Herbal Tea Benefits

Herbal teas come from many different plants and be made from flowers, leaves, roots, bark and seeds, using just one at a time or in any combination. A herbal tea can be delicious and taste exquisite evoking the original pure aroma of the plant whilst it was still growing. This deliciousness depends on many aspects. For example:

• The age of the leaves, flowers etc. when they were harvested
• How the leaves etc. were dried and packed at source and later for sale to the public
• Storage and transport conditions and facilities
• How the herbal tea is brewed in the home
• The quality of the water used

Many herbal teas can be easily brewed, fresh in your home in your stump teapot, with plants from your own herb garden.  Herb teas as well as tasting good have properties that are traditionally believed to be very beneficial for our health. Some herbal tea benefits are certainly that they contain a wide range of minerals and vitamins vital to body processes.  Some of the more specific herbal tea benefits are believed to be that they can relieve stress and help the digestive system.

• spearmint - soothes the digestive system
• peppermint - as with spearmint above and it reduces colic and flatulence in the bowel
• lemon balm - calms nervous dyspepsia, indigestion, colic and flatulence
• rosemary - tonic to the liver and circulation.. Restorative effect on the nervous system
• thyme - antiseptic properties, used in mouthwashes for mouth, gum and throat infections.  Also a digestive tonic.
• nettle - cleansing action on the body, helping kidneys and circulation
• chamomile - gentle relaxing influence on the nervous system and soothes gastric irritation                       

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

The Effects of Tea on the Body

The refreshing effects of tea are due to the alkaloid it contains. The circulation of the blood is increased and  the elimination of carbon dioxide by the lungs is heightened. The reflex excitability of the nerve centres is roused and this increases the awareness of the tea drinker and wakefulness. Tea promotes the  peristalsis of the intestines.

Tea is therefore a stimulant! It rouses the tissues to increased action and make us less sensitive to fatigue, and enables us to do more work than we otherwise could. The differences between these stimulants and alcoholic stimulants are worth noting. Tea, as does coffee, keeps us awake and attentive.  People who have drunk tea in order to stay awake at night, perhaps to study, will know how under its influence the receptive powers of the brain seem to be at its maximum, and that they can get more work done. Tea causes increased mental function without rousing the imagination as a glass of wine may do!  Often a glass of wine tends to induce sleepiness before the work has been finished.

The tannic acid in tea is one of the reasons why as a drink so attractive. It is slightly astringent, and clean in the mouth, and does not 'cloy the palate'. 


These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

How To Use Stump Teapots

Stump Teapot

Making your favorite brew in a stump teapot could not be easier. The teapot holds enough tea to serve two people.

The best brew is made from filtered water.
Warm the pot for a minute with some hot water that has just gone off the boil.  Discard the water.

Make sure that the metal infuser is in the teapot and then place two spoonfuls of dry tea in the infuser. This can be tea of any type - black tea, green tea, white tea, herbal teas or fruit teas.


Pour boiling water into the teapot and fill.  Leave to stand and brew for 3-5 minutes.  Pour and enjoy!

The infuser goes quite deep into the pot so the flavor of the tea permeates into the water very well.

You can of course use various types of tea which come as teabags but it is my personal preference to empty the contents of the teabag into the infuser. Doing this results in a much purer taste of whatever tea I am making, because if I leave the tea in the bag I can often detect a kind of 'paper taste' in the tea.

About Tea

Tea is the leaf of a shrub (Camellia sinensis) which is a native of China, and can also found in Japan, Siam, Upper Assam, and a few other places. In appearance the plant looks very much like myrtle, and usually grows to the height of five or six feet. It has a flower, similar to a wild white rose. When the flower is finished a small fruit develops containing several blackish seeds the size of a pea.
 
The parts of the plant used for tea are the leaves which are hard and glossy, and dark green in color. The leaves are not picked until the plant is three years old. Gathering the leaves is a tedious and delicate process as the leaves are plucked singly. One worker will pick about 15 pounds of tea each day. The leaf-gathering starts in the early part of spring and three crops are picked during the season.  Gathering the tea can be mechanised but hand picking is often preferred.

Preparing The Leaves For Use

The tea leaves are  put out in the sun for several hours and then they are rubbed between the hands until they become as soft as leather. They are then spread on metal plates which have been previously made so hot that the leaves quickly dry and shrivel up. They are then packed in chests, and each chest is marked with the name and district of the grower.

The popularity of tea spread from its origins in China to Western Europe and the Americas.  Tea was first brought into England in the reign of Charles II. One of the first instances in which it is mentioned is by Mr. Pepys, who remarked in his journal, "I sent for a cup of tea, a Chinese drink, of which I had never drank before."

For a long time tea was very expensive, selling as high as fifty shillings per pound. Some curious stories are told of the manner in which people, unacquainted with the nature of tea, first made use of it. Some boiled it and ate the leaves. Others, after boiling them, fried them in butter, all wondering what could be found admirable in such an insipid dish!


A Rhyme About Tea 


In winter and summer a cup of tea 
Is one of the sights that we love to see; 
When we shiver with cold, or are wet with rain, 
It very soon makes us feel warm again; 
And it greatly refreshes our wasted powers, 
As we sink exhausted in sultry hours; 
It nerves for action, or soothes to rest; 
It brightens the sad, and cheers the deprest; 
It puts at his ease a half-shy guest; 
And unlooses the silent tongue:  
Now please not to think it strange that we, 
Should write this rhyme in honour of tea, 
Since " Cowper" as you in his poems may see
The praises of tea has sung.

About Stump Teapots

Stump teapots are fabulous teapots made by Forlife in California and they are a pleasure to use.  They come with an extra fine 0.3mm removable infuser which means that you can brew very fine, small leaved teas without the 'grouts' getting into your drink. So you can brew a fine tea such as Rooibos tea or large whole leaf teas like Oolong tea.  You could also use teabags with the Forlife stump teapots.  In a later post I will discuss the types of tea that you can brew in these pots.

The Forlife stump teapots are made of lead-free glazed porcelain for maximum quality and function and come in many lovely colors eg. lime, turquoise, mandarine, white. The teapot's stainless steel lid is hinged and permanently attached for convenience.  So there is no chance of dropping and breaking the teapot lid!  How many of us I wonder have broken or chipped a teapot lid!

Because the lid is flat these teapots are stackable which means that they are ideal for catering establishments such as tea rooms, cafés, bars and restaurants as well as in the home. They hold 16 fluid ounces which again is convenient for a catering outlet.  The design of the Forlife stumpy teapot makes it very stable, and as the handle does not get hot, safe and easy to use.

Dimensions:
L 6.75" x W 4.5" x H 3.5"
L 17 cm x  W 11.4 cm x H 8.9 cm

Stumpy teapots are dishwasher-safe, but must not be used in a microwave or oven. Also the teapots must not be placed on a flame or heating element.  It is important to wait for 20 seconds after the water has boiled before pouring it on the tea. 

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