Spring has arrived in Northern California and everything in my garden has greened up and budded out. If you live in a more severe climate, be patient, spring is heading your way soon too. To me, spring is about new beginnings, coming out of dormancy, and fresh energy. Although I like winter better than spring, I do love watching my garden open up and fill with light. One of the first things to flower is calendula. I haven’t been a big fan of drinking a lot of detoxifying teas or going on big organ-cleansing tears. However, I think this spring is a great time to add this to my occasional regimen.
Refreshing calendula tea to gently support your lymphatic system and eliminative processes
Calendula Tea with Cleavers and Mint
4-6 fresh calendula flower heads
2 big handfuls of fresh cleavers
3-4 sprigs fresh mint
How to make it:
Rinse all of the herbs in running water to remove any dirt or insects.
Put all of the herbs in a half gallon jar or other container.
Cover to the top with boiling water and put a lid loosely on the top (don’t screw tight, you want to let the steam out). Let it steep for ten minutes if drinking hot. If drinking cold, let it steep until it cools down and then refrigerate for a couple of hours to get it cold.
Strain before drinking.
Both calendula and cleavers are lymphatic tonics which, in simplistic terms, means they help your lymphatic system work better to filter out foreign bodies such as bacteria from your body. Cleavers is also alterative which means it helps support your liver function. Mint is good for dispelling gas and stimulating appetite which isn’t why I added it to this tea. I added mint for the fresh flavor and because I’ve got lots of tender new growth on my mint plant right now.
I consult a lot of different sources for my herbal information. Here are a few of the sources I consulted for the medicinal information above:
http://www.rjwhelan.co.nz/herbs%20A-Z/calendula.html
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/303087.php
Medical Herbalism (the science and practice of herbal medicine) by David Hoffmann
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galium_aparine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphatic_system
Desk Reference to Nature’s Medicine by Steven Foster and Rebecca L. Johnson