, it is probably too late for it to do any real good and you should consider a different herb. Additionally, it is best not to use echinacea continuously for more than 2 weeks, or intermittently for more than 2 months, or else the immune-boosting effects will be lost.  In some individuals, the immune system can even begin to be compromised if echinacea is used at fairly high doses continuously for long periods.

Astragalus root (Astragalus membranaceus) is often used as an immune system tonic. What this means is that it helps to stimulate the immune system, and is able to be used on an ongoing basis. (Many herbs which stimulate the immune system can only be used for a limited period of time before they lose that effect or even have the reverse effect, but tonic herbs can be used continuously.) It also functions as an adaptogenic herbal tea, helping the body to deal with the physical effects of stress. It is often found in combinations that are intended to increase energy.

Astragalus has long been used as a Chinese remedy, and is a key herb in “FuZhen” therapy. FuZhen is concerned encouraging the body to use its natural healing abilities to maintain health and rejuvenate itself.

Astragalus provides the body with several isoflavone compounds, helps with production and secretion of interferon, works as an antiviral in the body, dilates coronary arteries, and has a diuretic effect.

Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis) is one of the most popular herbs in Chinese medicine. Used primarily as a woman’s herb, it is beneficial for various female hormone-related problems, including menstrual irregularities, PMS, and hot flashes. It is also a blood purifying tonic, and has anti-inflammatory properties as well as some pain-killing ability. It improves circulation by dilating veins and helps suppress allergic responses. It is also antiseptic and kills bacteria as well as fungus.

Dong Quai can commonly be found in conjunction with ginseng, as it is a popular herb for women’s problems in Chinese medicine.