Tisanes (Tea-zahn) are similar to tea, but rather than being made with typical black, pekoe or green tea, they are made with herbs, fruit, or flowers, citrus, rosehips spices or combinations of those ingredients, then steeped in the same way tea is steeped.
Tisanes or herbal teas go way back in ancient history to Egypt and China. The concoctions were used for enjoyment as well as their medicinal qualities and health benefits. You can purchase ready made herbal tisanes, which are quite costly, making your own is very cost effective, because you can use your own flowers, herbs and spices to prepare them. They also make great gifts when packaged in gift tins or decorative jars.
Any culinary herb or edible flowers or a combination can be used to make your own tisane. Of course the obvious choices are the ingredients you prefer. Lavender and Citrus peel makes a great mood enhancing tisane, while Sage is a more robust flavor that may stimulate the brain. Rosemary tisane may stimulate the brain and has been found useful in nursing homes to help residents with memory loss.
You can add sweetener to your tisane if desired, or simply drink it plain or with added spices or citrus. You can purchased prepared tisane ingredients, but it's easy to make your own. It takes a matter of minutes to assemble your ingredients and boil water. The hard part is waiting for the tisane to steep so you can drink it.
What you need:
Salad spinner (optional but useful to extract all moisture from the herbs etc.)
Tea Infuser (optional)
Stainless steel kettle
wooden spoon
Ingredients:
Herbs (fresh or dried)
Fruit (fresh, dried or frozen)
Citrus (peels or zest-dehydrated or fresh)
Boiling water
Sweetener (optional) (See link below for Infused Honey)
Directions:
Bring the water to a boil, amount of water depends on how strong you want your tisane. Start with one cup and add more if you want a milder flavor. Add the dried or fresh ingredients to a tea diffuser, or into straight into a cup. Pour the boiling water over the ingredients and allow to steep 5 to 15 minutes. Remove the infuser, or strain the ingredients through a fine sieve. Sweeten if desired. Serve hot or cold.
Note: If using dried herbs etc. Use 1-2 tsp. to 1 or 2 C. boiling water. If using fresh herbs, etc. use a sprig or two or 1 tsp. of the stripped leaves or flowers/petals. Add spices or sweeteners if desired. Additional Note: Steeping time is reliant on how strong or weak you want your tisane and amount of time it takes for the flavors to blend in the hot water. If you want your tisane to be strong, either add more herbs etc., and allow to steep longer to extract the most flavor.
Tip: To use cold, chill in the refrigerator for several hours. Add Flower or herb ice cubes when serving or garnish with some fresh herbs or lowers you've used in the tisane mixture.
Tip: Experiment with flavors you enjoy, Then mix those together to create your own ready-made tisane, to use at any time.
Tip: When you're canning fruits and vegetables, reserve the clean peelings and blemished fruits (still edible, but not perfect). Dehydrate them and package up to use for your own tisanes. When you're harvesting your herbs, dehydrate and reserve some for your own tisanes. Peach, apple and pear peels are ideal to dehydrate, package and reserved for tisanes. Edible flower petals, such as chive flowers, rose petals, Hibiscus, chamomile, lilac, lavender flowers or buds, sweet violets all make a lovely fragrant tisane and are easily dehydrated for later use. Fennel, Basil, Oregano, Marjoram, thyme, sage, garlic can all be used in making tisanes or combined with other fruits and spices. Any of your favorite fruits can be dehydrated and added to your tisane with your favorite spices and herbs. The combinations possible are endless.
Tip: When making infused honey or infused liquor, don't discard the strained ingredients, use those in your tisanes for added flavor and enjoyment.
Tip: A popular cold remedy is a citrus and honey tisane. This is even recommended by medical doctors to soothe a sore throat and to help clear sinuses. Use fresh or dehydrated citrus peel and herb infused honey as strong or weak as you prefer. Drink while hot. Another recommendation is a tisane using cranberries and citrus. This helps with urinary tract issues and is also soothing for the onset of colds or flu.
Note: Photo Shown is of Lemongrass Tisane. It contains dried lemon and orange peel, dried cranberries, and Lemongrass in near equal proportions, Infused citrus or cranberry honey as a sweetener, adds another depth of flavor if desired. This one is good for the onset of cold or flu symptoms.
Precaution: Culinary herbs and edible flowers are generally safe to use in a reasonable consumable quantity. Those with allergies to flowers or various herbs, should refrain from using tisanes. Some herbs can interact with supplements and prescription medications. Consult your health care provider before using. Pregnant or lactating mothers should consult their health care provider before using any herbs. No medical advice is provided, nor intended in this post. Medical advice for using any herbs should always be through your personal health care provider. Random websites, blogs, groups or forums are not proper sources for your personal medical needs.
Refer to the link to make cold and flu Tisane:
Refer to the link to make your own herb or flower embedded ice cubes:
Refer to the link to make your own Herbal infused honey:
justfowlingaround.weebly.com/recipes-for-self-reliance/herbal-infused-honey
Refer to the link to make your own infused honey liquor:
justfowlingaround.weebly.com/sweets-treats-and-drinks/honey-liquorcousin-to-mead
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