Teas

It would be hard to guess how long cats have known about Catnip (Nepeta cataria) but people have appreciated it for at least 2000 years. The plant was familiar to early Roman cooks and physicians and has long been part of people’s gardens and health repertoires. The plant was introduced to North America from Europe, where it quickly escaped from gardens and spread across the continent, to be used as native Indians and included in their inventory of useful plants. There is a good reason for its common name. The bruised foliage, whose odor has a strong mint-like aroma, stimulates cats and makes them “full of life”. It is often enjoyed as a tea for its soothing, relaxing benefits.

Spearmint (Mentha spicata) is one of the most common edible plants of the mint family. Spearmint is often used in cold drinks and juleps and to impart a delicate aroma to fruit salads, meats, new potatoes, peas, jelly, vinegar and sauces. In addition to the many traditional culinary uses for Spearmint, ingenious cooks have created some unusual delicacies. For example, Native Americans in New England would roast mint leaves then salt and eat them. They would also dry their meats in layers with mint leaves in between. Cosmetically, Spearmint can be used as a soothing bath herb, an ingredient for facial seams, and as an astringent for gently cleaning oily skin. Spearmint possesses properties similar to Peppermint, but is milder and more fragrant and is usually preferred over Peppermint by children.

The Practice of drinking Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) was brought to Japan by monks returning from their studies at the Zen monasteries of 12th century China. For them, tea functioned as an aid to meditation, as a health aid, and as a tool to propagate Zen. As the years went by, tea and the reason for drinking it changed, but it never went out of fashion. Today, Green Tea is one of the three major non-alcoholic beverages in the world. Green Tea is a typical non-fermented tea that is enjoyed by many and is immensely popular in Japan. It is utilized as both a daily beverage and as a healthful drink. Green Tea contains a rich natural source of polyphenols and bioflavonoids. Recent studies have identified the valuable active constituents of Green Tea and continue to review its historical uses.

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) has been used for more than 2000 years. The leaves and flowers of St. John’s Wort contain special glands that release a red oil when pinched. Recommended in the first century by the naturalist Pliny and the physician Dioscorides, St. John’s Wort has a long and varied history of use by the Romans and Greeks. In addition to its health benefits, St. John’s Wort was also believed to be a protector against evil. Early colonists introduced the plant to North America but found the Native Americans using the herb in much the same way as Europeans used the Old World plant. Today, St. John’s Wort is enjoying renewed interest by both herbalists and researchers.

Known for their tangy, refreshing taste, Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) were supposedly part of the first Thanksgiving in 1621, but did not become a national tradition until after until after the Civil War. A small evergreen shrub, which grows in mountain forests and damp bogs from Alaska to Tennessee, the Cranberry bush produces pink or purple flowers in spring and bright red berries in the fall. Cranberries make flavorful jams and preserves and are used in a variety of beverages. It was 19th-century German chemists who researched and defined many of Cranberry’s valuable health benefits.

Used as a common remedy at the time of Hippocrates in the 4th and 5th centuries B.C., Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is native to Europe and Asia. Valerian derives its name from the Latin valere, “to be strong,” referring to both the health benefits of the plant and its distinct odor. It is often used for its soothing, relaxing healthful properties. Peppermint (Mentha X piperita) is a universally-loved and widely-used flavoring. Peppermint’s value comes from the mint’s volatile oil, which contains menthol, and is added to many formulas for its therapeutic properties. So highly thought of, Peppermint was included in a list of plants being taken to the New World. Together, Valerian and Peppermint make a calming, relaxing tea.

Used as a remedy by the Plains Indians more than any other plant, Echinacea is a perennial plant native to the United States. As early American settlers moved west in the 1800’s, they discovered Native Americans used Echinacea for a variety of both internal and external health benefits. Also known as the purple coneflower, Echinacea has delicate, daisy-like pastel petals and narrow leaves. The name Echinacea is derived from the Greek “echinos” meaning sea urchin or hedgehog in reference to it’s sharp spiny projections on the cone shaped seed heads. To this day, herbalists continue to grow and use Echinacea for its beneficial properties.