It is in fact a plant based infusion produced with anything other than leaves of a tea bush.
Herbal teas can be made from pretty much anything. Known flavours include caraway, artichoke, ginger, fennel, dill, dandelion, lemon grass, pine, rosehip and nettle to mention just a few. They can be made with leaves, roots, seeds, or dried or fresh flowers.
Generally boiling water is poured on the plant source and left to infuse for a couple of minutes whilst the flavour permeates the water. The plant is then removed from the water. For simplicity of use many herbal teas are available today in the form of tea bags.
In her book “The Herbal Tea Gardenâ€, Marietta Marshal Marcin describes herbal tea as: “the leaves or flower buds of shrubs within the genus that was named Thea sinensis by Swedish botanist, Carlous Linnaeus. Since Thea sinensis tea is regarded as a close relative of the camellia flower, it is occasionally referred to as Camellia thea or Camellia sinensis. Broadly speaking, however, tea is any drink made from steeping fragrant leaves, berries, seeds, flowers, roots, or bark in boiling water.
All the tea in China
Tea is thought to have its beginnings in China nearly 5,000 years ago. According to legend, the Emperor Shen-Nung had been purifying water by boiling when leaves from a tea bush apparently blew into his pot without his knowledge. When he started to drink his water he noticed, and liked, this new taste. Whatever the truth of the story, it is known that the interest in tea rapidly spread through the world.
As regards herbal tea, its origins are believed to trace back as far as Imperial Rome. Ironically its popularity is considered to have increased following the Boston Tea Party, when the imported tea product was banned and patriotic Americans instead began to produce their own herbal versions, known at that time as “liberty teasâ€.
Made with natural herbs and unsullied by added ingredients, pure herbal teas are organic and will be certified by the Soil Association, a registered charity with 200 certification inspectors active throughout the United Kingdom.
Delicious and attractively boxed, herbal teas make the ideal eco gifts for Christmas, anniversaries or other occasions.
The list of flavours in which they are available today is almost endless.
Author Resource:
For a tempting choice of eco gifts , try Green Tulip, the UK's foremost online ethical gifts shop.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")