| Herbal Tea - The Info You Want To
Know Today, tea is increasingly becoming a drink of the health
conscious. Although, consumed for centuries in China, it was
introduced to the world only in the late eighteenth century and its
consumption spread rapidly as people were intoxicated by its exotic
aromas and subtle, mellow flavors. Today, a new breed of tea drinkers
are growing, who are consuming it for its medicinal properties. Though
its medicinal benefits were documented in Chinese history for
centuries, only recently have studies confirmed some of them. Green
tea, white tea and herbal tea are being promoted as
the best health drinks. Yet, the herbal tea is not really a tea at
all! That’s right! Herbal tea, also known as tisane, is an
herbal infusion made from anything but the leaves of the Camellia
sinensis (or the tea bush)! Herbal tea is made from flowers
(fresh or dried), roots, seeds or leaves by pouring boiling water over
them and letting it steep for sometime. Alternatively, they can also
be boiled together over a flame in a pot. The herbal tea is then
strained and served. It maybe sweetened if required.Various varieties
of herbal tea are found in the market, some for its medicinal benefits
and some for its intoxicating smells. Some firms even market herbal
tea in tea bags. The term herbal tea is used mainly in the Americas to
refer to linden, or lime leaf tea. Yet, there are many hundreds of
varieties of herbal tea which have been quite popular in the regions
where they are found. It would do us no harm to get to know about a
few of them.There are many herbal tea which are specific to a region
and some which are found all over the world. Herbal tea has been quite
popular in Asia over the centuries, especially in China and Japan.
Some of the popular Asian herbal tea are the Yuen Kut Lam Kam Wo
Tea (made in Hong Kong and composed of thirty Chinese herbs), the
Mugicha (which is drunk cold in summer and quite similar in
flavor to coffee), Cannabis (used in the preparation of Bhang
in India), the Sugnyung (or toasted rice from Korea), the Tan
Ngan Lo Medicated Tea (prepared in the twentieth century by a
Chinese), and the Ho Yan Hor Herbal Tea (made from twenty
four natural herbs in Korea).Herbal tea is, and was, quite popular in
the Americas as well, especially amongst the native tribes. Some
popular ones are the Mate (shrubs grown in Brazil and
Argentina)
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