Tea has been discovered 5000 years ago by the Chinese. There was a legend about how the first tea beverage was prepared. According to the legend the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting in his garden, holding a cup of hot water when the wind blew a few leaves of the nearby tea tree into the cup. The emperor liked the taste of the beverage. The rest is history.

Herbal teas are teas made from different herbs. Strictly speaking, 'herbal teas' are not really tea. Herbal tea is a term used for tea made from herbs instead of tea leaves from the tea plant (camellia sinensis). Herbal tea is technically known as tisane, and is made from fresh or dried flowers, leaves, seeds or roots, generally by pouring boiling water over the plant parts and letting them steep for a few minutes or hours. The tisane is then strained, sweetened if so desired, and served. Herbal tea can be made from just about any herb. The majority of herbal teas have medicinal properties.

Traditional chinese medicine recommends herbal teas as medicinal and therapeutic formulations for treating various health problems. Brewed herbal teas contain naturally occurring antioxidants called flavonoids. Herbal teas are prescribed to treat ailments ranging from a sore throat to indigestion to pain in the joints. More recently, however, herbal teas have become very popular for treating insomnia and losing weight.

Some common herbal teas available are:

Peppermint tea: Relieves bloating and headaches
Ginger tea: Eases inflammation of joints and muscle tissues, improves digestion
Fennel tea: Treats cough
Cinnamon tea: Lowers blood glucose and calms the stomach
Chamomile:Promotes relaxation and relieves stress, has anti inflammatory effect on sore throat and skin disorders

Flavored Tea

Herbal tea is not to be confused with flavored tea. Flavored teas are prepared by adding other plants to an actual tea. For instance, the popular Earl Grey tea is black tea with bergamot.

How to choose the best quality herbal tea?

The best herbal teas on the market are organic. Choose Organic and Fare Trade teas. Organic herbal teas are the purest and the finest. They contain herbs which have not been treated with pesticides and synthetic chemicals upon production, and have not been irradiated. Fare Trade Certified herbal teas are produced with Fare Trade guarantee for fair wages for workers, improving their opportunities for better health care, housing and education. By choosing Fair Trade herbal tea you are directly contributing to the livelihood of tea growing communities.