Teas From Indigenous Plants

A number of plants in our flora can be used domestically to replace tea if they are correctly chosen or are suitably prepared. Most of these are also medicinal plants and it seems desirable to treat them in a similar manner.

It must be made clear that none of our indigenous plants can entirely replace tea because of its stimulant properties. These properties of both tea and coffee are due to the presence of caffeine and no plant in our flora contains caffeine. But, if we are prepared to forego the stimulant action of tea, it can be replaced by some indigenous plants.

The aroma so much appreciated in tea is not found in the fresh leaves of the plant; it is formed only during a process of fermentation that is artificially induced after the collection of the leaves. Furthermore, the taste of tea is due to its high content of tannin.

In order to find in our flora a substitute for tea, we should look either among those plants that already have an agreeable aroma and also contain tannins, or alternatively amongst tannin-containing plants that may develop an aroma after special treatment.

It perhaps goes without saying that such plants should not have any pronounced medicinal activity. The body would become accustomed to any such action and hence, when ill, would not respond so well to the plant administered as a medicine.

Among aromatic plants, lime, peppermint, wild thyme, or thyme are very suitable. Dog-rose is also much valued as a household tea, despite its feeble aroma, because of its pleasant, acid taste and also because of the large amount of antiscorbutic vitamin (vitamin C) that it contains.

In addition to the plants named above, there are others with leaves containing tannins that have an odour and taste resembling tea if they are suitably prepared. These include lady's mantle and the leaves of blackberry, strawberry, raspberry and rosebay willow-herb.

Blackberry and lady's mantle are already described in this site and strawberry and raspberry plants are sufficiently well known without any need to describe them here.

Rosebay willow-herb, from Chamaenerion angustitobum (L.) Scop. (=Epilobium angustitolium L.), family Onagraceae, is commonly found in forest clearings and felled woodlands, often in large quantities. It is perennial, with unbranched stems greater than 1m (3ft) high, bearing numerous alternate leaves that are narrowly lanceolate, up to 10cm (4in) long and 1 cm (0 4 in) wide The inflorescence at the apex of the stem is several decimetres long, of lilac-pink flowers 1cm (0.4in) wide with 4 separate petals. The fruit is long, bean-shaped and contains many seeds, each with long silky hairs that facilitate wind dispersal in a similar manner to the fruits of dandelion. The leaves of this species are ofter found as an adulterant of tea.

The leaves of the plants namec above may be dried immediately after collection and can then be used in similar manner to tea The tisanes prepared from them will have an astringent taste because of their tannin content, but they will not be very aromatic. These teas will be greatly improved if the leaves are allowed to ferment before drying.

To this end, young leaves are collected (from the time of unfolding, up to the beginning of flowering); they should be gathered in large quantities, for small amounts ferment with difficulty. In order to induce fermentation, the freshly collected leaves are left in the shade for 12-24 hours in a sufficiently warm place so that they will wilt without drying too greatly.

They are then bruised by spreading out in thin layers and vigorously rolling with a domestic rolling pin. Fermentation is then induced by folding the bruised leaves in a cloth and placing these packets in a warm place at 20-45° C (68-113° F) when the leaves themselves generate more heat. If this spontaneous heating is not very great, they are left for two days, otherwise one day is sufficient. To finish the process, the fermented leaves are dried in an airy place in the shade, or in a drier at not greater than 54° C (129° F).

As a result of this treatment, the leaves will be more or less brown in colour.
Many people use one or other of these teas, but more often a mixture of several of these plants is employed, selecting blends with aromatic and tannin characters. These blends are made entirely according to taste, for there is no established therapeutic effect.

In conclusion we give several of these blends.
1 Blackberry leaves 4 parts, raspberry leaves 2 parts, strawberry leaves 2 parts, lime flowers 1 part, peppermint 1 part.

2. Rosebay willow-herb leaves 2 parts, blackberry leaves 2 parts, lime flowers 2 parts, wild thyme 2 parts, peppermint 1 part, yarrow 1 part.

3. Lime flowers 1 part, wild thyme 1 part, peppermint 1 part.

When making the tea (tisane) it should not be heated for too long a time; cold water may be poured on the leaves, raised to the boil and allowed to stand; alternatively boiling water may be poured over the leaves placed in a previously warmed pot. Metal utensils are less suitable than others.