Name: ImmuniTea Herbal Tea Blend
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 7 tablespoons dried rose hips; ¼ cup dried elderberries; 3 tablespoons dried lemon balm; 3 tablespoons cut and sifted dried echinacea

Why This Recipe Works

For this blend, we picked herbal components with properties known to boost the immune system, perfect for when you are sick or just want to give your body a fighting chance during the wintertime. Elderberry and rose hips made a fruity-floral base with a tangy quality, similar to hibiscus but with more depth of flavor from the pairing. Elderberries can be effective in reducing the duration of sickness, while rose hips are incredibly high in antioxidants such as vitamin C, which works to prevent illness in the first place. Echinacea, an herbaceous flower, is also full of antioxidants and can reduce the duration of colds and flus. It lent a savory, hay-like taste to the floral blend, and lemon balm provided a light, citrusy flavor with a cooling sensation on the finish to round out the blend.

Before You Begin

Dried rose hips, lemon balm, and echinacea can be purchased at specialty tea shops, health stores, or online.

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. (Tea blend can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 months.)

to make one cup tea

Add 1 tablespoon tea blend to tea infuser or tea sachet. Steep tea mixture with 1 cup boiling water in teacup, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove tea infuser and serve immediately.