No, that’s not a jar of pot on my desk.

It’s surprising to me that so many people at work commented on the jar of tea that I was keeping on my desk. I guess I’ve been so immersed in learning about herbalism that I forget it’s not “normal” for most people to mix their own teas.

The reason I keep it on my desk is to remind me to drink it! I aim for two cups of lymph congestion tea and 3-4 cups of women’s tonic every day. I’ve noticed it has curbed hunger and I have more energy.

I placed a huge order from Mountain Rose Herbs (affiliate link in sidebar) not realizing how much a pound of dried leaves is. I was thinking coffee bag pound size. Nope. This is what came:

This is now what my herbal cabinet looks like. They are two jars deep. I had to keep going back to the hardware store because they only stock two boxes of half gallon jars at a time . . . I kept buying them out.

So far I’ve made two types of tea and an herbal iron syrup, all from Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health: 175 Teas, Tonics, Oils, Salves, Tinctures, and Other Natural Remedies for the Entire Family. This past week, I collected spruce needles to make a salve. And last Saturday, I spent 7 hours learning about immunity and herbs from famed herbalist (and Michigander!) Jim Mcdonald.

All this to say, don’t be surprised if you start seeing more herbal posts. I even ordered Rosemary Gladstar’s home study course. For now, I’ll share with you my new favorite tea recipe, from the aforementioned book.

Lymph Congestion Tea

2 parts calendula

2 parts cleavers

1 part mullein

1 part peppermint

A part is whatever measurement you want it to be – a cup, half cup, ounces, whatever. It’s supposed to be good for lymph congestion. I LOVE it because it  makes me perk up – probably from the peppermint. I’ve been enjoying it more than coffee (I know, heresy!)

In case you’re wondering what to do with it once it’s mixed up, I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from Jim Mcdonald:

Teas (for fresh or dried herbs)

Steep an arbitrary amount of an herb in an arbitrary amount of hot (not quite boiling) water for an arbitrary length of time.  Strain & drink.

This post shared at Fight Back Friday, Monday Mania