May 2022

How To Make Herbal Tea

It is fairly easy to make herbal tea, as all you need is the tea, hot water and a natural sweetener. The natural tea can be made from all types of spices and herbs. The flowers, roots, bark and leaves can be used to make an herbal tea. You can purchase the loose tea, or tea that is prepackaged in small tea bags for convenience. It is also fairly easy to grow your own herbs and spices and make a tea from fresh plant substances.

Some of the popular plants for making herbal tea are ginger root, peppermint, lemon balm, rosemary, rose petals and lavender. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves are also great when added to the tea. Sweeteners that work well in tea include raw honey, agave nectar and stevia.

To make the tea, start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. As the water is heating up you can measure your loose leaf tea into a tea ball, or into an infuser and place it into a cup. For each cup, measure about 1 tsp. to 1 tbsp. or more, depending on how strong you like the drink. Naturally some herbs give a stronger flavor, and thus you won’t need as much, while others you can add lots of them to get a nice rich flavor. If you are using prepackaged tea bags, then all you have to do is use one bag per cup of tea.

Once the water has come to a boil, simply pour the water over the tea and allow to steep for about 10 to 15 minutes. The longer you allow the ingredients to steep, the stronger the flavor will be.

Another way to make herbal tea is to make a whole pot by adding a larger amount of leaves, or several tea bags into a special tea pot. You can put the tea leaves directly into the pot, or you can use a larger tea ball. But once again, you want to pour the water on the ingredients after it has been brought to a boil. Never boil the herbs with the water as that will destroy the nutrients.

Some herbal teas are naturally bitter, and thus they can be sweetened with honey or another natural sweetener. Adding sugar, however, is not a good idea, as it can interfere with the medicinal ingredients in the herbal tea. Cream or dairy is also not recommended, as it too can interfere.…

Pet Diabetes Supplements to Help in Controlling Canine Diabetes

What is diabetes mellitus? This is the result when either the canine’s pancreas is unable to secrete sufficient insulin that the body needs; or if his body is incapable to responding to the insulin adequately. There are other factors that may contribute or aggravate this condition-diabetes is usually inherited; thus complete healing is seldom possible.

While this is distressing news for many concerned pet owners of diabetic dogs, progress in being made in finding effective cures to treat diabetes. Even right now, you can avail of natural remedies for dog diabetes that are known to significantly help the dog in leading a fairly normal life despite the disease they have. Read on to find out more about excellent pet diabetes supplements in this article.

A vital component in maintaining your dog’s best health is by giving him a healthy diet. Of course, this is true whether or not he has diabetes. However, it is more critical that you monitor the food that he takes in when he does have this ailment. Because, diabetic dogs cannot properly metabolize glucose-their blood sugar levels are inconsistent and the wrong food can have disastrous results.

Aside from a well-balanced diet, what are some of the vitamins and minerals that will help in controlling the effects of diabetes? Bejak is a helpful herb that many diabetes supplements contain. As previously mentioned, diabetes increases blood sugar levels-and bejak helps in significantly reducing these levels. Bejak also strengthen the bladder and aids in urinary problems which is helpful because you will find dogs with diabetes need to urinate more often.

Karela, Bilberry and Galega Officinalis fortifies the pancreas, thus encouraging insulin production that the canine can use. Karela is also known to aid in the absorption of food and increases the efficacy of the digestive system. The herb Gurmar (Gymnema Sylvestre), like bejak, help rectify urinary problems and more than that, maintains appropriate levels of blood sugar in the body.

Chromium is another element very helpful in keeping your dog’s sugar levels healthy. It not only balances the blood sugar levels of your dog, but also maintains optimal cholesterol levels-reducing risks of heart problems. You should also look out for supplements rich in vitamins A, B and C. A robust immune system is invaluable to sick dogs battling ailments like diabetes.

Aside from these natural remedies for dog diabetes, you should also make it a point to see that your dog keeps a regular exercise regimen. Exercise helps revive the energy levels of the dog, aids in absorption of insulin, and encourages increased blood circulation. Take your pet out for walks-it is a great bonding experience for both of you as well.

Pet diabetes supplements will go a long way in ensuring your dog’s quality of life. Diabetes is an unfortunate disease that some of our pets have to deal with. However, it must not define the life your pet will live. Make your time together count and enjoy a happy and loving pet when you do.…

Barley Tea: A Great Alternative to Black Tea

Have you heard of barley tea? It’s very popular in Asia – particularly, China, Korea and Japan. Although barley water has been popular in Britain for eons, the tea is also really good.

Not only is barley tea easy to make but there are lots of health benefits. For starters, it is naturally caffeine free. It also has a cleansing effect on the body and is a good tea to take if you have a urinary tract infection. It also is a good source of antioxidants and thus helps to keep your body healthy and free of disease. Some people say it also helps to reduce cholesterol and even helps when you have a cold. Obviously if you are gluten intolerant, this isn’t the tea for you!

Making it is simple. Simply dry roast (no oil in the pan) three tablespoons of barley. You can do this in the oven but it is easy to do in a frying pan as well. When the grains turn brown, they are ready so take them off the heat and cool slightly. This procedure can take up to fifteen minutes in your oven but is much shorter if you do it in a frying pan. Put the barley in a saucepan or teapot and pour on a liter of boiling water. Let this mixture steep for a few minutes and let it cool down a little before pouring into cups. Enjoy. The taste is toasty and a little bitter. You can add honey, stevia or sugar as well as lemon juice.

You can also portion the roasted barley into tea bags for future use. The Japanese call barley tea Mugicha so look for this tea when you’re next in an Asian supermarket and you can buy the tea bags so you only need boiling water to make your Mugicha. If you find the taste too intense, you can actually make it with cold water. Simply put a tea bag in a jug of cold water and put it in the fridge until chilled. On the other hand you can put the tea bag in a glass jug with cold water and simply leave it in the sun until it becomes a lovely orange red color.

Although this tea is consumed all year round in Japan, it is usually a summer drink in Korea. Try it with ice cubes and lemon or orange juice for a refreshing summer drink.

Hopefully you will try this wonderful tea soon.…

Fruit Tea Recipes Are A Summer Hit

Now summer is showing its beautiful face, it’s time to consider cold drinks. Fruit tea is a great choice and much healthier than many summer beverages like iced tea and sodas from your local supermarket. Here you will find some easy recipes for fruit tea that will have your friends and family asking for more.

When you make fruit tea yourself, you get to choose everything – the type of tea, what you would like added to it and the amount of sugar/sweetener. In other words you are master of your summer tea!

For example you could simply make your favourite black tea, let it cool and serve it with ice cubes and lemon – adding some frozen berries makes it into a very special drink – raspberries are my favorite as they are not so sweet and they look good in the golden liquid.

My favorite is rooibos tea. I usually drink at least one cup per day (hot) and as I always make it in a teapot, I simply pour the left over tea into a glass jug which I keep in the fridge – therefore I have my own specialty iced tea available always throughout the summer. I can jazz it up with mint leaves and lemon, I can add fruit to it (lemon slices or even apple or peach slices look great). This tea is healthy and so versatile.

Peppermint is a great tea for hot days as it does cool you down. Again, make your peppermint beverage and cool it down in the fridge. Lemon slices and ice cubes do it proud – and don’t forget some peppermint leaves as well.

I never sweeten my tea but if you want to do so, think of natural sweeteners like argave, honey or stevia. Give them a try and you’ll be surprised.

If you like your summer drink bit sweet, then you can always try Honeybush tea – a cousin of rooibos and also from South Africa, this is naturally sweet. As with rooibos, cool it down in the refrigerator, add lemon slices and ice cubes and you’re ready to go.

Hibiscus tea is naturally a beautiful red color and tastes great on its own with iced cubes. Adding orange slices enhances the flavor but you can also use strawberries as they blend in very well.

Teas area so very versatile, especially when consumed cool or cold with ice cubes and other fruity additives like fresh fruit slices and some mint. Next time you want to surprise your friends and family at a summer get together, try some of the recipes above. You won’t be disappointed!…