Just as herbs are used in capsule form, tincture, extracts, and in other forms, herbal teas are another form of herb usage for a wide variety of uses.

Many medicinal herbs can be effectively used in tea form. Sometimes the effect can be felt even more quickly as the tea is quickly absorbed into the system and the active elements from the tea can begin to work quickly in the body. Herbs can be either more or less effective in tea form, depending upon the herb.

Herbal teas may be made using either the infusion method or the decoction method.
Infusion teas are made from leaves, flowers, and other light plant material. Place 1 or 2 tsp. of the herbal tea into a tea bag, ball, etc. and place it in your cup. Heat water until almost boiling and pour over the tea. Allow it to steep for 3 to 5 minutes. If you need a stronger effect, you can let the tea steep for up to 15 minutes, but be aware that many teas will become bitter if brewed more than the normal 3 - 5 minutes. Tea may be sweetened with honey, if needed. It should be drunk when fresh, but can be refrigerated for 12-24 hours if necessary.

The decoction method is used to make teas from plant materials such as bark, seeds, roots, berries, or woody stems, or twigs. The material should be chopped up. Add 1 to 3 tablespoons of the herbal material into a medium or large teapot with 16 ounces up to a quart of water. Let the pot sit for at least 5 to 10 minutes before heating. Bring it just to boiling, then turn down the heat and allow it to simmer for 10 to 30 minutes. Strain the tea into a cup. Honey may be added if needed. Tea is best drunk fresh, but can keep for a few days if refrigerated. The materials listed for decoction can also be prepared using the infusion method, but will result in a weaker tea with less of the intended effect.

Herbal Teas have been used for many centuries for a number of health issues.

Currently, Oolong (Wu-Long) tea is one of the most sought-after teas in the US for its use in weight loss. All of the buzz on Oolong tea has found many people interested in buying it, to the point that health food stores are often unable to get tea in stock for customers wanting to buy it. Oolong tea has been used for many years in Japan and China for its slimming and other health benefits. Many people use oolong tea to help with a diet program. Green tea is another tea that is popular among dieters for its metabolism-boosting ingredients.

There are a number of other popular teas that are used for weight control as well. Senna is one of the most common, although truthfully senna is simply a laxative herb. A number of other laxative herbal teas are also promoted for weight loss, and we will be listing some of these.

Another category of teas used for weight loss are those that increase overall energy, giving more energy to exercise and thus lose weight. Guarana is a popular tea of this type. Others include ginseng of various types and noni.

Besides weight loss, there are herbal teas in use for almost any health concern. Antioxidant benefits are some of the most common reasons to drink herbal teas, and green tea is one of the best for this use. Other common uses for herbal tea include balancing hormones (such as with raspberry leaf or dong quai tea), respiratory problems (licorice tea and others), stomach soothing teas (ginger, catnip, fennel or peppermint teas are among the most popular), immune-system boosting teas (goldenseal, elderberry, echinacea, astragalus, and kombucha teas), teas for relaxing and inducing sleep (such as passionflower, hops, and chamomile), teas to help the body deal with stress (such as skullcap), teas to help alleviate pain (such as valerian), teas for joint pain, and many others.

There are even cosmetic uses for teas, taken both internally and applied externally, such as horsetail and sage teas for the hair and green tea for the skin.

We plan to review a wide variety of energy teas, tea for weight loss, oolong tea, and herbal teas for a number of uses in upcoming issues. We will also discuss how to properly steep herbal tea and how to make your own teas, as well as how to make other products for external use using herbal teas. Watch for upcoming information!