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.

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.

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.