Our family spends winter between the Midwest and the West Coast. Between traveling back and forth, as well as adjusting to the colder weather. I wanted to come up with a robust tea to turn to that is easy to travel with and also has immune-boosting properties. The ingredients also had to be very accessible so I could easily find them any time. I’ve dreamed up this immunity-boosting winter tea recipe and I am beyond excited to share it with you all!
Designing this Winter Tea Recipe
One of my favorite parts of creating this recipe was I was able to forage for most of the ingredients. This was such a delightful experience that really brought intention into this tea. Using the healing properties that Mother Earth provides is a powerful and healing experience in itself.
I wanted to intentionally create a tea recipe that was warming, delicious, and immunity-boosting. The tea also had to be caffeine-free and focus solely on the medicinal properties of the herbs. The herbs I chose for this winter tea recipe include elderberry, rosehip, ginger, and Reishi mushroom. We were able to forage for the elderberry, rosehip, and even found a Reishi mushroom! However, you can find most of these ingredients at your local health foods store, co-op, or online if they are not accessible to you locally.
How to measure in “parts”
Measuring in parts can be slightly intimidating if you’ve never tried it before. However, once you get more practice with this measuring technique, I personally find it even easier than traditional measuring. Most of the time we think of explicit measurements such as 1 cup or 1/4 tablespoon. When batch working, we tend to work in ratios. Creating a tea blend is a batch working process.
Let’s say we are making our tea recipe. I tend to make a larger amount right away so I can divide it up and travel easier with it. Right away I’ll grab a large spoon. This spoon has no explicit measurement, it’s just large and we are looking for ratios. Say if I want 3 parts elderberries, I’d take 3 scoops with my large spoon and put it into the bowl. If I want 1.5 parts of another ingredient, I’d take 1.5 scoops of that ingredient and place it into the bowl. Essentially 1 part is 1 scoop of whatever measurement tool you are using and everything builds off of that!
Winter Tea Recipe Ingredients
Let’s run through the ingredients you will need to make this winter tea. I’ve touched on a few of the herbs, but I also included a few other herbal friends as well.
Elderberries
Elderberries are known for their medicinal properties. During cold and flu season, it’s a good idea to get as much elderberry as possible to build up your immune system naturally. This tea is a perfect way to do that!
Rose Petals
Rose petals add subtle flavor notes to this tea and help you to ground. They are also very high in Vitamin C which contributes to your immunity as well. From a plant spirit medicine viewpoint, Rose is known for its heart-opening properties.
Rosehips
Rosehips add a little more floral flavor to the tea as well while also being very potent in Vitamin C. They are also vibrant in color but have a variety of immune-boosting properties including benefits for your immune system and possible protection against heart disease. Adding rose hips to the winter tea recipe really adds to the flavor and provides benefits as well.
Ginger
One of the most potent, & beneficial herbal allies in our winter tea is ginger. Ginger eases the stomach and is a very powerful antioxidant. Ginger is also very warming which is much needed during the colder winter months.
Reishi
Possibly the most powerful ingredient in the tea is Reishi mushroom. Known as the “Mushroom of Immortality” in ancient cultures, Reishi has a powerful presence. The Reishi mushroom contains so many immune-boosting properties, it’s extremely beneficial in warding off ailments. Just don’t put too much in the tea, it can be very bitter!
Yarrow
I also got a chance to forage for white yarrow. However, it’s very easy to find in health stores and online. Yarrow is known to help fight inflammation and may alleviate digestive issues. During winter, it’s important to keep tabs on gut health since our inner fire starts in our bellies. Our bodies rely on all systems functioning correctly, so we must care for our entire selves.
Making the Tea
With all of your herbs measured accordingly, it’s time to make the winter tea. A helpful travel tip is to make a larger batch, mix it all together, and then prepare travel-sized containers so it’s easy to take with you and make at a moment’s notice.
Mixing the tea together is extremely easy as well. You just need to get a mixing bowl and mix all of your ingredients together with the proper ratios. Once your tea is mixed together and all ingredients are evenly distributed, it’s time to make your first cup of tea!
I usually take a tablespoon of the mixture, put it in the vessel that will steep your tea, and pour over boiling water. I then let my tea steep for 5 minutes before straining and enjoying.
The Herbal Academy
With the intention of keeping herbalism accessible to the community. The Herbal Academy asked me to share a winter tea recipe for an upcoming ebook to celebrate their 10-year anniversary! And the best news? They made a new & free e-book, featuring 10 Wintertime Tea Recipes, and I am honored to be a part of it! Just click here to download the ebook.
The ebook has recipes from other community creators and herbalists that are perfect for making throughout the fall and winter months. The Herbal Academy is where I started my herbal education online. I enjoy continuing my herbal education as I find it helpful to have a resource online that I can turn to at any time.
Below are a few of my favorite classes that I’ve taken at The Herbal Academy:
Intro to Herbalism – This is a great course for beginners. This is the first course I began my studies with at The Herbal Academy. I loved how the class gave me a solid foundation to continue learning from.
Botanical Skincare – This course sparks creativity in so many ways. What better way to apply your herbalism knowledge than to making products that you’d love to enjoy yourself? One of my favorite courses for sure!
The Mushroom Course – We talked about the healing properties of Reishi in this winter tea recipe. You can learn so much more about all of the other healing mushrooms in this course. This class gives you a solid foundation of where to start your mushroom education, especially for beginners.
Of course, if you have any questions, I’d love to help out! Feel free to reach out in the comments section below, or find me on Instagram (@mytinylagunakitchen). Stay warm and nourished!
Immunity Boosting Winter Tea Recipe
Preparing for winter, I like to make this immunity boosting winter tea recipe. Traveling between the Midwest and West Coast during a change in seasons and cold and flu season, I like to prep my immune system. This recipe is filled with helpful, immune boosting herbs.
Ingredients
- 2 parts dried elder (Sambucus canadensis or S. nigra) berry
- 2 parts dried rose (Rosa spp.) petal
- 1 part dried rose (Rosa spp.) hip
- 1 part powdered or chopped dried ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome
- ½ part reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) powdered extract
- ½ part dried yarrow (Achillea millefolium) aerial parts
Instructions
- Determine how much tea blend you would like to make, and then assign your “parts” accordingly (see blog post above for more detailed instructions)
- Combine all of the herbs and mix well. If you’re making a bulk batch, transfer the blend to a storage container, label, and store in a cool, dark location.
- To brew a cup of tea, add 3 tablespoons of the tea blend per strainer/mug.
- Cover with 8-12 fluid ounces of just-boiled water and let steep, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Remove the tea strainer, sweeten with honey or maple syrup if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
- Feel free to add in more or less of any specific ingredients. If you enjoy your tea spicier add more ginger, if you want more sweet add in more elderberries.