If you like making sun tea, you’ll love making an herbal tisane with herbs from your own garden — or someone else’s! This is a simple recipe, easily adaptable to whatever fresh (or dried) herbs you have on hand. I’ll give you some ideas on herbs that are great to use and share my recipe, but use your imagination and see what tasty combinations you can come up with too — that’s half the fun.
What Is a Tisane?
Just in case you haven’t heard of the word tisane, it is simply water infused with plant material that is not made from the true tea leaf called Camellia sinensis (black, green, white, oolong, etc.). Most people refer to a tisane simply as “herbal tea.”
Herbs for Tisanes
If you like to grow herbs, you probably have several types in your garden that would make a refreshing tea. Here’s a few to try: lemon balm, lemon thyme, lemon verbena, lavender, mint, bergamot (bee balm), lemon grass, chamomile, and pineapple sage.
For my recipe, I used lemon balm, lemon thyme, lemon verbena, and lavender. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide. Scroll to the bottom for a printable recipe card.
Lemon Lavender Herb Tea
Ingredients:
- 2-quart glass jar
- 2 quarts of water
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups fresh herbs
- stevia, honey, sugar (optional)
Directions:
1. Snip the herbs from your garden. I bring a basket to put them in and also a measuring cup outside with me to get an idea of the amount I will need.
2. Wash the herbs. I use a biodegradable natural cleaner (Shaklee’s Basic H) and lightly mist them with the spray, rinse them, and pat dry. I use the spray because the neighbor’s pets like to visit my garden.
3. Put all the herbs into the jar and fill with water. Take a wooden spoon or other utensil and push the herbs to help release some of their scent and oils.
4. Set the jar outside in a warm sunny place and let it infuse for 4-6 hours.
5. Bring it inside, strain the herbs out and discard or compost them, and sweeten to taste if you want. You can also include some fresh sweet stevia leaves while you are infusing if you’d like to try sweetening it that way too.
6. Add ice, a fresh herb sprig if you’d like, and enjoy!
What are your favorite herbs to use in sun teas? Just leave a comment below and thanks for reading!
- 2 quart glass jar
- 2 quarts of water
- 1½ -2 cups fresh herbs (lemon balm, lemon thyme, lemon verbena, and lavender)
- Stevia, honey or sugar (optional)
- Snip the herbs from your garden.
- Wash the herbs with a safe, biodegradable cleaner, rinse, and pat dry.
- Put all the herbs in the jar. Fill with water and press the herbs down with a wooden spoon.
- Set the jar outside in a warm, sunny spot and let infuse for 4-6 hours.
- Bring inside and strain the herbs out and discard them or compost them.
- Add sweetener if desired.
- Enjoy!
I have a headache today! What can I use to fix it?
Hi, Mary!
Sorry about the headache! Here are two things to try for adults:
Headache Relief
10 drops lavender
7 drops grapefruit
3 drops Roman Chamomile
1 oz. carrier oil
Combine all ingredients and massage oil into scalp, neck, temples and shoulders.
Migraine Relief
10 drops peppermint
1/2 fl oz aloe vera gel
Combine ingredients. Place small amount on temples, larger amount on neck up to the occipital bone (at base of skull) and shoulders. Use as needed for pain relief.
Be sure to wash hands so you don’t inadvertently get in eyes!
Simply, you can also open a bottle of lavender and/or peppermint and inhale and see if that helps.
Let me know if it helps. Thanks!