BREWUP SOME HEALING TEA'S - 3 DAYS OF DIFFERENT HERBAL TEAS WITH EVERDAY INGREDIENTS Part 1 CLOVE TEA

                                                    
HERBAL TEAS OR TISANE as its correctly known, is the infusion of herbs, spices or other plant ingredients ie leaves, roots even the seeds and hot water left to steep (decoction)  to produce an active medicinal drinks; the fusion is usaully caffeine free.
For thousands of years  people worldwide  have been drinking herbal infusions for their great taste, medicinal properties and powerful antioxident content. However, not all herbs are water soluble and some are more effective if they  are taken in high concentration only found in tablet form  or extract; eg Ginko, Milkthistle. ( check with you health store if unsure)
Herbal teas can be made with fresh or dried flowers, leaves, seeds or  roots, generally by pouring boiling water over the plant parts and  letting them steep for a few minutes. Seeds and roots can also be boiled  on a stove. The herbal tea i then strained, sweetened if so desired,  and served. Many companies produce herbal tea bags for such infusions.
As herbal teas can have different effects on each individual, if you are unsure always check with a health advisor/healthstore - most 'teabag' varieties are pretty much safe for consumption, its the medicinal ones that need a little more homework!
Caution: During pregnancy
Several medicinal herbs are considered abortifacients, and if consumed by a pregnantwoman could cause miscarriage. These include common ingredients like nutmeg, mace, papaya, bitter melon, verbena, saffron, slippery elm, and possibly pomegranate. It also includes more obscure herbs, like mugwort, rue, pennyroyal, wild carrot, bluecohosh, tansy, and savin.[medical citation needed] (source Wikipedia)

Over the following 3 days I will be posting 3 teas/tisane that you can make at home from scratch with ingredients that you will have in your storecupboard or can easily get from a healthfood store.
                                                     

DAY 1  CLOVE TEA with a hint of cinamon and a bay leaf
This spicy sweet tea is cupful of goodness.  Cloves have been used for centuries as a remedy for digestive problems, toothaches and even for insomina!
What few people may know is that this Indian spice has some of the highest anti-oxidents than other spices it which is great for your immune system.  With its anti-inflammatory properties, crushed cloves are used as a tooth ache remedy by reducing the swelling of the gums where the inflammation is; gargling with warm clove tea  helps to remove any bacteria in your mouth, thus relieving you of that horrible ache!
1 Treats sinus infections : drinking a cup  of warm clove tea (especially in the morning) helps to unblock your nose and sinuses.   The presence of  eugenol  in cloves make for  a powerful expectorant agent clearing up congested phlegm andspreading  warmth around the area. Great when you have that blocked up stuffy nose !
2 Soothes arthritic pain:  Arthiritis can be quite painful and a compress of ice-cold clove tea compress is effective in reduding the pain and giving you some relief. As cloves have powerful analgesic agents and applying a cold compresses with its tea  relieves joint pain, muscle pain, swelling and ligament injury. Apply  the
compress for 20 minutes twice or three time in a day can help.
3 Aids in digestion: If you suffer from indigestion, stomach cramps or poor digestion, then a a cup of clove tea before lunch or dinner can stimulate blood flow and improve saliva production for better digestion of food. Cloves possess
analgesic properties which combat gastric acidity, so drinking clove teas will boost gastric secretions helping to relieve you of painful stomach pains and indegestion.
Bayleaves and cinamon have  anti-inflammatory properties and the bayleaf also contains anti-bacterial properties. 

                                                                           

HOW TO MAKE

1 Teaspoon cloves - more if you like it stronger

3 bayleaves

1 cinamon stick

pint of filtered water

dollop of honey to sweeten

                                                                    

You will need for starters a motar and pestle to crush the cloves into a powder - if you dont have one, then a good improvisation is to put the cloves into a small plastic bag ( sandwich ziplock good) - take a rolling pin and roll over to crush. Crushing the cloves releases the 'eugenol' - the magic ingredient!

Crush the cloves down until 'powdery' - doesn't have to be perfect, a few 'clove twiggy' bits are ok  

In the meantime, boil a pint of filtered water.  When bubbling, toss in the crushed cloves, bayleaves and cinamon stick.

Turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, turn off the heat and leave to 'Seep' for at least 5 minutes - 10 best - I usually put a lit on top to keep the heat in.

Strain the golden liquid into a glass - add the cinamon stick to it and a dollop of sweet honey for taste.

Sip away and feel the magic work .....

This can be drank hot or cold over ice.  Can make up a good quantity and left in fridge to drink during the day - discard at end of day, as its not good to use the next day.  

Not a good idea to consume everyday.

                                                                        

IF YOU LIKED MY POST THEN FOLLOW ME OVER THE NEXT 2 DAYS AS I WILL BE POST SOME MORE 'HEALING TEAS'.

NOTE: I am not a health professional and I don't hold claim to offering health/medical advise - all of the above is from personal experience and vast reading.  If you are unsure, ask your health advisor/GP. I am just someone who loves healthy living and sharing this with the community.