Teas for Detoxing

(In this blog, when I refer to "tea" I shall mean beverages brewed directly from herbs and that don't involve the caffeinated leaves of the Camellia Sinensis tree.)

Herbal teas are great for detoxing. The infusion method used in brewing them extracts the beneficial properties of the herbs and allows them to go straight to the places they help the most. Liver and kidney care are their primary purpose, though they can also be used to clear the lungs, soothe a sore digestive tract, and get the lymphatic system going. The ideal detox plan should involve at least six cups of brewed herbal tea a day. (Sound hard, especially against fourteen additional cups of water? Try to add up the Cokes, coffee and beers you might put down in a day.)

The best herbs to use for teas include burdock root, licorice root, willow bark, stinging nettle, red clover, milk thistle, dried mint, hibiscus flower, dandelion root, and ginger. None of these taste anything like Earl Grey- in fact, with the exception of mint, hibiscus, and (in my opinion but not everyone's) ginger, none of them are really all that great at all. Stinging nettle tea tastes like styrofoam that's been vomited on. (Seriously- brew yourself a cup and see if you don't think the exact same thing.) Oh, but they're so good for you.

My original plan was to buy powdered herbs and make my own special blend, either in a coffeepot or a tea kettle. (I brought a coffeepot for my own office since all of my co-workers like drinking crap and I don't. It could really come in handy here.) But that might not work out to be practical. While there are hundreds of types of pre-bagged herbal detox teas for sale on the internet, it's pretty stingy with its recipes. Nonetheless, if you'd like to give making herbal tea from scratch a shot, here are a few from Alex Jamieson's book:

Liver Tonic Tea

• 4 cups water
• 4 slices fresh ginger, cut to thickness of a quarter (warming, immune enhancer)
• 1 tbsp. dried or fresh chamomile (sweet flavor, calming)
• 2 slices (1/2" each) burdock root (liver support, blood cleanser)
• 1 piece (1") dried dandelion root (liver support)
• 2 tsp. dried or fresh mint (sweet flavor, digestive support)

Cold and Flu Tea

• 4 cups water
• 3 slices fresh ginger (warming, immune enhancer, relieves nausea and headache)
• 6 fresh sage leaves (nervous system stimulation, helpful for throat conditions)
• 2 to 3 fresh thyme sprigs (antibiotic, antiviral)
• Fresh juice from 1/2 lemon (vitamin C, antibacterial)
• 1 piece (1/2") cinnamon stick (warming, digestive support)
  

Warming Winter Digestive Tea

• 4 cups water
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• 1 piece licorice root (antiviral, antibacterial, fights depression)
• 1 piece (1/2") cinnamon stick (warming, digestive support, useful for diabetes)
• 1 tbsp. orange rind
• 1 tbsp. dried parsley (digestive aid)
• 1 tsp. dried lemon balm
• 1 clove (warming, digestive aid)

(Yeah, that's another problem- I'm not sure if the Golden Temple sells whole roots.) If you want to make any of these recipes, just boil your water in a teapot and add the other ingredients. Let steep for 5 to 15 minutes and then strain.

The herbal teas that I have mentioned above are all commercially packaged and sold teabag-style. My mission shall be to try the ones I haven't tried and to stay away from the stinging nettle.