Our Herbal Tea section at the Shoppe includes a number of my favorites – here’s what we carry and why I like each of them and/or how I use them:
Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Tea (Caffeine-Free)
This tea contains slippery elm and marshmallow root; two herbs that are soothing and healing for the gut lining. Likewise, they also soothe the mucous membranes of the throat.
I’ve been giving this tea to my kids since they were babies (I would just put it in a bottle for them), whenever they had a cough or sore throat.
Numi Rooibos Tea (Caffeine-Free)
Also called Red Tea, Rooibos is an herb indigenous to the Cederberg region of South Africa. It has a deep, earthy vanilla taste, is rich in antioxidants and known for its calming affects. Made from pure, broadleaf tea harvested from 500 year old wild tea trees, it contains no caffeine and is great at bedtime.
This pure rooibos tea contains nothing other than the leaves from heritage trees; which naturally have a vanilla undertone. Despite being good for bedtime as well, this is actually my go-to breakfast tea. It tastes just as good plain as with a splash of almond milk. I easily drink 3-4 cups of this rooibos per day.
Numi Honeybush Tea (Caffeine-Free)
Numi is a special tea company in that it doesn’t use flavoring oils in its teas, but instead flavors its teas with whole dried fruits, herbs, spices and flowers.
Honeybush is similar in taste to rooibos, except it’s a lighter, milder taste and it has a hint of natural sweetness to it. This is my favorite tea to drink in the evenings, or over ice.
Numi Matcha Toasted Rice Green Tea (Caffeine)
Please note that green tea does contain caffeine in it. I first experienced this particular kind of green tea with toasted rice when I was living in Tokyo and I was instantly taken with it!
I know it sounds odd, but it doesn’t taste of rice at all – instead it tastes like the best green tea you’ve ever had with a nutty, toasted aroma. Delicious!
Consider getting yourself a stylish teapot with matching cup(s) – something that reflects your unique style and makes you feel a certain way when you look at it. It could make you feel happy, or peaceful, or rested, or give you a chuckle. I have different teapots that I use to create or reflect different moods – my froggy teapot (bought at HomeSense for $11!) never fails to elicit delighted remarks. Teapots can be bought very reasonably at discount stores or Chinese markets – just make sure they are ceramic or porcelain. Look for teapots and cups made of inert substances that don’t transmit any chemicals or heavy metals into your tea (although cast iron would be okay, especially if you’re anemic!).
Original post July 2011. Most recently updated July 2020.
Jini Patel Thompson is an internationally recognized expert on natural healing for digestive diseases. She healed herself from widespread Crohn’s Disease and has remained drug and surgery-free for over 25 years. Jini has appeared on numerous podcast, TV, and radio shows throughout the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia, giving people hope and vision for how they can heal their Colitis, Crohn’s, Diverticulitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), using entirely natural methods. Her books on natural healing for digestive diseases have sold worldwide in over 80 countries.
