Herbal teas for a little spa at home throughout the day

Herbal tea is such a simple way to bring a little extra health and wellbeing into your day and to create a touch of spa at home. A small ritual that can be part of five minutes in between work and life’s daily tasks, or something to nurse for half an hour whilst reading a book or watching the world go by. Herbal teas are a way of nurturing mind and body with minimal cost, minimal effort and a minimal amount of time needed throughout the day.

Herbal tea first thing in the morning

Plenty of people swear by hot water and ginger first thing in the morning, and for good reason. Ginger tea can be bought as tea bags, but you can also grate a little fresh ginger into a mug and stew for a few minutes with boiling water for an extremely refreshing start to the day. Often people choose to add lemon as well for an extra cleansing and appetite stimulating wake up call. Ginger is popular in the morning, or before mealtimes, because it’s excellent for aiding digestion.

Ginger is also known for helping with nausea. So whether you find it hard to eat in the morning or you’re an expectant mum suffering with morning sickness, ginger can be extremely soothing. Finally, there is something about this spicy root that’s just wonderfully invigorating first thing. If you’re not sure whether you like it, start with a small amount of ginger and ease into it - it can be quite a potent taste!

Healing properties of ginger: It’s anti-inflammatory, can help settle an upset stomach, curb morning sickness or nausea in general, can help relieve period pains and is antibacterial.

Herbal tea for a mid morning pick me up

We’re not sure about you, but by the time the middle of the morning comes around, we’re usually ready for lunch, and we’re certainly ready for a moment to ourselves. At this time of day, a little pick me up from India’s ‘golden goddess’, turmeric, is in order. The morning tends to be the part of the day when we can best address the most taxing tasks of the day, and turmeric provides an excellent helping hand. Take five minutes to brew this revitalising herbal hero to help carry you through until lunch.

Healing properties of turmeric: The healing properties of turmeric have been widely lauded, ranging from cognitive benefits to cardiac health. However, it is perhaps best known as helping to ease depression, as an anti-inflammatory, and helping to keep blood sugar steady.

A lunchtime boost

Green tea is a personal favourite and an extremely popular drink now around the world. Contrary to popular opinion, it is still naturally caffeinated, so you probably want to avoid drinking it too late in the day so that it doesn’t interrupt your sleep in the evening. Commonly drunk, and widely grown in the Far East, where the health properties are well regarded, green tea comes in lots of varieties, ranging from the delicate to the very strong tasting, so it’s something worth exploring to find one you like. It is often credited with being an antioxidant, and to some extent that’s a whole other discussion in itself. However, given its caffeine content it does give you a bit of a boost, and it’s often thought to be very good half an hour before or after a meal, making it perfect for around lunchtime. Green tea can be found as fresh leaves or in tea bags, frequently blended with other flavours such as lemon, lime or ginger, so there’s lots to choose from. We are particular fans of a blend with jasmine which is wonderfully fragrant.

Healing properties of green tea: The health benefits of green tea are much debated and no doubt exaggerated or oversimplified at times. However, it is made with unoxidised tea leaves, which are associated with antioxidants and help to reduce coronary inflammation. It is also just a lovely, flavoursome, sugar free daily pick-me-up.

Herbal tea for an afternoon slump

Rosemary is the herb that’s credited with being both stimulating and good for the memory - perfect for that mid afternoon slump. A slightly more unusual alternative to the refreshing staple that is a good peppermint tea, rosemary tea can be bought as tea bags or made fresh from sprigs taken from the garden and infused for five to 10 minutes. It is also said to be good for stress - excellent for a touch of spa at home when perhaps the day is beginning to get on top of you - and supporting brain health.

Healing properties of Rosemary: Rosemary is recognised for its antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory benefits as well as helping to relieve stress and stimulate the memory.

Evening alternative to coffee

Typically after dinner, people think about having coffee, especially when they go out with friends. For all intents and purposes, this seems to be completely counter intuitive, given that we’re heading towards the end of the day. So Pukka Teas developed their rather delicious After Dinner herbal tea, which is a combination of chicory, aniseed and fennel, which all gently stimulate and support the digestive system. This is the perfect solution for calming the digestion after a little over-indulgence and is an ideal caffeine-free alternative to an after-dinner coffee. There’s something wonderfully indulgent and soothing about it - all the things we associate with spa at home - so it’s a good way to settle in and unwind.

Healing properties of chicory: Chicory, like most herbs, is credited with a number of healing properties, but for thousands of years has been used for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and slightly sedative properties. It’s also supposed to help lower blood sugar levels. Meanwhile, fennel is good for easing that sense of fullness and indigestion, and is also excellent for halitosis!

Herbal tea to unwind before bed

Camomile has long been known as an aid to better sleep and relaxation, but it can also help soothe stomach aches, menstrual cramps, boost the immune system, help manage diabetes and was used by the Egyptians in a poultice to help wounds to heal more quickly. Take it with a spoonful of honey - partially because the superfood adds to its almighty holistic power source, but mostly because it tastes wonderful as well.

Healing properties of chamomile: This soothing herb is known for its relaxation properties and also for its gentleness. Often added to creams and skincare products, it’s often included in wellbeing for children and baby massage.

Of course, these are just a few of our personal favourites when it comes to herbal teas, but it’s a lovely way to bring a little spa healing into the home, and make wellbeing a part of the little moments every day.