FAQ: So, If I Just Drink Lots of Herb Tea I’ll Be Okay?

Depends on your personal needs, but not likely. Teas extract only the water-soluble properties, leaving behind many of the health benefits of most plants. Teas from fibrous portions of the plants, like roots and bark, actually need to be boiled to get their value, whereas that would be too harsh for leaves and blossoms. Another issue is the quantity you generally need to have any real impact. When I was pregnant with my first child, the midwife had me drinking a quart a day of raspberry leaf tea, which tastes mostly like dirt. Taste is the final blow. While something simple, like mint or chamomile, is soothing and enjoyable in its own right, many herbal teas really aren’t. Check the label on a typical “herbal” tea, and you’ll find “natural flavors” as an ingredient, which generally are not “natural” at all.