Herbal Teas and Their Uses

Hi everyone, it's Marissa from BumblebeeApothecary.com and today I'm here with a requested video talking about the different teas that I like to drink and why. So thank you as always for your video requests, I love finding out what you guys would like to see. So if you do have video requests, please leave me a comment down below. So the teas that I like to drink are actually herbal infusions. So years and years ago I took an herbalism course and it was fantastic, I learned lots of different really interesting things that are also very useful. And one of the things that I learned when I took that course was when you're making herbal teas, you're actually making an herbal infusion. So true tea is made from tea leaves. And I will say that I do make true tea when I make tea for my kombucha, and I do plan to do a video showing our kombucha with the jun scoby that uses honey instead of sugar. I just have been meaning to do this tea video for a while so I wanted to get it done first, but I do have a kombucha one coming. Anyway, that does use true tea. These ones that I drink aside from that are going to be more of the herbal infusions. So I just wanted to go through my favorite ones that I go back to over and over again and then talk about why I like to use them and what they're kind of good for. The first one that is probably my most favorite herbal tea or herbal infusion is going to be this red raspberry leaf. And I love this so much because of how versatile it is. So one of the things I learned in that herbalism course I took a while back is just how many nutrients are in red raspberry leaves and just all the many things that it can help with. So anytime somebody is sick, here I will usually make some red raspberry leaf tea just because it contains all kinds of different nutrients that the body needs when it's fighting something off. So that's one of the things I like to use it for. Another really big use for it is that it's very supportive of the whole female system. So reproductive organs, hormone balance, liver, skin, all of that. It really supports that and helps keep things regular and healthy and comfortable. And so I love it for that. It's also really great for during pregnancy. I've heard mixed things. Some people say it's fine to take for the entire pregnancy. Some people say don't take it during the first trimester just in case. And I think it's probably, I mean you do your own research and do what you are comfortable with. But I think it's probably fine to take it for the whole pregnancy but I always just like to play everything super safe and I go ahead and stop drinking it during the first trimester and then pick it up again somewhere during the second trimester and make sure that I'm drinking it during the third trimester. It's supposed to really help get the uterus ready for labor and help it be strong and everything. So I always try to remember to incorporate that on a regular basis. Another one that I really like is peppermint. This is another kind of versatile tea. Not nearly as much as red raspberry but it's nice for digestion. It's one of the teas that Dr. Natasha recommends when you are adding some of those nice herbal teas in the beginning stages of gaps. And then it's also really nice for if somebody has a little bit of an upset stomach. It can be nice and soothing and calming for nausea and different digestive upsets. So I really like to keep those on hand and make them. Some other ones that I like to have on hand and use too are chamomile and then lemon balm. I like combining these to make like a relaxing tea to enjoy in the evening time as kind of a nice wind down or bedtime routine because they really help with relaxing and calming and just getting the body ready for sleep. So I like having the chamomile by itself or combining it with some lemon balm or the lemon balm can be nice to add to the red raspberry leaf too. Sometimes it's fun to kind of mix these around a little bit and make different tasting teas. There are some other ones that I didn't pull out here but that I will use from time to time. So lavender is really nice in combination with chamomile and then lemon balm also. And then red clover blossoms can be really nice for supporting the female system. I don't think that one's good for during pregnancy but at other times it can be nice to have in combination with the red raspberry leaf. And then I also really really love making ginger root tea with a fresh ginger root. Now of course you can buy different ginger teas, ginger flavored teas, whatever. I just don't think any of those come even close to how delicious and beneficial actual real ginger root is. So what you can do, so you can control the spiciness of your ginger tea. So if you want it very very mild then you cut it into big slices like coin shapes. If you want it a little more spicy than that you can chop it up into some smaller pieces. If you want it a little spicier yet you can mince it. If you want it the spiciest that it can be then you grate it nice and finely and then you just pour boiling water on that, let it sit for a little bit, strain it out. You can stir in some raw honey and that's delicious. It's one of the ones that Dr. Natasha recommends for early stages of gaps but it's fantastic anytime you want to just add some kind of fire to your digestive system. It helps with motility and keeping the digestion moving if you need help in that area. And it's delicious, just really nice digestive support. So that's one of my favorites that I like to make quite often. And then I also wanted to mention sometimes I will grab, I really like this brand, Traditional Medicinals. Now generally I like to stick with making the teas myself, buying bulk herbs that are loose cut and sifted like this and then using a tea strainer. That can be either one of these kind that you just put some of the tea in and have it in a cup or I also have this teapot and we've just been making a bunch of tea, it needs to be washed. But anyway, I really like this one because you can make a whole pot of tea, it has this built in strainer and then you can pour it right out, makes it really easy. So I like those. And I do like to kind of just stay away from tea bags generally on a regular basis. But like I said, I do like this brand, Traditional Medicinals and sometimes when I'm just in a pinch, I need some herbal tea like when I'm sick or busy or something like that, especially when I'm sick, then I will oftentimes reach for something like this. I like this throat coat one and they have a few other ones that I really like. And their tea bags, they do make an effort to do a little bit better with them. They are compostable and they're non-GMO verified, I feel like it's, you know, a better step up than just any tea that might be in a tea bag that you could get. So I will do these sometimes and they really help for those times when you just really need stuff, you're not feeling well, you're super busy, something like that. And then generally, I'll just go to my loose teas and my ginger root and mixing and matching depending on what our needs are and what I'm feeling like or whatever. So I'd love to know what teas you like to drink and why, so leave me a comment down below and let me know. Also check out that description box down below, I'll link as many of these teas as I can find as well as my teapot and these types of tea strainers if you're interested. Also check out that description box for links to free e-books and other goodies. 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