Healthy You Naturally Monthly Newsletter

Could These Herbs Be Just Your 'Cuppa' Tea

You're about to learn about a new twist on tea that costs less per cup, is far more potent, has much higher quality and delivers greater overall heath benefits vs. the typical "herbal" teas you may be consuming today.

In this issue, I wanted to share what may be new ideas on using select nutritional herbs to create your own great tasting herbal teas that deliver excellent health benefits while making an enjoyable hot beverage. 

The idea to share this came through questions clients have been asking lately. 

• What else can I do to strengthen and protect my immune system?
• What can I do daily that's easy and still enjoyable?
• How can I drink something I like, lower costs and still get health benefits?

Well the answer is deceptively simple, though not necessarily obvious.  First of all most people would agree that tea has a number of benefits including the time taken to prepare, anticipate then enjoy it as a hot beverage. 

Before reading further: This article is not bashing all herbal teas as there are a number of very good quality products available.  This article is highlighting the benefits of using quality nutritional herbs to brew nutrient rich herbal teas.

Did you know that herbal teas are not really tea at all!

While we may all refer to herbal teas as tea, only the green, black and pekoe varieties come from the tea bush. Popular flavoured teas such as Earl Grey are actually black tea leaves that have been soaked in natural and/or artificial flavours!  To make Earl Grey, black tea leaves are soaked in bergamot oil or more commonly, a synthetic substitute.

Herbal tea is actually made from parts of various plants and the processing of the plants is not typically subject to the same rigorous testing as our herbal supplements. In fact, a majority of herbal products retailed today are not manufactured in pharmaceutical grade facilities or subject to extensive quality assurance and potency protocols.

Enjoy Top Quality Herbal Teas Anywhere

When it comes to improving health and strengthening the immune system, I often suggest certain herbal supplements in addition to a sensible diet and utilizing those same herbal products in a tea like format delivers similar benefits.

• Easy to carry and simple to prepare wherever you are, just add hot water
• Take it anywhere, at home, at the office, at the restaurant, on the road
• Lots of very tasty flavours
• High potency provides protection for the immune, digestive and glandular systems
• A real treat, something to look forward to
• Warm and “comforting”, especially during the colder months

Herbal tea can be a wonderful substitute to coffee but ...

Years ago when I decreasing the use of caffeinated beverages, I was looking for a substitute, something warm, comforting and soothing.  I tried so many kinds and varieties of herbal beverages, some were ok while too many were really not that great.

In addition, I had concerns about the quality of the herbal tea ingredients and was worried by the probable presence of molds and/or fungus in the raw and processed ingredients that can occur through the gathering, manufacturing and storage stages, including storage at home.  In fact, proper home storage is essential, even for real tea products!

What bothered me about too many of the herbal teas I tried in the past:

• It is the nature of dry herbs and teas in the process of gathering, drying and storage to produce surface growths of mold, fungus and toxins that are not seen with naked eye.  Without exceptional quality controls, this is unavoidable though in a few cases it is actually encouraged.
• Most dry herbs and teas have no published or appreciable quality checks performed on potency, mold/fungus contamination or even product safety.
• Most herbal teas produced for retail markets are highly diluted so potency and therefore potential health benefits are substantially reduced

Note: There are a number of good quality herbal teas available but none can match the health benefits of using top quality high potency nutritional herbs for teas.

What I do like about the NSP nutritional products, and their use as herbal teas:

• Herb harvesting is subject to stringent controls and tight timelines related to the gathering, storage and transport of the plants, and subject to rejection
• Herbal potency is actually tested against expected norms to ensure the raw to finished product actually contains the labeled potency through its stated expiry date, not just shipping date to consumers which is standard.
• Unmatched pharmaceutical grade quality (over 300 types of testing on every batch of raw materials, not just random sampling)
• Therapeutic benefits that over time have proven to deliver the desired results
• As a tea alone, NSP herbal products are very economical being less costly than the herbal teas common in most stores.   Compare the average NSP per serving cost of about $0.50 compared to retail or restaurant prices and save a lot.
• The good quality herbal teas can easily cost $8-10 or more for 100g and nutritionally, neither potency nor quality is well defined

How to prepare nutritional herbs as teas

Now that you have a few insights on teas and herbal teas, you can enjoy the exceptional benefits of high quality nutritional herbs in a hot beverage that delivers much more than just a few minutes of relaxation and pleasure.    

The process is simple:

• Add good clean water to the kettle and bring to a boil (or order hot water)
• Once it reaches a boil, let it sit for a few minutes to cool a few degrees
• Open the recommended capsules of your choice in a cup, add the hot water and mix. You will find a small wisk works well, otherwise use an available spoon
• Note that the hot water will result is a very minor decrease in potency but you will get a majority of the herbal benefits
• Enjoy your herbal tea

Nutritional supplements for great herbal teas

Liquid Chlorophyll, Nutritional

Chlorophyll is to plants what blood is to humans — it performs metabolic functions such as respiration and growth. Interestingly, the chlorophyll molecule is chemically similar to human blood, except that its central atom is magnesium, not iron as in human blood.

The alfalfa plant, from which Nature’s Sunshine’s magnesium-rich chlorophyll comes, is an excellent source of chlorophyll.

Add to a glass of water or as a mint flavoured herbal tea. 1-2 table spoons.  Learn more...

E-Tea (100 caps), Immune/Digestive Systems 

E-Tea is the modern-day version of a herbal combination used by Native American Indians made popular in the mid-1900s. The traditional preparation method of this beverage requires a 10-hour brewing and steeping process.

With Nature’s Sunshine’s E-TEA, the preparation has been done for you without a single compromise to the essence of the traditional herbal formula.

 2-3 caps per 8 oz cup.  Learn more ...

Ginger, Digestive System

The root has a strong, sweet scent. It contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, ash, calcium, phosphorous, iron, sodium, potassium, vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, ascorbic acid, silicon, magnesium and manganese.  1-2 caps per 8 oz cup.  Learn more ...

Also try:

Licorice, Glandular System.  Learn more ...

Red Raspberry, Glandular System. Learn more ...

Mix to taste

Your can mix and match the above and other herbal supplements to make your own, for example, one student mixes 2 capsules of E-tea with 1 capsule of Ginger as her favorite!

Many clients have been amazed by how delicious these herbal teas are and how easy it is to incorporate into a daily routine to keep the immune system strong along with additional therapeutic benefits ….

All in a great cup of herbal tea!  If you have questions on the use of herbs for your particular needs, please do contact me ... 

Enjoy the lovely fall season and stay warm!

If you, or someone close to you would like to develop a personalized program, please contact me and we can begin by talking about your needs. Then, if you like my approach we can develop a program that specifically addresses your needs

Got questions or want to book an appointment?

Call (905) 855-3000 or write ...

I offer complementary consultations by phone for new clients, assessments and counselling, wellness coaching programs plus therapeutic reflexology, wellness courses and premium nutritional health supplements so you are invited to discover for yourself just how effective and rewarding a natural approach to health can be.

Isn't it time you stopped guessing and found out where you stand on your own health needs ... naturally!

When you are ready, call me at (905) 855-3000 and let's talk.  Counselling and natural health products are available in Canada & the USA only.

To your lasting good health and happiness,

Diane's

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