Is there anyone that makes their own tea out of chamomile or feverfew? I grow both but I've never tried to make tea. Is it the leaves, blossoms or stems that are used? Is there a certain variety of plant that is best? Or is there another combo of plants that suits your tastebuds? Thanks

-- charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), August 28, 2001

Answers

Do you want the tea for it's medicinal properties, or just for a pleasant drink? I'm very fond of lemon balm for a pleasant drink. You can dry it and make tea (if you have lots that you want to save for future use) or use fresh. When I dry it, I then strip the leaves and discard the stems, but if I'm using it fresh, I just snip some sprigs, bruise them a bit, and make the tea that way.

I and a bunch of others (at an herbal workshop) made a great tea in the very hot weather -- gathered every kind of mint growing there, including lemon balm and catnip (both in the mint family), and some monarda (bee balm) flowers for fun. It was great after it had steeped and cooled and was served over ice.

I believe it is just the flowers for chamomile tea, but I'm not sure. I haven't a clue about feverfew.

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), August 28, 2001.

Tea from the best chamomile is made only from the flowers, the lesser quality commercial products will cut the flowers with stems. Oil glands that provide most of the flavor and aroma are predominately in the "flowers". Chamomile tea tastes and smells good as it is but is usually used as a mild relaxant, say before bed.The common name "chamomile" is used for at least three different plant species in two different genera. The one you most likely want is "roman chamomile". There are a lot of pictures of it available on the net.

Feverfew is very bitter and its hard for me to imagine as anything but a pure medicinal. Leaves are the plant part of choice, stems have very little of the compound to which the medicinal activity has (erronously) been attributed.

-- charles (clb@dixienet.com), August 29, 2001.

Hi Charleen, I grow and make tea from both chamomile and feverfew, among others.I use german chamomile, just the flowers. Charles is right about feverfew being bitter, I use it medicinally, and mix it heavily with good tasting herbs such as any of the mints, bee balm, lemon balm etc. I use the flower heads and leaves for feverfew. Happy tea brewing!

-- Trina in NE WA (ender@starband.net), August 29, 2001.

Since coffee makes me jittery and prone to panic attacks, I drink only homemade teas, and have for years. In spring & summer, I dry EVERYTHING! I probably won't remember it all (because I only get online at work), but I'll mention whatever I can think of: Dandelion leaves, nettles, motherwort, violet & raspberry leaves, alfalfa, red clover heads, lemonbalm, spearmint, peppermint, lamb's quarters, elderberry blossoms, chamomile, yarrow, catnip, loveage, etc.

I have a dehydrator, or sometimes I just use the pilot light in my gas oven to dry the herbs, then strip the leaves from the stems, crumple the leaves, & store in glass jars.

I mix everything together in a big, closed container, then take about a cupful of the mixture and pour boiling water over it (I have a regular tea maker that has a basket for the loose tea, and will hold two quarts of water), and let it steep all day. I store this in the refigerator, and every morning I boil water, pour about 2 cups of the hot water into a large glass, add about a cup of the cold concentrated tea, honey to taste, and it's ready to drink.

I don't use any of the herbs separately, but that's only because I'm an advocate of the "shotgun" approach to anything! Do it all together and at once! Surely some of it will go to whatever might ail me....(smile)

-- Bonnie (chilton@stateline-isp.com), August 31, 2001.

I too will ask if this is specifically those two herbs or tea herbs in general.

Another good tea herb is goldenrod leaf, especially the Canadian variety, which has smoother leaves,a more 'fruity' aroma, and the flowers are borne in a spray that has a decided one-way bend to it. Pick the leaves early on in flowering, bruise them with your fingers/hands, and roll into little cigar shapes. Let them air dry, then store airtight when thoroughly dry.

I first heard about this from Euell Gibbons book, 'Stalking The Wild Asparagas' and it is similar to a fine green tea. He reported that it used to be traded to China for their tea, since the Chinese thought that it's taste was superior to their own.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), August 31, 2001.

Trina is right. I meant "German", not roman chamomile. Roman grows prostrate and whereas German is the common erect on. Although Roman also medicinal it has less of a sweet odor than German. Roman also has much fewer flowers.

-- charles (clb@dixienet.com), August 31, 2001.