I love teas made from medicinal herbs. Some of the mixtures I love to drink are a little crazy with multiple plants helping me with multiple issues.

But for other humans, I tend to use less variety in the mix, focusing not solely on symptoms but also the person’s general health and needs. But I also have some blends that I distribute to folks on a regular basis. Here are a few.

Headache Tea

• 3 parts lemon balm
• 2 parts catnip
• 1/2 to 1 part lavender (I’m not partial to lavender so I use only a little)

Steep 1 teaspoon in 8 ounces of hot water for 15 minutes. Sweeten as desired. Drink when you have a headache, up to 3 times a day. This tea works well for occasional headaches, eases migraines but does not make then go away.

Grief Tea

• 4 parts lemon balm
• 2 parts rose
• 1 part linden
• 1 part violet
• 1/2 part skullcap
• a cinnamon stick to stir

Do not include the lemon balm if you have any thyroid issues. I recommend substituting a lovely tasting adaptogen like Holy Basil (2 parts) with another nervine like milky oats (2 parts).

Steep 1 teaspoon in 8 ounces of hot water for 15 minutes. Drink 3 to 4 times a day. It does not make grief vanish but it does help you to deal with pain and stress associated with it.

Cold & Flu Tea

• 1 part Elderflower
• 1 part Peppermint
• 1 part Yarrow
• You can also add into the tea – Elderberry, Rosehips, and Orange peel

From Immune & Respiratory Herbs – A Resource for Tribal Communities During COVID-19 © Elise Krohn, Valerie Segrest, Renee Davis, Rhonda Grantham, Sophie Geist. Creative Commons
(CC BY-NC-ND).

Steep 1 to 2 teaspoons for 15 minutes in 8 ounces of hot water. Drink 3 to 4 times a day. If you have a fever, you can add willow root but the root must be steeped for 15 minutes before adding the rest of the plants.

Aquene, Cher