Tummy Soothing Tea {Mint, Ginger, Fennel}

An herbal tea blend (tisane) designed to support your digestive comfort and vitality while keeping you warm & cozy; this tisane is ideal after meals to help you relax and digest but you’ll benefit from its comfort any time of day ~ as you will see in the research highlights below, the ingredients offer broad ranging support for different situations and the tea itself is very soothing with sweet, warm, peppery notes and a hint of anise flavor.

please note:

• we’ll be using a simple combination of 4 ingredients to make this herbal tea ~ mint, ginger, fennel & grapefruit ~ and drawing out the moisture in three of them (mint, ginger, grapefruit) to create a dry loose leaf blend.
• although it’s handy to have a dehydrator, it’s not necessary for this recipe — the mint is hung upside down to air dry (my favorite method for drying herbs) and you can dehydrate the ginger and grapefruit in the oven.
•  i use the air drying method for mint (letting it hang upside down from a string in my closet) to preserve the herb’s integrity (beneficial oils/fragrance/color) the process is completely hands-off and takes about 2 weeks to get to the bone-dry stage which is what you want for tea ~ most herbs, including mint, are very delicate and benefit from heat-free drying processes to prevent browning/oxidization of their leaves; if you choose to use dehydrator/oven for the mint, just make sure you use a v low temperature and keep a careful eye.
•  work with your preferences ~ as you make and sample herbal tea blends, you’ll begin to discover what combinations work best for you and which flavors you wish to bring forward and those you prefer to move back; creating variations and unique blends is part of the fun of discovery and experimentation.

what you’ll need to make this herbal blend:

• fresh mint (approx. 2-4 cups) — for the small batch (1/2 cup tea), you’ll need at least 1 cup dried whole leaf mint from about 2 cups fresh and for the standard batch (1 cup of tea), you’ll need 2 cups dried whole leaf mint from about 4 cups fresh (mint shrinks as it dries) — note: if you prefer, you can purchase pre-dried mint/herbs from various market places including mountain rose herbs.
• ginger root (approx. 4″ long) — skin-on, very thin sliced to dehydrate (a mandoline is ideal for this)
• fennel seeds — partially crushed with a mortar & pestle or spice blender —  just enough compression to break them open and release their powerful oil/fragrance
• pink grapefruit — thin sliced with a knife (about 1/8″ thick) and cut into smaller triangular segments to dehydrate

tummy supportive ingredients:

peppermint — peppermint leaf and its oil, have a long history of being used to help relieve symptoms of digestive distress including bloating, pain and irritable bowel (full text meta analysis) — this relief is commonly attributed to the herb’s antispasmodic properties which have been shown to have a relaxing effect on the gastrointestinal track, helping to prevent intestinal smooth muscles from contracting; this same relaxation effect may also be helpful for headache and migraine relief.

ginger — revered for centuries in Asia for its aroma and impressive array of medicinal benefits, ginger exerts antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties through the action of gingerol, shogaol and paradol compounds that help tame inflammatory processes in the body.  A recent systemic review of 109 randomized controlled trials highlights ginger’s notable effectiveness in its anti-inflammatory function, digestive function, anti-nausea and anti-vomiting functions (link here).  Ginger’s thermogenic properties (heat promoting) also help support blood circulation and bring comfort to chilled bodies — this is one of the things i love most about ginger, how it feels in my body, that heat is especially welcome in the winter.

fennel seed — fennel seed has also been shown to be an effective tummy aid. Anethole, the major component of fennel seed oil, is chemically similar to the neurotransmitter dopamine and has a relaxant effect on intestinal smooth muscle that can help ease digestive distress, reduce gas, bloating, stomach cramps and muscle spasms — in studies, fennel has been shown to reduce abdominal pain (link) and improve intestinal barrier function; there is also evidence for its use in treating children with infantile colic (study).

pink grapefruit — beautiful, delicious and in its glory right now, grapefruit offers a touch of bitter to help stimulate digestion (plus it’s so darn cuuuute it makes me happy just looking at it and i love how it plumps up in the warm water as it’s steeping).

the secret to a well balanced life is a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other ❥

5.0 from 2 reviews

Make Your Own Tummy Soothing Herbal Tea

 

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A fragrant and soothing herbal tea (tisane) created to support digestive comfort & vitality

Author: kelly

Recipe type: DIY

Ingredients

• Small Batch:
• ½ cup crumbled dry mint leaves (you'll need at least 1 cup full leaf dry mint from 2 cups fresh)
• 2 Tbsp dehydrated ginger root pieces
• 1 Tbsp crushed fennel seed (mortar & pestle or spice blender) just enough to open and release oil/fragrance
• 1 Tbsp dehydrated pink grapefruit pieces
  
  
• Regular Batch:
• 1 cup crumbled dry mint leaves (you'll need at least 2 cups full leaf dry mint from 4 cups fresh)
• ¼ cup dehydrated ginger root pieces
• 2 Tbsp crushed fennel seed (mortar & pestle or spice blender) just enough to open and release oil/fragrance
• 2 Tbsp dehydrated pink grapefruit pieces
  
  
• Tea Water Ratio: 2 round tsp herbal tea per 1 cup hot water ~ 5-7 minute steeping time

Instructions

1. prepping the mint: if you're using fresh mint from your garden/trusted place, a gentle shake/dusting over the sink is what i usually do (if you prefer, you can rinse/wash and dry your mint, just be very gentle and make sure the mint is fully dry after) --
2. air drying the mint: spread the fresh mint out on a working surface and gather the ends (stems) together as though you were making a bouquet -- use a rubber band to secure the ends together and then attach a sturdy string around the rubber band (make sure the string is long enough to be able to hang) -- find a suitable location in your home away from direct sunlight (and dog/cat hair :) to hang your mint bouquet upside down by attaching to pole (i use a closet with door that closes) -- it's best if the mint is not touching anything - ie: not leaning against a wall/clothes etc.-- allow your mint to dry fully and completely (you want it to crumble easily) - this should take about 2 weeks. When the mint is bone dry, carefully remove the bouquet and return to a working surface to detach & crumble leaves into small pieces (note: this should be very easy when leaves are bone dry) -- don't worry about the odd little stem etc. in the mix, all good.
3. dehydrating the ginger: no need to peel the ginger! using a mandoline, shave off very thin disks of ginger and then lay them out flat on a parchment covered tray to dehydrate (see pic) in oven (215F) or dehydrator (190F) for about 20-30 minutes -- the disks will start to curl as they dry a bit like chips (see pic) - remove and allow them to sit for 5 minutes before breaking up into smaller pieces. If you don't have a mandoline, try using a veg peeler.
4. dehydrating the grapefruit: using a knife, carefully slice the grapefruit into roughly ⅛" round slices and then cut each slice into little triangles for dehydrating (see pic) best as possible, try to keep the thickness of the segments uniform -- spread the grapefruit segments out onto piece of parchment (see pic) and dehydrate in oven (215F) or dehydrator (190F) for approximately 2 hours flipping halfway through. Remove from oven/dehydrator and allow dehydrated grapefruit to sit for 5 minutes before breaking into small pieces (see pic).
5. grinding the fennel seed: using a mortar & pestle (or spice blender) grind the fennel seeds just enough to break them open and release their oils/aroma (you're not going for powder).
6. Once you have all of your ingredients ready to go, combine them together (small batch or regular) in a mixing bowl.
7. storage: It's important to store your herbal tea right away in a well sealed container to lock in freshness, texture & flavor (don't leave the mixture - or any individual dehydrated ingredient - out in the open air) - place the sealed tea in a cool dry spot away from direct sunlight. I use mason jars for this (handy, inexpensive + excellent sealing function) and store in a closed kitchen cupboard.
8. service: to make the tea, place an infuser basket in a cup -- add 2 round tsp of tea (or to taste) to the basket and pour 1 cup hot water over top -- allow the tisane to steep in the water for 5-7 minutes before enjoying with a drizzle of honey if you wish.

3.5.3251

making your own herbal tea blends gives you control over both the quality and proportions of ingredients in your tea while avoiding flavor additives found in commercial blends; it’s also a lot less expensive but, above all, it’s just super cool to make your own stuff.

The information in this post is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician or other health care professional directly before beginning or changing a course of health treatment.