Self love tea

I’ve know I’ve been MIA for the last month. I’ve been going trough some crappy stuff which hasn’t made writing feel all that appealing or even important. Let alone a the total lack of inspiration that comes with it. Today I thought I’d ease myself back in though by sharing the tea formula I whipped up that has been helping me get through all my junk – Self Love Tea. One day I might rename it but for now it sums it up pretty well. When you need that little heart help and cheer, a comforting squeeze, this is the tea. I almost never add honey to tea but I think it’s a key ingredient here. You experiment as you will and let me know if you prefer it without.

Ingredients

• 1-2 parts rose petals
• 1 part chamomile
• 1/2 part yarrow (I actually hate the term “1/2 part” because I think a part should be determined by the lowest measurement and then full parts being multiples of that but there we go)
• 1 part damiana
• 1 part ginger

Method

Add all herbs to your teapot or pan and add boiled water. Let the infusion sit for approximately 15 minutes (the perfect amount of time before too much bitter comes through but I have a habit of leaving mine for more like 25 minutes).

Pour out a mugful and add 1 teaspoon of raw honey to the cup. Mix well.

About the herbs

Rose: Unsurprising, I know. Even non-herby friends could guess I used rose in this tea by the name alone. Rose has long been associated with romance and love, it is a beautiful nervine, beneficial for grief and gives that amazing Turkish Delight flavour that I find incredibly soothing.

Chamomile: Another fantastic nervine, soothing on so many levels. I also think of chamomile as representative of friendship and kindness which we all need to give ourselves far more regularly. Not in part because I turn to chamomile as a trusted friend when I just don’t know what it is I need.

Yarrow: This might seem an odd addition at first but yarrow has a couple of virtues here. Firstly, it has traditional use when we need a little emotional armour armour. Secondly, it’s bitter flavour (hence why we use just a touch) can be representative of the bitters in life we all have to deal with sometimes. I’m a believer in tasting my bitters, not just for my digestive health, but to subconsciously help my emotional resilience too.

Damiana: Long used as an aphrodisiac or love herb, damiana adds a little spice to the mix, which I love. We should all love ourselves passionately. Why save it for other people all the time?

Ginger: You could (and probably should) call this the “catalyst”, but when whipping this together for the first time my instinct was mostly to “add a little fire to the mix”. In TCM ginger is often added for such a purpose and I have to admit, it’s something I find myself adding more often than not.

Wishing you all much love.