PROPAGATION: Seeds, cuttings, root divisions. Plant seeds in spring or fall during the third lunar phase. Cuttings are easy to root, or new plants can be started by layering. Easier yet, "instant plants" can be obtained by root division in early spring, since the creeping roots run rampant and are often invasive.
CARE: Space 1 1/2 to 2 feet apart. Keep plants cut back to encourage bushiness and thick foliage. Start new plants from old ones about every 3 years, when the old ones become woody.
PART USED FOR TEA: Leaves.
TASTE: Similar to marjoram, but more intense and stronger in taste and aroma.
How to brew
BY INFUSION: 1 teaspoon dried leaves, or 3 of fresh crushed leaves, steeped to taste in 1 cup of boiling water.
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Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
This widespread herb is also called Curly French Parsley, Carum, Rock Parsley, and Common Parsley. It is said that garlands of parsley were worn at Greek and Roman banquets to absorb the fumes of wine and to help prevent intoxication. Rich in chlorophyll content, parsley was also eaten after dining to remove onion and garlic odors, a use that is still popular today.
Originally native to southeastern Europe, parsley is now cultivated all over the world. One folk legend connects parsley with death-probably because parsley garlands were given as prizes for Greek and Roman public funeral games that honored the deaths of important people. This ominous association continued into the Middle Ages, when it was believed parsley's wickedness could be overcome if the herb was sown on Good Friday under a rising moon. The tea is believed beneficial in the treatment of asthma, coughs, dropsy, menstrual difficulties, and urinary disorders.
PLANT: Biennial, usually cultivated as an annual. Tufted, finely cut, bright green leaves with serrated or toothed edges rise from a taproot much like a thin carrot; the plant comes from the same family. Greenish-yellow or white flowers appear from June to August of the second year, followed by egg-shaped, grayish-brown seeds.
HEIGHT: 6 to 12 inches.
SOIL: Moist, fairly rich.
EXPOSURE: Shade or partial sun.
PROPAGATION: Seeds. Germination is slow and uncertain; folk legend has it that the seeds go to the Devil and back several times before they sprout. Germination is hastened if seeds are soaked in warm water for 24 hours before planting.
CARE: Thin seedlings 6 to 8 inches apart. Keep plants well trimmed to encourage bushiness. It's supposed to be unlucky to transplant parsley from an old garden into a new one, but this may be because the taproot of parsley just doesn't transplant well.
PART USED FOR TEA: Leaves harvested before the plants flower.
TASTE: Refreshing, with a cooling taste like that of fresh parsley. Rich in vitamins A, B, C, and K.
How to brew
BY INFUSION: 1 teaspoon of dried, or 3 teaspoons of fresh crushed leaves with 1 cup of water that has stopped boiling. Steep for 20 minutes. Don't boil the fresh leaves.
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Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)
Other names for this herb are English Pennyroyal and Pudding Grass. A member of the mint family, this more popular species of pennyroyal (there is an American annual version, Hedeoma pulegioides, commonly called squawmint) seems to have the power to repel flea, mosquitoes, and other insects when it is rubbed on the skin. Linnaeus considered this power when he named the plant; pulex is the Latin word for "flea." The herb's odor and medicinal virtues come from pulegium, a powerfully aromatic essential oil. Despite its name, English pennyroyal is native to the Near East, though it is now cultivated throughout Europe and North America. Old English herbals say it helps dispel flatulence, produce perspiration, and promote menstruation. It is also believed to relieve spasms and stimulate digestion.
PLANT: Hardy perennial. Creeping roots send up many stems covered with deep green, hairy, oval leaves about 1/z inch long. Tiny lilac-colored flowers appear in whorls from June to October. Pennyroyal makes a good ground cover in moist soils.
HEIGHT: Stems up to 14 inches long hug the ground and rise from 4 to 7 inches.
SOIL: Clay, moist soil.
EXPOSURE: Sun or partial shade.
PROPAGATION: Seeds sown in spring or fall during the third lunar phase. Also stem cuttings. Tiny, rooted stems can be reset in spring or fall.
CARE: Space mature plants from 5 to 6 inches apart. Keep trimmed to prevent straggly stems. Brought indoors, pennyroyal makes a good, aromatic, trailing houseplant.
PART USED FOR TEA: Tops and leaves (before flowering).
TASTE: Strongly minty, sweet, aromatic. The tea has an amber color.
How to brew
By INFUSION: 1 teaspoon of dried pennyroyal tops and leaves, or 3 teaspoons if using fresh herb, in 1 covered cup of boiling water. Strain, and flavor with honey if desired. Good in combination with other mint teas.
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Raspberry (Rubus strigosus or R. idaeus)
This shrubby plant, which is also called Wild Red Raspberry, is native to the region from Newfoundland to Manitoba, and is found southward as far as New Mexico in the west and North Carolina in the east. Historically, tea from raspberry leaves was given to pregnant women because fragrine, an active substance found in the foliage, affects the female organs of reproduction, especially the muscles of the pelvic region and uterus. Raspberry-leaf tea was also believed to relieve morning sickness and ease childbirth. The red edible fruit found on wild plants is smaller than that from cultivated plants, but just as tasty.
PLANT: Biennial. A durable root sends up thorned, prickly canes, with clusters of irregular, oval, saw-toothed, green leaflets that are whitish and downy underneath. White or greenish- white 1/z-inch flowers appear in spring or summer of the second year, followed by crimson fruits made up of many tiny plump kernels. Each kernel contains an edible seed. The ripened fruit is juicy and tasty. It appears from July to September.
HEIGHT: TO 7 feet.
SOIL: Deep, loamy, well-drained. Moist. Less desirable soils will yield smaller and fewer berries and less luxuriant foliage.
EXPOSURE: Full sun.
PROPAGATION: Seeds, planted during the third or fourth lunar phase, or, more reliably, suckers taken from plants in spring before second-year growth begins.
CARE: Set suckers or seedlings 3 to 4 feet apart, with 6 to 8 feet between rows. Cut back transplanted plants to 12 inches, and set them 3 inches deeper than they were formerly growing to protect the roots from drought. Prune canes back to a height of 31/2 to 4 feet before growth begins in spring.
PART USED FOR TEA: Leaves.
TASTE: Astringent, soothing, fruity, and aromatic.
CAUTION: Because of their effect on the female reproductive system, the leaves have acquired the reputation of being aphrodisiac. The tea should be taken in moderation.
How to brew
By INFUSION: 1 teaspoon of dried leaves, or 3 teaspoons of fresh leaves, to each cup of boiling water. Steep to taste. Can be sweetened with sugar or honey.
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Rose (Rosy species)
There are more than 10, 000 varieties of the rose-the flower of love-because this showy, aromatic, flowering herb has long been the favorite of hybridizers wherever it is grown. Sweet- smelling herbal tea can be made from the petals and rose hips of most varieties. Red rose petals are considered best for petal tea, and the most sought after rose hips come from wild varieties found on sandy beaches, roadsides, waste places, and fields throughout the temperate zones. Legend has it that all roses were white until Aphrodite pricked her foot on a rose thorn, coloring the flower with her blood. The Persian philosopher Zarathustra claimed the rose hip was mother of all nutritious fruits. Hips are noted for their high concentrations of vitamins A, B, E, K, P, and especially C-a cup of rose hips is said to contain as much vitamin C as 150 oranges. Flower tea is believed to fortify the heart and brain and to relieve female ailments, stomach disorders, and catarrh. The genus name Rosa comes from the Greek word rodon, which means "red."
PLANT: Perennial or tender perennial, depending on the variety. Roses have thorned, erect stems bearing toothed, alternate leaves. Wild flowers are usually single with five petals in shades of white or red, but cultivated varieties can be double and multi-petaled and come in a wide range of colors. Blossoms are followed by the smooth red or orange hips (fruits).
HEIGHT: Several inches to several feet, depending on the variety.
SOIL: Most roses require a firm, well-enriched, and well drained soil.
EXPOSURE: Full sun.
PROPAGATION: Wild varieties can be grown from seeds planted during the third lunar phase. Hybridized varieties require either cuttings or graftings to rootstocks of stronger varieties.
CARE: Spacing, pruning, and care depend on the variety and the climate where grown. Consult a book on rose culture to determine what you need.
PART USED FOR TEA: Petals gathered before the flower unfolds or hips gathered in early autumn.
TASTE: Hips-fruity, aromatic, pleasant tasting. Petals -delicate, exotic, fragrant, like sipping a cupful of flowers.