Herbs list for Kids Love Tea blends
Following is a list of the ingredients used in the Kids Love Tea range and their health benefits.
Skullcap
This herb is sedative but it helps to switch off “mind chatter.” Mind chatter happens when our adrenal glands are still active but our body wants to relax and rest. Skullcap shuts the mind chatter off by calming down the adrenal glands. This herb is helpful for children who have trouble settling at night.
Chamomile
Everyone seems to know chamomile and even people who don’t know about herbs know this herb. Europeans bottle-feed chamomile to babies to settle tummy upsets. It is gentle and calming so is good to use in sleep and relaxing teas.
Lemon Balm (sometimes called Melissa)
Balm means healing and soothing and that’s what this herb does. It is an excellent calming herb for nervous people. It calms the digestive system, can settle stomach cramps. Can relax people to help sleep.
Passionflower
This is a calming and sedative herb and really helpful for people with nervous tension. It works well with other calming herbs in the sleep tea.
Calendula
This herb is antiseptic, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. It is one of the safest herbs to use for everyone. Many people have Calendula in their garden and know it as Marigold.
Tulsi
Tulsi is the Sanskrit name for the holy basil plant. It grows wild in India although it is not the same as the garden Basil we use in cooking. The traditional medicinal uses for Tulsi are many, particularly in the Indian Ayurvedic traditional medicine, but it is primarily known today as an adaptogen — meaning it helps the body cope with stress. Tulsi is also antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
Fennel
Fennel seeds are good for digestion because they can stop farting and tummy aches. They help to make the Tulsi licorice tea taste like licorice.
Aniseed
Aniseed is a sweet herb and helps to improve appetite, stops nausea and cramps. It helps to give the licorice tea the licorice flavor.
Licorice root
This is not the licorice lolly. This is the root of the licorice plant and it is very good for digestive disorders as it can ease stomach spasms (cramping). It is also good for soothing the throat and can ease a cough.
It is 50 times sweeter than sugar (although it doesn’t taste like sugar) and it doesn’t upset the blood sugar levels. When blood sugar level drop, it’s when people start to crave sugar.
Peppermint
Peppermint is a really good herb for digestive problems like heartburn, nausea and vomiting and stomach pains. It tastes delicious and is safe for children. The leaves can be added to a bath to stop itchy skin conditions.
It is a good general digestive tonic and may help with colds and flu.
Spearmint
Has a slightly different aroma than Peppermint but also a digestive tea.
Marshmallow root
This root is really good for soothing inflamed mucous membranes and tissue.
When made into a tea, it is like a gel and that is why it’s good for the throat as it can stop it from itching from hayfever and settle an irritating cough. It is also good for nausea and indigestion.
Yarrow
The botanical name for Yarrow is Achillea millefolium and it has an interesting history. It was named after Achilles (as in Achilles tendon in the foot) who used yarrow to heal the wounds of his comrades during the siege of Troy, before an arrow in his heel made a legendary story.
One of the oldest herbs, archaeologists have discovered fossils of yarrow pollen in ancient burial caves.
Yarrow has a long list of health and healing benefits both internally and externally for all
types of wounds.
Olive leaf
The olive tree is one of the oldest cultivated trees in the world. Using the leaves is not like using olive oil. The oil comes from the fruit and in herbal medicine, we use the leaves. Olive leaf is anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal and so it is great for stimulating the immune system.
Lemongrass
Used a lot in Asian cooking, Lemongrass is anti-septic and internally, is good for indigestion and gastric upsets.
Many people love the flavour of Lemongrass and enjoy it with ginger.
Ginger
Is a warming and relaxing herb. Ginger is good for stimulating saliva, which in turn stimulates gastric-acid in the stomach and in that way helps with digestive issues. Ideal for motion sickness and nausea.
It is an important ingredient in Chinese medicine for stomach conditions.
Hibiscus flowers
Soothes irritated tissues, helpful to regulate blood pressure and makes the tea a beautiful red colour.
Rosehips
High in vitamins A, B and C so is really helpful for colds and flu and boosting the immune system to help with minor infections.
Nettle
Sometimes called Stinging Nettle, Nettle is a rich nutritive herb high in vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium, sodium and potassium. Because of this is it a good blood building herb and helpful for anaemia.
The juice of the plant is the antidote for its own sting.
Rooibos (South African for Red bush tea) in the Red Chai
A native plant of South Africa. When the leaves are sun-dried, they turn a reddish brown color, which gives the tea its name. It has a high antioxidant content, is high in vitamin C and mineral salts. In South Africa, the herb is used a lot in creams for skin conditions like eczema. Or, they make the tea and add it to a bath. It gives the chai tea a really nice flavor and it is caffeine free.
(An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals, (free-radicals are rubbish that antioxidants will clean up – like a vacuum cleaner – and stop them from causing damage to our cells.)
Free radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food or is exposed to tobacco smoke and radiation.
The vitamins and minerals the body uses to counteract oxidative stress are called antioxidants.)
Cloves
The first mention of cloves for medicinal purposes is in Chinese medicine texts. The name for cloves is French for nail because that is what the cloves look like.
Cloves are digestive, can stop vomiting and Europeans still use clove oil directly on a tooth to stop a toothache.
Cinnamon
Is good for digestion, helps to treat colds and flu and can also regulate blood sugar levels. Often used in chai teas because it is a good digestive herb.
Cardamom pods
These seeds are used a lot in cooking and curries. It is a warm, stimulating herb. Most Chai recipes have cardamom pods.
Peppercorns
Peppercorns are the fruit of the Piperine vine used as a spice and seasoning. But they are also high in antioxidants and also anti-inflammatory
Note: You will notice that it is not just the leaves (Peppermint, Spearmint, Nettle) that are used but flowers (Calendula & Hibiscus) and roots (Marshmallow & Ginger) and seeds (Fennel, Cardamom & Aniseed) of the plants. Collectively, we call them herbs. You will also see that many of the herbs help with digestive issues. Because our immune system is in our digestive tract then keeping our digestive system healthy means our immune system is supported as well.
