Herbal tea and its use are getting wide acclaimed around the world. Be it a health & nutrition professional or your midwife every one considers herbal teas as the best beverage from the angle of health benefits. Herbal teas since are derived directly from natural herbs they contains various important health nutrients. Herbal teas generally contain the important nutrients like magnesium, calcium, iron and vitamins. Since herbal teas are derived only from the herbs and no actual tea or Camellia Sinensis is used, it is always caffeine free. Caffeine is the stimulating agent present in common types tea like black tea, green tea etc. The medicinal and nutritional elements present in herbal teas are the main factor behind the popularity of herbal teas.

An herbal tea is extracted simply by using herbs other than Camellia Sinensis like fresh or dried flowers, leaves, roots, seeds. And even barks are used in making herbal teas. Herbal teas are prepared by three methods. In the first one, the herbs are grinded to fine powder and then brewed with hot boiling water to derive herbal teas. The second method of getting herbal teas from herbs include the crushing of fleshy herbs and then pouring of boiling water onto crushed herbs. In the third method of preparing herbal teas, herbs are neither crushed nor grinded to powder; instead they are boiled in water. Generally the first method is used for the herbs with a hard physical appearance like seeds and barks. For the dry or fresh floral herbs the method of crushing is normally used. Though there are three different methods for the preparation of herbal teas are available, yet there is no strictly followed method or better say any specific method for each type of herbs. Rather it depends on the availability of the machines that can prepare it accordingly.

There are different varieties of herbal teas are available in the market. The extraction of herbal teas from different herbs is literally limitless. Depending upon the herbs different types of herbal teas are there, like anise tea. Anise tea is made from an Egyptian aromatic seed named anise. Artichoke herbal tea is made from Mediterranean thistle like plant with edible heads named Artichoke. Roasted barley tea is another good variant of herbal tea used mainly in Japan and Korea. Boldo is an herbal tea from South America mainly used in curing stomach problems. Cannabis tea is an herbal tea prepared from cannabis plant used in illicit drugs like bhang in India. Che Dang herbal tea made from Ilex plant. Cinamon herbal tea is also very popular among herbal tea lovers. Catnip herbal tea derived from catnip plant or Nepeta Cateria. In Jamaica the famous herbal tea is Cerrasse herbal tea. The famous bed time tea namely Chamomile tea is an herbal tea made from the Eurasian plant with apple-scented foliage and white-rayed flowers. Another very popular herbal tea mostly in China and Korea is Ginseng tea. It is made from the aromatic roots of ginseng plant. Rosebud tea with full rosy aromatic taste is directly derived from the rosebuds and hence named so. Rosebud tea is among those herbal teas which are very beneficial for health. It helps in blood circulation as well as preventing cardiovascular diseases.

Though all of the herbal teas found worldwide are with the goodness of nature, yet all the herbs are not approved by FDA for consumption. Some of the herbs contain comfrey and lobelia which are harmful to human body. So, it is advisable here that before you go for a cup of herbal tea please have a good look at the government Natural Medicines Database. And do not experiment with the herbs and shrubs growing near your house or at your lawn, it might be very harmful.