Medicinal Teas :: Holistic Healing :: Detoxification and Cleansing

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Medicinal Teas
by author Guru Simran Khalsa

There is something almost mystically refreshing about a just-steeped cup of tea. Year-to-year tea sales in health food stores tell us that Canadians are looking for more than mere refreshment. Organic teas, including those with medicinal properties, are the fastest rising of all categories.

The delicious, aromatic herbs and spices in organic teas improve the quality of our lives, but is there another reason for our growing interest in medicinal teas?

Many traditional healing systems recommend periodic cleansing to maintain good health: teas provide an effective, safe delivery system to accomplish this. Today’s organic, medicinal teas are the latest incarnations of tonics people have used for millennia to rejuvenate their health.

According to Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of healthy living, maintaining a strong digestive system is a key requirement for physical and emotional health. Organic ginger tea is a digestive-system-builder - it increases our agni (digestive fire) and breaks up ama (undigested food, the breeding ground for disease). It also relieves gas and cramps.

Teas with cleansing herbs such as dandelion, burdock, or yellow dock are another good choice, especially if they are combined with organic strengthening herbs that balance their detoxifying action, such as ginger or licorice. By including minor herbs that provide the opposite action of the main herbs in a formula, individuals who are sensitive will be protected. You will find dandelion in the materia medica of China, Europe, and India.

From deep in the heart of South Africa comes another popular tea - rooibos or red bush tea. Many centuries ago this tea plant was used by people of the Khoisan tribe as a herbal remedy. Scientific evidence now shows that rooibos is an effective antioxidant, boosts the immune system, and has antispasmodic properties that help relieve stomach and digestive problems. Completely caffeine-free, enjoy this dark red tea with its sweet nutty flavour.

Green tea is another antioxidant, rich in polyphenols - the substances that defuse free radicals (high-energy particles that damage cells in the body). Findings from research in China show that regular drinking of green tea seems to lower the incidence of stomach and esophageal cancers.

Echinacea is a Native American medicinal plant: the Comanche used it for sore throats and the Pawnee used it to treat snakebites. Today, organic echinacea tea stimulates the immune system, fights viral infection, reduces inflammation, and promotes healing. With winter coming, this is a key herb to drink whenever the body is under attack.

If insomnia is what ails you, sip chamomile tea to balance the emotions, soothe the nerves, and promote digestion. Organic skullcap, passionflower, and valerian are often added to chamomile to make a powerful, yet gentle tea. The ancient Egyptians named chamomile for their highest god - the sun god - and those of us soothed to sleep by this tea may well give thanks.

With medicinal teas now available in convenient tea bags, the ancient custom of pouring boiling water over herbs and spices to activate their health-giving ingredients has never been easier. Through our ability to blend for flavour using ingredients gathered from around the world, the wisdom of traditional cultures can seep down to us. The experience has never been so enjoyable.

Guru Simran Khalsa has more than 25 years of experience in natural health as an instructor and advocate, healing by incorporating traditional wisdom with specific lifestyle recommendations and dietary herbal programs.

Source: alive #256, February 2004

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