Tea Secrets: The Magic Of Mint Tea

I often get asked what my all time favorite herb tea is. If I had to pick just one (which is totally not fair, but hypothetically speaking…) it would be peppermint. I developed my love for peppermint tea in 1993 when I was pregnant with my daughter Anna. I craved hot peppermint tea and drank it nearly every day. When I went to herb school a few years later, I learned that peppermint has remarkable benefits that most people don’t even know about. One of the things that stood out to me the most was that peppermint has the unique ability to cool your body when it’s too hot, and warm you up when you’re chilled. It made me wonder: How does a simple plant know what my body needs, and an even bigger question, how does it adjust itself so that I won’t become over-heated or too cold? The amazing synergy between plants like mint and the human body blew me away. Nature is so intelligent!

Peppermint has even more healing benefits. It settles an upset stomach, helps promote feelings of calm during times of stress, supports the liver and gallbladder, and helps you feel mentally sharp and alert.

Spearmint is also pretty amazing. It supports the body in some of the same ways that peppermint does. The difference is that the flavor of spearmint is milder than peppermint, and it’s also more relaxing to the nerves. Spearmint is a better choice for young children. Because both types of mint are good for digestion and nervous tension, they’re helpful for stress-related digestive issues like IBS.

Mint tea is literally steeped (pun intended) in ancient magical lore. Mint was believed to cleanse away bad energies, increase feelings of calm in the home, and add strength to your words. If your bank account is looking a little low, drink mint tea and fill your mind with thoughts of abundance and plenty. (After all, mint is where they make money!)

Mint makes a lovely iced tea. Here is a recipe that’s refreshing, cooling, and tasty!

You will need:

• 6 teaspoons spearmint, peppermint, or Moroccan Rose Mint tea
• 6 cups hot water
• Fresh cucumber slices
• Fresh lemon, lime, and orange slices
• Several sprigs of fresh spearmint
• Good quality sugar, like coconut sugar or evaporated cane juice (optional)
• Two ice cube trays

Steep the mint in the hot water for three to five minutes. Strain out the tea leaves and let it cool in the refrigerator. While the tea cools, rinse the fresh spearmint leaves and pat dry. Get out the ice cube trays and place a mint leaf inside each individual section. Fill the ice cube trays with the cooled tea and freeze. You’re going to use this in place of regular ice.

Once the tea cubes are frozen, prepare the rest of the tea. In a glass pitcher, place a handful of cucumber slices. Gently crush or muddle them with a wooden spoon. Next, place the citrus slices in the jar, giving them a good squeeze before dropping them in. Pour the tea into the pitcher and stir well to mix the juices from the citrus and cucumber with the tea. I prefer the tea without any sugar, but feel free to sweeten to taste.

To serve, fill a tall glass with the mint tea ice cubes. Pour in the mint tea, and garnish with slices of cucumber and citrus.

Cheers!

~Kita

Click here to learn about other teas for digestion!