Beverage made from infusing or decocting plant material in hot water
"Hibiscus Delight", made from hibiscus flowers, rose hips, orange peel, green tea, and red raspberry leaf,[1]steepingButterfly-pea flower tea. The one on the right has had lime juice added, making it turn purple.
Herbal teas, technically known asherbal infusions, and less commonly[2] calledtisanes (UK and US/tɪˈzæn/, US also/tɪˈzɑːn/),[3] are beverages made from theinfusion ordecoction ofherbs,spices, or otherplant material in hot water. Oftenherb tea, or the plain termtea, is used as a reference to all sorts of herbal teas. Many herbs used in teas/tisanes are also used inherbal medicine and infolk medicine.
These "teas" do not usually contain any truetea (Camellia sinensis), but some herbal blends do contain true tea (e.g., the Indian classicmasala chai). The term "herbal" tea is often used to distinguish these beverages from "true" teas (e.g.,black,green,white,yellow,oolong), which are prepared from the cured leaves of the tea plant,Camellia sinensis. Unlike true teas, most tisanes do not naturally containcaffeine (though tea can bedecaffeinated, i.e., processed to remove caffeine).[4][5]
A number of plants, however,do contain psychoactive compounds, such as caffeine or anotherstimulant, liketheobromine,cocaine orephedrine. Some have the opposite effect, acting as asedative. Some commoninfusions have specific names such asmate (yerba mate) androoibos (red bush).Hibiscus tea is one type of herbal infusion, but many described as some other plant have hibiscus as the main ingredient, or a major one.[6]
A promotional poster for "Tisane Gauloise", byPaul Berthon
Some feel[clarification needed] that the termtisane is more correct thanherbal tea or that the latter is even misleading, but most dictionaries record that the wordtea is also used to refer to other plants beside thetea plant and to beverages made from these other plants.[7][8] In any case, the termherbal tea is very well established and much more common thantisane.[2]
The wordtisane was rare in its modern sense before the 20th century, when it was borrowed in the modern sense from French. This is why some people feel it should be pronounced/tɪˈzɑːn/ as inFrench, but the original English pronunciation/tɪˈzæn/ continues to be more common in US English and especially in UK English.[3]
The word had already existed in lateMiddle English in the sense of "medicinal drink" and had already been borrowed from French (Old French). The Old French word came from the Latin wordptisana, which came from theAncient Greek wordπτισάνη (ptisánē), which meant "peeled" barley, in other wordspearl barley, and a drink made from this that is similar to modernbarley water.[11]
Herbal teas can be made with any part of a plant, including fresh or driedflowers,fruit,leaves, stems, seeds orroots. These parts may be steeped fully raw (as picked) or processed in some way (such as drying, roasting, crushing, tearing / cutting, steaming, etc.).
Herbal tisanes being sold inMauritius as medicines for various diseases
Herbal infusions may be made by pouring hot orboiling water over the plant parts and letting them steep for a period of time. The infusion temperature and time can vary depending on the type of plant part used and their properties. For example, some plant parts are covered in oils which may take some time to separate.Brewing with cold water will take much longer as well, usually several hours.
An herbal tea may be strained or not (as withmate where a special straw called abombilla is used for drinking).
Some herbal teas are blends which include various different herbs or plant parts. Herbal infusions may also be sweetened, spiced, salted, or combined with other additives, like milk or lemon juice.
Some herbal teas are also infused inalcohol, either for medicinal purposes or to make an herballiquor.
Herbal teas are commonly used inHerbal medicine and in traditional medical cultures, like IndianAyurveda andTraditional Chinese medicine. Many ancient and medievalHerbal texts contain evidence for the use of various herb infusions throughout human history. Various herbal teas have been promoted throughout history asfolk remedies for various diseases and in some cultures they retain their status as local folk cures.
Many companies produce herbaltea bags for such infusions or sell bottled herbal teas.
Herbal teas can be made from any edible plant material, below is a list of common herbal infusions. Some herbal teas are made from plants which containcaffeine, and other herbal infusions may contain otherpsychoactive compounds. However, many other common herbal teas have not been shown psychoactive properties when compared toplacebos, though they may still have some physical effects.
Many herbal teas on the market may also be blends which include various herbs or plant parts. These blends may also include additives, likeflavorings.
Cannabis tea, which contains the psychoactiveTHC. It is a common drink in India, where it is known asbhang.
Coca tea, infusion made fromcoca leaves. Contains trace amounts ofcocaine and similar alkaloids.[12] In some countries where coca is illegal, products marketed as "coca tea" are supposed to bedecocainized, i.e., the pharmacologically active components have been removed from the leaf using the same chemicals as manufacturing cocaine.
Tobacco tea, which containsnicotine and is traditionally used by the indigenous peoples of the Americas as a medicine for various ills (dizziness, headaches), as alaxative, as anemetic and as anexpectorant.[27]
Hydrangea tea, dried leaves of hydrangeas; considerable care must be taken because most species contain a toxin. The "safe" hydrangeas belong to theHydrangea serrata Amacha ("sweet tea") cultivar group.[28]
Jasmine flower tea, though it is commonly blended with tea leaves, jasmine flowers are also sometimes infused on their own
Jiaogulan (also known asxiancao or "poor man's ginseng")
Mountain tea, common in the Balkans and other areas of the Mediterranean region. Made from a variety of theSideritis syriaca plant which grows in warm climates above 3,000 feet. Records of its use date back 2,000 years.
Rooibos (red bush), a reddish plant used to make an infusion and grown inSouth Africa. In the US it is sometimes called red tea. It has many of theantioxidant characteristics ofgreen tea, but because it does not come from tea leaves, it has nocaffeine.
Sassafras roots were steeped to make tea, a practice which was common among Native Americans. They were also used in the flavoring ofroot beer until being banned by theFDA.
While most herbal teas are safe for regular consumption, some herbs havetoxic orallergenic effects. Among the greatest causes of concern are:
Comfrey, which containsalkaloids which may be harmful to theliver from chronic use, and particularly is not recommended during pregnancy or whenprescription drugs are used; comfrey is not recommended for oral use.[34]
Lobelia, which contains alkaloids and hastraditional medicine uses for smoking cessation, may cause nausea, vomiting, or dizziness at high doses.[35]
Herbal teas can also have different effects from person to person, and this is further compounded by the problem of potential misidentification. The deadlyfoxglove, for example, can be mistaken for the much more benign (but still relatively toxic to the liver) comfrey. Care must be taken not to use anypoisonous plants.
The US does not require herbal teas to have any evidence concerning their efficacy, but does treat them technically as food products and require that they be safe for consumption.
Fruit or fruit-flavored tea is usually acidic and thus may contribute to erosion oftooth enamel.[36]
Some phytochemicals found in herbs and fruits can adversely interact with others and over the counter or prescription medications, among other ways by affecting their metabolism by the body. Herbs and fruits that inhibit or induce the body's Cytochrome P450 enzyme complex function can either cause the drug to be dangerously ineffective, or increase its effective absorbed dose to potentially toxic levels, respectively. Best known examples of adverse herb‑drug interactions aregrapefruit orSt John's wort, contraindicated for several medications includingPaxlovid andoral contraceptives, but other herbs also affect the CYP enzyme family, showing herb‑drug interactions.[37][38][39]
Depending on the source of the herbal ingredients, herbal teas, like any crop, may be contaminated withpesticides orheavy metals.[40][41]According to Naithani & Kakkar (2004), "all herbal preparations should be checked for toxic chemical residues to allay consumer fears of exposure to known neuro-toxicant pesticides and to aid in promoting global acceptance of these products".[40]
^"Blackberry & Blueberry infusion". Sainsbury's. Retrieved6 March 2024. A typical example, described as Blackberry & Blueberry, but has hibiscus as main ingredient, and 0.5% of the named ingredients.
^Ng, Qin Xiang; Venkatanarayanan, Nandini; Ho, Collin Yih Xian (March 2017). "Clinical use of Hypericum perforatum (St John's wort) in depression: A meta-analysis".Journal of Affective Disorders.210:211–221.doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.12.048.PMID28064110.
^Gurley B, Wang P, Gardner S (1998). "Ephedrine-type alkaloid content of nutritional supplements containing Ephedra sinica (Ma-huang) as determined by high performance liquid chromatography".J Pharm Sci.87 (12):1547–53.CiteSeerX10.1.1.460.7810.doi:10.1021/js9801844.PMID10189265.
^J. F. Sobiecki (2008). "A review of plants used in divination in southern Africa and their psychoactive effects".Southern African Humanities.20:333–351.S2CID37305695.
^abNaithani, V; Kakkar, P (2004). "An evaluation of residual organochlorine pesticides in popular Indian herbal teas".Archives of Environmental Health.59 (8):426–30.doi:10.3200/AEOH.59.8.426-430.PMID16268119.S2CID31026817.
Media related totisanes at Wikimedia Commons
Learning materials related toinfusion maker at Wikiversity
