Lemon balm has a delicious sweet lemon flavour.

Tisanes or herb teas have been in vogue in southern Europe since Roman times. The fictional detective Hercule Poirot often needed  a tisane after a particularly trying day. Today herb teas are increasing in popularity with the recognition of the harmful effects of too much coffee and ordinary tea. But aren’t herb teas expensive and don’t they taste awful? Not true! Especially if you grow your own, and can experiment with different combinations. Fresh or freshly dried leaves and flowers taste much better than the often musty plant material of questionable content and origin found in shops. Recent research by New York City high school students using simple DNA techniques, found that several herbal teas contain ingredients not listed on the pack. So if you grow and use your own, at least you can be certain about what you are drinking.

Many herbs can be made into tea but some have unpleasant flavours and others have potent medicinal properties which can be harmful if used in the wrong way.  The herbs described below are safe to drink but, as with all food and beverage, moderation is the key — don’t drink any one herb too often or in too much abundance.

The Herbs

Lemon grass need a well-drained position and plenty of water in hot weather.

Lemon verbena leaves dry well and keep their flavour for many years.

Lemon flavoured teas are probably the most popular and can be drunk hot or cold. Of the three most popular herbs — lemon balm, lemon verbena and lemon grass; lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is the easiest to grow. Start it from seed or rooted pieces detached from a clump and it will thrive in any sunny, well-drained position. Often it will self sow around the garden ensuring an abundant supply, pick the leaves as needed and use fresh. Cut back the clump in autumn once the flowers are finished. Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) grows as a small tree which is deciduous in cold climates. It is most easily grown from tip cuttings taken in late spring and the whole plant needs to be cut back by two thirds in early spring. Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a native of more tropical regions. It needs plenty of moisture in summer and very good drainage in winter. It won’t tolerate heavy frosts but will survive moderately cold winters as long as it is not too wet.
Delicious fragrant teas can also be made from all the mints, perhaps the most refreshing being peppermint (Mentha x piperita). Mints are best grown in big tubs where they can’t take over the garden. A good potting mix, a shady corner and a hard prune after flowering are all they need. Peppermint tea drunk at night increases alertness but doesn’t stop you from going to sleep in the way coffee often will.

Chamomile tea eases stress and tension

Annual chamomile flowers (Matricaria recutita) made into a tea will be remembered by many readers who were given it as children when they had toothache, headache or stomach pains. It is a gentle relaxant and sedative but is unfortunately unpalatable to some people. The flavour improves with familiarity, but you can try mixing it with lemon balm which has similar properties, and a little honey, to mask the flavour. Chamomile is grown from seed and the flowers harvested as soon as they appear. The flowers can be used fresh or dried.

Dill (Anethum graveolens) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) make interesting anise flavoured teas. Dill is grown from seed planted in spring in any sheltered sunny corner, while fennel is a noxious weed in many regions so it should be collected from the wild. If this is not possible try planting the bronze form which is more decorative and not so invasive. The seed and leaves of both these plants are used to make a tea that is particulary good for indigestion and flatulence and helps to sweeten the breath.

Bronze fennel is less weedy than green fennel and the bronze leaves look great with orange flowers in the garden.

Dill with silverbeet

Several of the classic mediterranean herbs also make tasty and healthy teas. These include rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) , sage (Salvia officinalis) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris). All these plants need sun and well drained soil. Thyme in particular does not like to be cold and wet in winter.
Drying the Herbs

Herbs drying, in a dry airy position out of direct sunlight.

I much prefer herbs for tea if they are fresh, but some are not available all year round so need to be dried. To dry herbs harvest them early in the morning just after the dew has dried from the leaves and hang in bunches in a cool airy place out of direct light. Flowers and small leaves are best dried spread on paper in a similar position, while seed drys well in paper bags. Once dry, seal the plant material into jars or plastic bags, label clearly with the name of the plant and date of harvest and store out of direct light. Check a couple of days later to ensure there is no condensation inside the jar or bag. If there is,  then the herb is not completely dry. Remove it and leave out to dry for a few more days. Don’t keep dried herbs for more than twelve months as after this the flavour begins to deteriorate.

Fresh lemon balm for this tisane

Making the Tea
To make herb tea, first warm the pot,  then add the fresh or dried leaves, pour boiling water over the top and leave to stand for up to five minutes. The longer the tea is left to brew the stronger the flavour will be. The tea can also be made in a cup and poured through a strainer, or a stainless steel infuser can be used. Milk is never added to herb teas.

Refer to the list for the medicinal properties of each herb and have fun experimenting with the different flavours.

Dwarf French lavender Monet

Prostrate rosemary hangs over the side

Monet lavender hedge at Diggers, Dromana

Typically mediterranean plants, lavenders and rosemaries love well-drained, sandy soils and lots of sun, but hate humidity. More are killed by overwatering or planting into heavy soils, than for any other reason. Once planted in the right position the only care needed is regular pruning. French lavenders (Lavandula dentata) are great because they flower for most of the year, have a lovely mentholy lavender scent and provide nectar for bees, butterflies and beneficial insects.

The ‘Monet’ cultivar is much smaller growing than the more common full sized French lavenders, reaching only 50cm in height and 40cm across. This makes it ideal for hedges, either along paths or at the back of vegetable beds. Tip prune a couple of times a year to maintain a good shape and stop it becoming too woody. Because it flowers for so long, its hard to pick the right time to prune, so just do it when you have time and put up with not having flowers for a few weeks. New plants can be easily grown from cuttings.

Prostrate rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’) is the perfect rosemary to grow in a pot or raised bed where it can hang over the edge creating extra depth and interest. It has the added benefit of producing beautiful pale blue flowers in winter when not much else is in flower, as well as being a delicious herb used in a variety of dishes as well as herbal tea. Drink rosemary tea to sweeten the breath and ease indigestion, as well as helping a headache and improving memory.

Look at my facebook page to find out how I have been using this lavender and rosemary in an urban setting. Prostrate rosemary is fairly widely available but I have only seen dwarf French lavender ‘Monet’ for sale at Diggers

Prostrate rosemary hanging over the edge of a garden bed

Rosemary has many medicinal uses

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), a native of the Mediterranean, is a woody shrub which can grow to a height of 1 m. It has short, tough leaves densely bunched on the stems, and pale blue flowers in winter. There are several cultivars including ‘Tuscan blue’ and ‘Blue lagoon’, which are dwarf forms with dark-blue flowers; ‘Roseus’ with pink flowers; ‘Albus’ with white flowers; ‘Aureus’, which has leaves speckled with yellow; and ‘Prostratus’, a prostrate form. Most rosemaries can be grown from seed sown in spring and all grow well from cuttings taken in spring or summer. Rosemary likes a sunny, well-drained position with a slightly alkaline soil. It can be slow growing at first, but will need to be pruned regularly after the first two years. The prostrate and dwarf varieties are excellent for rockeries or hanging baskets. Harvest rosemary whenever it is needed.

A clipped hedge of Tuscan Blue rosemary at Diggers in Dromana

Rosemary was revered in Ancient Greece and Rome where it had a reputation for strengthening memory and was a symbol of fidelity. During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, rosemary was burnt to ward off ‘foul humours’ and contagious diseases, especially the plague. It was also believed that if rosemary were placed under your pillow ‘thou shalt be delivered of all evill dreames’. Sir Thomas More let it run wild in his garden ‘not only because the bees love it, but because the herb is sacred to remembrance, and therefore, to friendship’. In Australia, it is worn on Remembrance Day and Anzac Day to remember those lost in war. Cuttings taken from plants growing in Gallipoli have been grown into bushes in Australia and every year these are picked and sprigs given to those marching in the parade.

Medicinal remedies

Both the fresh and dried leaves can be made into a tea and drunk to sweeten the breath; as a tonic for the circulatory system; to ease the symptoms of colds or flu; to lift the spirits, lessen tension and alleviate mild depression; to ease indigestion and flatulence as well as headaches and migraine. If you regularly drink rosemary tea it stimulates blood flow to the brain and improves memory and concentration

Make an infused oil by placing about 200g of fresh rosemary into a heat resistant bowl or the top of a double boiler. Cover the rosemary with oil (almond, olive or sunflower) and place over or in saucepan of cold water. Slowly bring the water to the boil. Heat gently (it’s important the oil doesn’t boil) for 2-3 hours. Strain the oil through muslin, squeezing well and discard the rosemary into the compost. Pour into clean dark glass jars, seal and label with date and name. Store in a cool dark place.

Use this oil as a rub for sore muscles, sciatica and neuralgia. Rub it into the scalp and hair before washing to promote hair growth, add gloss and lessen dandruff. Rub it in wrap in a hot towel and leave for 10 minutes. Then wash. This is also particularly good for dry hair and scalp.The cooled tea made from the leaves can be used as a final hair rinse for the same purpose. Strong infused rosemary oil can help to get rid of lice and nits (add infused lavender, tea-tree and thyme oils for greater effect). Rub into the hair and scalp, leave over night and wash out in the morning.

Prostrate rosemary growing over a wall at Diggers in Dromana

The bright blue flowers of ‘Tuscan Blue’

Use the recipe above but add three crushed or finely chopped cloves of garlic to half a cup of infused rosemary oil. Leave to steep for an hour and then strain. Rub this into the scalp after dampening the hair and leave for about an hour. Rinse off and wash the hair. Kathy says, ‘The olive oil moisturises the scalp and the garlic and rosemary remove any dead skin. If the dandruff is quite bad I recommend you do this once a week’.

This recipe and much of the information in this article is from my book Grow Your Own Herbal Remedies, borrow it from your library, buy it from your local bookshop or go to our online store by clicking here