Drink Tea From Your Pantry: Common Herbs And Spices To Drink For Great Health Benefits

I thought I'd take a break from talking about my 365 day journey of eating nothing but what I grow, to something everyone can do right at this moment for really great health benefits.

This is so easy, anyone who can make simple tea can do it, and most of us have it in the kitchen already.  I'm going to talk about 5 simple herbs and spices that are really common, are used everyday in cooking, but most people don't know how healthy they are.  I'm talking about Black Pepper, Sage, Oregano, Thyme, and Rosemary.  As a precaution, women who are pregnant, people with immune issues and people who are on medications should consult a physician before trying these teas.

A little about making the teas:  Just boil some water, add a teaspoon of each herb to the water and steep 3 to 5 minutes.  The more herb you use, the stronger the effect, so I suggest using small amounts at first, until you are used to the taste.  Another idea is to add it to the tea you drink already.  Add some to black tea and sweeten your tea the way you normally would and you may not even taste the additional herb.  You can also add ice to these if you like iced tea.

Let's start with Black Pepper.  Black pepper is something you probably don't even think about but it has become quite interesting to foodies and herbalists, for it's flavors and health benefits.  It reduces joint stiffness, gets rid of those pesky free radicals that make us age, and promotes weight loss.  In fact, taking black pepper, turmeric and cayenne pepper in a tablet is good for weight loss and reduces inflammation in your joints.  I have been taking that for awhile because it just works so well.  Another thing black pepper does is balances your bodies water content.  It also increases circulation, which helps all sorts of things.

Next is sage.  Sage reminds me of my moms stuffing at Thanksgiving.  It's the best comfort food in the WORLD and it's also medicinal because of the sage!  Go figure!  The list of sage's benefits are very long.  Of course sage has antioxidants, which combats free radicals that I mentioned before.  Promotes weight loss, and is a remedy for sore throats and coughs.  Drink sage tea with a little honey when you have a cold.  Sage also treats the following maladies:  hot flashes, painful menstrual periods, depression, insomnia, memory loss, and digestive problems.

Oregano is a favorite of mine.  It grows like crazy in my yard so I always have plenty of it.  These herbs I'm covering today have a lot of the same medicinal values in common, so you can take them together for added benefits.  Oregano lowers bad cholesterol, is antioxidant, relieves PMS and menstrual pain, is great for sore throat, congestion and colds.  Great for helping you sleep.  Great for all sorts of digestive complaints.  It's also antibacterial, so you can make your tea from it, and use it topically, or on your skin for acne and all sorts of other skin problems.  If you use antibacterial soap, (which you shouldn't!), you can add some oregano to your hand wash instead.  Oregano also slows the aging process because it has omega 3's that keep cells healthy and regenerative.

Thyme is another herb that has omega 3's.  Great antioxidant, treats bronchitis and coughs.  Promotes sleep, good for menstrual cramps, great for digestion and weight loss.  Very similar to sage and oregano.  

Last, but certainly not least is rosemary (for remembrance).  Rosemary has been studied as a preventative for breast cancer because it balances estrogen levels in women.  It is however, not good for women with menstrual difficulties because it stimulates the uterus.  We don't want that!  Rosemary also improves brain performance and memory, stimulates cell regeneration and improves overall skin tone.  It is calming and relaxing, so it's great for bedtime, and it detoxes the liver.  

So, the next time you're drinking your sleepy tea, throw a teaspoon or two of some of those herbs in.  It will turn you into a superhero.  Okay, that may not happen, but it's fun to enjoy the experiments!

Thanks for reading!  If anyone has comments, questions or would like to share experiences with me, I love to hear from you guys!  You can share these on my facebook pages or if you have a google account, you can add it to this blog post!  I try to respond to you all.

Pickles hasn't had an appearance in awhile, so here he is!!!