Rosemary, Ginger and Lemon Tea

by alchemyofherbs

Ginger, Rosemary and Lemon

I ate my lunch too fast. We were just learning this past weekend about the digestive system and how 70% of digestion occurs in the mouth. That means that we all need to chew, chew and chew some more. Basically, chew the food until it in no way resembles what you originally put into your mouth. Yes, it takes some getting used to. I find I don’t really care much for the food after I’ve been chewing it for the proper length of time, but I have faith that I’ll become accustomed to it. Basically, Americans are really good at chewing a few times and then throwing the food, only partially masticated, down our gullets to our awaiting stomachs who balk at this undigested gruel and rebel with things like indigestion, belching and flatulence. Not to mention the extra wear and tear on our liver and kidneys who have to constantly work over-time trying to make sense out of this un-chewed food. So please, be kind to your tummy, and chew at least 40 times. Since I failed miserably at this myself at lunchtime today (Monday! Deadlines! Stress!), and was feeling a little uncomfortable after lunch, I decided to make this warming, digestive tea to try and make amends to my tum.

And so here’s what I did:

Rosemary, Ginger and Lemon Tea

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped into small-ish pieces + 1 tsp rosemary (fresh or dried*) + 1 lemon slice
• Decoct the ginger root for 5 minutes (simmer), covered, then turn off heat.
• Add the rosemary, cover and infuse for 10 minutes.
• Strain, pour into favorite mug, squeeze fresh lemon, enjoy.

Note: This tea is not for the faint of heart. It’s pretty intense. If you want a milder tea, only decoct the ginger for 2 minutes or so. Alternatively, you can omit the rosemary all together and just make a ginger and lemon tea, which would be awesome as well.

Ginger and rosemary after being decocted and infused.

This is perfect for chilly winter days when the meal you’ve just eaten is sitting like lead in your tummy, and you need a little bit of warming and revitalization. The rosemary will pick you up a bit (and help with headaches, if you’ve got one), the ginger is soothing and aids in digestion, and the lemon is cleansing and astringent, thus lending a decided freshness to the completed tea.

*Rosemary, or any herb for that matter, retains its energetic imprint and personality even after harvesting, which is what allows it to turn into medicine in our bodies. That energy becomes lessened the older an herb is; this goes for all food and plant life. So, generally speaking, if you have access to herbs right out of the ground or fresh, that’s awesome because they’re going to lend more energy than their older counterparts. That said, I used dried organic rosemary in this tea and it was delicious. Would it have been better with fresh rosemary? You betcha!  One of the first lessons that’s becoming clear to me learning about herbal medicine is not to put too much pressure on yourself to always use fresh everything. Sometimes fresh herbs are simply unavailable, and sometimes it all becomes too expensive to contemplate. Do the best you can and enjoy the process.

With warmth,

Jess