"Homemaker's Helper" Herbal Tea ~ A Tiggy-winkle Tea Blend

"Then Mrs. Tiggy-winkle made tea—a cup for herself and a cup for Lucie. They sat before the fire on a bench and looked sideways at one another. Mrs. Tiggy-winkle's hand, holding the tea-cup, was very very brown, and very very wrinkly with the soap-suds; and all through her gown and her cap, there were hair-pins sticking wrong end out; so that Lucie didn't like to sit too near her."

~ The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter

{Welcome to our "Fun Friday Series" this spring featuring Beatrix Potter Inspired Posts!}

As we all know, Mrs. Tiggy-winkle is an excellent homemaker. One important thing she understood was that the body needed time to rest and nourish itself each day. Perhaps it was only 20 minutes but it makes all the difference to a busy hedgehog homemaker! Would you like to join us for a cup of her nourishing tea? She shares suggestions for each homemaking situation. Some of us need something to strengthen our systems (with a dose of iron and other vitamins and minerals) while others may require something to sooth those strained nerves and calm anxiety. As stress is constantly hard at work depleting our precious store of vitamins and minerals, the homemaker must replenish what we have lost to stay healthy and strong. Herbal tea is an excellent and gentle healer!

Because herbs are natural, your body will recognize and respond to them unlike a synthesized vitamin that may not be so readily absorbed. These are God's healing instruments and I am personally seeing benefits from their restoring abilities.

{Please don't be frightened by my weedy looking blend! It looks a bit more rustic since I dried many of the herbs myself and did not cut them to size.}

For a blend that nourishes the female body, mix together the following herbs (you can adjust amounts/proportions as necessary):

• 2 c. lemon balm (nerve tonic; high in calcium, magnesium, B vitamins, protein)
• 2 c. nettle (excellent tonic herb for women; rich source of iron, calcium, vitamin A)
• 1 1/2 c. spearmint (stimulant; increases circulation, provide nutrients, increases vitality)
• 1/2 c. peppermint (stimulant; increases circulation, provide nutrients, increases vitality)
• 2 c. raspberry leaf (excellent tonic herb for women; rich source of vitamins, minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorous, potassium and vitamins B, C, and E. Tones and nourishes the uterus and pelvic region.)

For a blend to sooth the nerves or alleviate anxiety, consider replacing the mints in the recipe above with some of the following (just keep in mind that the mint does keep it more palatable and less green tasting):

• milky oats (nerve tonic; relieves anxiety and stress, depression, irritability)
• borage (relieves anxiety and stress, good for combatting depression)
• chamomile (nerve tonic; high in calcium, magnesium, B vitamins, protein)
• lemon verbena (relieves tension, anxiety, stress, antioxidant, digestive tonic)
• St. Johns-wort (nerve sedative; relaxes the nervous system, eases tension, encourages sleep)

{Note: This may seem pricey to purchase all these teas but keep in mind that I do not purchase expensive vitamins. And remember, you can always start with one herb that really speaks to your needs and begin using it and slowly add in more as your budget allows. Nettle is an excellent start for overall women's health as well as the raspberry leaf. My third choice would be the lemon balm. Also, many of these can be foraged from your back yard (such as the nettle) or consider purposely growing your own herbal tea garden. Mint is an easy one to begin with and quite prolific!}

Add 1/4 cup of your herbal tea blend to a tea pot or quart sized mason jar (I just place a tea strainer directly in my tea pot and brew inside). Pour hot water over herbs and put on the lid. Let mixture steep for at least 30 minutes. Sip this blend during the day or take a 3 o'clock tea time. It is said that for a medicinal tea to be more effective, you must drink it in small doses several times during the day. I try and make a large pot in the morning and drink it throughout the morning and afternoon. In the autumn and winter, you may want to store your infusion in a thermos to keep it nice and hot. In the summer and spring you can refrigerate it for a refreshing iced tea.



Tiggy-winkle Tea Tips:

She likes to add a green tea bag to her teapot of "homemaker's helper" blend in order to get the extra energy boost and antioxidants. She will often include some of her homemade dried lemon peel or citrus slices for flavor and its health properties. When you add a bit of raw honey to this concoction (including the citrus peels or some lemon juice), it is tasty (and similar to the Arizona Green Tea but without the awful high fructose corn syrup)!

Mrs. Tiggy-winkle suggests storing a large jar of this preventative tea blend in your pantry. Consider it a part of your medicinal arsenal to keep your body healthy, nourished and strong.

Give a mason jar of this blend as a gift to a fellow (and perhaps wearied) homemaker.

Here is our label if you would like some whimsy in your cupboard (right click image to copy it). If you enjoyed this tutorial, you may be interested in making Mrs. Tiggy-winkle's spray starch, stain remover spray or her handkerchief tutorial. For more Beatrix Potter inspired projects, visit here (if you please 'm)! Thank you for joining us for another week of "Fun Friday" this spring! Have a lovely day.

                                                       

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them). Illustrations are by Beatrix Potter.  Note: Mrs. Tiggy-winkle found her herbal information here.