Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cups filtered water
- 2 teaspoons dried elderberries
- 1 teaspoon dried bilberries
- 1 teaspoon dried hibiscus flowers
- 1 teaspoon dried hawthorn berries
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- lemon, for squeezing honey, to taste
Directions
- Pour the measured water into a small saucepan and heat it to just below boiling point.
- Drop in the dried berries and flowers and the orange zest, then reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer gently for 5 minutes until the berries are soft and start to burst.
- Strain the mixture into a cup and use the back of a spoon to press as much liquid out of the berries as possible. Add a squeeze of lemon, to taste, for a fresh citrus zing and vitamin C boost, and a little honey, to sweeten.
Tea Tip — Freeze this tea in ice-cube trays and use the ice to flavor water or other cold drinks. Or serve it cooled, over ice, with a sprig of fresh mint.
More from Infuse:
• Homemade Tummy Soothing Tea • Nutritious Spicy Chai Tea
Reprinted with permission from Infuse: Herbal Teas to Cleanse, Nourish, and Heal by Paula Grainger & Karen Sullivan and published by Hamlyn, 2016. Photography by Mowie Kay. Buy this book from our store: Infuse.
Infuse (Hamlyn, 2016), by Paula Grainger and Karen Sullivan, presents an effective array of creative herbal tea blends for cleansing, rejuvenation, digestion, sleep circulation, soothing the nervous system, and calming the mind. Herbal teas possess the power of nature’s most potent healing ingredients. The following excerpt is from Chapter 1, “Cleanse and Detox.”
You can purchase this book from the Mother Earth Living store: Infuse.
With vitamin C to detox and a burst of antioxidants from the red and black anthocyanins found in the berries, this flavorful tea boosts the immune system, reduces inflammation, and helps to fight free radicals that can lead to degeneration.