Herbal teas are the simplest, most efficient way to gain the benefits of many of nature's healing herbs. They require no special training, understanding of complicated medical jargon or often costly supplement capsules. Here are a few simple tips for brewing your own herbal teas, as well as the uses of a couple more common herbs to get you started.

What you need: Many of the more common herbs come in tea bags. If you can find the tea you wish to use in this form, all you need is some hot water and a mug. Sometimes you can't find what you need in bags, but don't worry; you can brew your teas from loose herbs. If you're making your tea this way, you'll also need a tea strainer. It has been recommended to me to not use a metal strainer, because the metal can react with some of the herbs. The one I use is plastic, but in a pinch a metal tea ball will do fine.

Where to find your herbs: Many herbal teas can be found in tea bag form at a grocery store, right with the black tea and the coffee. If you can't find what you want there, try your local health food store. Here you'll find a greater selection of bagged herbal teas and often times packages of loose herbs. The benefit of loose herbs is that you can make your own blends out of different herbs you find to work well. My personal favorite is a blend of lemon balm and raspberry leaf.

How long to brew: While you might let a normal cup of tea brew for maybe three to five minutes, a medicinal tea should be left to brew longer, to allow the herb to infuse to its full potency. I usually brew mine for closer to fifteen minutes. The longer the tea brews the stronger it will become.

How often to drink: While there are some herbal teas that will be taken for a specific ailment for a specific amount of time, most herbal teas function best when taken consistently. A cup of an herbal tea before bed every night will over time provide a great benefit to your health.

Some common herbs and their benefits:

Chamomile: You can find chamomile tea in almost any grocery store. It has a range of benefits including the relief from anxiety and insomnia and the soothing of digestive pains.

Lemon Balm: Lemon Balm is more often found as a loose herb, though some health food shops carry it in tea bags. This is my first and favorite herbal tea. It's a gentle soother for insomnia and anxiety. Iced lemon balm tea is a relaxing, refreshing drink.

Raspberry Leaf: Raspberry leaf can often be found both bagged and loose. It is soothing for gums and often helps ease the discomfort of mouth sores. Be careful if you're looking for raspberry tea to make sure you're not getting raspberry flavored tea instead of tea made from raspberry leaf.

Ginger: Ginger is not a difficult herb to find, it can often even be found fresh. It is a very warming tea to drink, and very soothing to the stomach.

Thyme: This is one of those herbs that can be found with the cooking spices. It is a very strong antiseptic and disinfectant. I use thyme tea mixed with orange juice when I have a cold. It's generally good for the immune system.

A brief note and warning: I am NOT a professional. Everything I have written here is from my own experience and research. The herbs I have mentioned are ones that have been beneficial to me and I recommend to others. There are some herbs, such as St. Johns Wort, a well known herb used for depression, which can cause complications with some medications. If you have a medical condition or take medications you should ask your doctor if there are any herbs you should avoid.

I hope you find this information useful and find herbal teas as much of a benefit as I did.

Learn more about this author, Risa Phoe.
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