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Summary of Botanical Teas Recipe Book

The Botanical Teas Recipe Book is both a primer on the brewing of herbal teas as well as a resource for the experienced herbalist who understands the impact of herbal constituents and wants to mix them is tasty and health promoting blends.

The book begins with a lot of the fundamentals of herbalism.  Topics like “What’s the difference between an herbal tea and traditional tea (Camellia sinensis)”; how to make a decoction; how to make an infusion; supplies needed for tea blending; the differences in herbal material from the different parts of the plant, like roots, bark, and ariels.

After that the book is laid out like a traditional cookbook.  There are chapters for seasonal teas (spring, summer, fall, and winter).  A chapter on wellness lays out some formulas for daily incorporation of herbs and their constituents as a daily regimen for calming and grounding or at the other extreme energizing and uplifting.  All recipes carry a sort of tagging that helps identify them as Pregnancy Friendly, Kid Friendly, or Short-Term Use Only which helps with rapidly selecting recipes for blending.

What I Liked about Botanical Teas Recipe Book

I particularly appreciated the access to the recipes that were laid out for taste, ease of blending and most importantly for their herbal activities.  Each recipe had instructions for dosing, preparation of the blend, as well as storage of prepared teas for convenient reuse in the following days.  I also especially appreciated the “external” use teas.  There were wound wash teas, foot soak teas, and several others that are for external use only.

What I Disliked about Botanical Teas Recipe Book

This is a personal peeve, but all the recipes are laid out using volumetric measurements.  A ½ cup of this; a tablespoon of that; a pint of other stuff.  Over the years I have discovered that weighing materials in grams works so much better.  It’d be nice if the recipes were modernized for weights.

The other item that I found a bit disappointing is the lack of a symptom or condition index.  The text has a good herbal component index listing each herb and what recipes utilize it.  However, I feel an index listing all tea blends that might help with say, indigestion, would be beneficial.

Quotes from Herbal Teas Recipe Book

“From top to toe, you’ll enjoy botanical herb teas…”

“You can sip a cup of homemade herbal tea to help you wake up in the morning, focus in the afternoon, or rest deeper at night.”

“…blends that celebrate the flavors of fall produce and warming spices, boost the immune system, and dig into the power of roots.”