If you’re interested in buying some of our new blends that are not yet officially released with a label, you can purchase a Beta Tea in the store and email lucy {at} herbalphilosophy {dot} com to specify which one you’d like.

Please share this deal with your friends!

If you have any other questions or comments, drop us a line either here or on our facebook page.

“To anyone who is pregnant or even thinking about having a baby I would highly recommend stocking up on Herbal Philosophy’s Mother’s Tea. I drank this tea through both of my two pregnancies and I whole-heartedly believe it contributed to the health and success of my pregnancy, labor, and postpartum recovery. This tea lifted my spirits and eased the nausea each morning, and helped me relax before I went to bed each night. During the last month of my most recent pregnancy, I noticed the tea really working magic. In the final few weeks the Braxton Hicks contractions started, increasing in frequency as the weeks went on to the point where I had at least 40-50 a day in the final two weeks before my son was born. The night of my sons birth I went to bed and randomly woke up around 1:30am by 1:40am I felt my first real contraction, and it was strong. They started immediately at 2 minutes apart. By 2:20am I had called the midwife and we were on our way to the birth center. Things progressed so quickly that by the time we were on the freeway I felt the urge to push. Luckily my water hadn’t broke yet, so it was helping to hold my son in while we rushing to get downtown. By 2:50am we were in the birth center, and I was given the ok from the midwife to push. By 3:01am my son was born! He was completely healthy and my midwife said the labor/ delivery couldn’t have gone any smoother. I have have continued to drink this tea through the last few weeks post partum and have recovered quicker than I could have ever imagined. Thanks to Herbal Philosophy for making such a great product! I couldn’t imagine going through a pregnancy without it!”

Starting this week, Seattle-area tea drinkers can purchase Herbal Philosophy Teas from Amazon Fresh. If you haven’t tried the popular grocery delivery service, we hope you will! They offer a great selection of locally-made artisanal foods which they pick up daily and deliver right to your doorstep. It’s like a mobile farmers market.

Seattleites, this is your chance to rev the economy by supporting local businesses. Since summer came for an early visit, we’d like to remind you that our teas are just as satisfying iced as they are hot. If you like sweet iced tea, we recommend stirring raw honey into the tea while it is still warm, cool in the fridge for at least an hour, pour over ice and enjoy.

We are waiting for the store to go live, and will post again when we do. Be well!

Cinnamon – Cinnamomen Verum – unlike the more commonly used, Cassia, sold in supermarkets, Cinnamon is a very useful herb with a varied number of uses. Historically, its uses date back as far as the days of Ancient Egypt, but even then its origins have been in dispute, as the earliest records show it to have come from China. Due to its exotic nature, it is a highly prized spice and herb, usually reserved for kings and Gods. It grows primarily in Sri Lanka, but other areas of growth also include SouthEast Asia and China.

Not just for coffee.

Cinnamon bark is widely used as a spice. Mostly as a condiment and flavoring in uses for a variety of dishes. In Mexico is it commonly associated with hot chocolates and other dessert recipes and liqueurs. In the Middle East, it is often used in savory dishes of chicken and lamb. The USA often flavors its breakfast foods with cinnamon, breads, and fruits especially with apples.

It is often a flavoring agent for pickling, and is among the very few spices that can be consumed directly. Outside of the kitchen, cinnamon can ward off insects, and the leaves can be particularly effective to kill mosquito larvae. This can be attributed to the high concentrations of Cinnameldehyde, which is toxic to mosquitos.

Medicinally, Cinnamon has been extracted for research regarding STDs. The extract of Cinnamomum Cassia has shown effects on HIV-1, and it has shown an effect for some forms of herpes while in vitro.

It also has shown the effects of being usefil in controlling blood glucose levels, making it a vital part of diabetes research. Most surprisingly, it also have applications towards Alzheimer’s research.

Who knew that such a simple tasting spice and herb had so many applications. We only use it to increase the heat for our Feel the Love tea.

Let us know what you use it for in the comments below.

Catmint – Nepeta – As the name suggests, is a relative of the Mint family. One variation of the plant has been known to exhibit a rather interesting feeling of euphoria when ingested through the olfactory senses of typical housecats. That’s a plant that is more commonly known as “Catnip”

Somebody who could use some catnip.

Catmint has grey-green leaves that also have a delicate lacy appearance. The flowers color ranges from white, pink to lavender and blue. They grow in short stubs at the tip of a long spike. It is also insect and deer resistant. It also keeps rats away, even when they are hungry. Because of this, Catmint was often grown like a shield, to keep rats away from crops.

Cats will only attack when the plant is withered and brown, they won’t disrupt them during the growing process as the plant does not give off the heady aroma at that stage.

In France the leaves and shoots are used as a seasoning, and is grown like many other kitchen herbs. It does contain medicinal properties. It has been used as a stimulant, and was a very popular tea leaf before the import of tea leaves from China.

The tea leaves can only be infused, boiling the plants will destroy the leaves. Catmint tea is a very good aid for treating fevers, as it can cool the body, induce sleep, and create sweat inside, without increasing extra heat to the body.

It also works well on nervous headaches, and also relieves headache and hysteria. That’s why we put it in our own Feel Dreamy tea.

Catnip as a natural rat repellent, and it makes cats go crazy, that can’t be a coincidence. Have you decided to tend your garden with Catnip? Let us know in the comments below.

Next week.

Wood Betony – Stachys officinalis – was once an ingredient used in curing the effects of arthritis and gout. It was also once claimed to be effective against snake and dog bites. There were also rumors and old rhymes that touted its use as a guard against drunkenness. There is much evidence, and trials, that suggest that as a malady for problems related to the head, it is an effective salve, but for the many other effects, there may be some dubious claims made about the plant that date back to the Middle Ages.

Not to put one out on the wisdom of old medicine, but modern herbalists use betony to treat Anxiety, gallstones, heartburn, high blood pressure, migraines, and neuralgia. Reports of its effectiveness on headaches and calming stress have been regarded and confirmed. It also works on cuts and sores as an ointment.

However, one positively supportive role in the use of this plant, is that it contains a high amount of polyphennols, much like grapes also possess, which, when ingested, gives an anti-oxidant effect on the digestive system.

In the Middle Ages it was a popular plant found in churches as it was reported to ward off evil spirits. News spread about its wonderful propertieis as it was once responsible for curing up to 47 different diseases. Centuries pass, and people started including them into their own gardens, as it eventually gained an attribute to also keep dangerous animals at bay.

Will this plant be joining you on your next camping trip? Let us know if the comments section below.

Blue flowers.

Borage- Borago Officinalis. This is one pretty star blue flower. As it grows, the flowers first sprout as white buds. When they start to open, they grow purple, and then blue. The transition of the color is a defense against insects to show that they have matured, and that it is time to move on.

Borage, as an herb, is normally ingested as oil with Gamma-linolenic Acid as its most desired extract which has been known to treat inflammation and auto-immune problems, though its effectiveness for those symptoms are still up for debate. Borage seed oil is used for skin disorders including eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, and neurodermatitis. It is also used for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), stress, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), diabetes, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), alcoholism, pain and swelling (inflammation), and for preventing heart disease and stroke.

It is also used in France for fevers and treats pulmonary complaints. It also promotes activity of the kidneys and is also keeps off Catarrhs, while also working as a decongestant. Borage is also used to increase breast milk production and to treat bronchitis and colds.

Borage is a very easily grown and cultivated flower that can be grown in a home garden. Its flowers have a noted cucumber flavor, and once harvested, ca be thrown into salads and other vegetable dishes. The Aragonese, of Spain, use it widely in their cuisine. It is also noted, to be a rare blue colored food that is safely edible.

Time to make a trip to Spain? Let us know if you try some dishes with Borage, or forage your gardens of Borage. Next week, will be the Wood Betony herb.

Don’t be fools today, be a sage.

Sage, Salvia Officinalis, Garden Sage, Common Sage; All names for this wonder-herb. This is a different sort of herb today. This one is primarily eaten and added into food.

Historically, Sage has been used to ward off evil, snakebites and increasing women’s fertility. However it is also used to slow the flow of breast milk. One variation of Sage, called Elelsiphakos, was once used as a diuretic, local anesthetic, and a styptic, eventually giving it the name Salvia, or Salve. The 1st Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne, ordered it to be grown in Monastery gardens. It has the longest history of use of any herb in existence.

As early as the ancient Egyptians, Sage has been known to treat abdominal cramps, indigestion and gas. The herb also contains Phytosterols, which have a reported cooling action on the body. When injested, it can cool the body faster than with water alone. It also has properties to slow the production of breast milk, when weaning babies from breast-milk.

Outside of the injestion process, Sage oil has an effect as an anti-dandruff solution for the hair and treats dry, itchy scalp. It also has anti-bacterial properties, and can directly treat bacterial infections.

Best infused and ingested in tea. It is often paired with Mint, Lemongrass, and Chamomile to help control perspiration, milk flow, excessive mucus in the throat and sinuses. Gargling in the throat can also helps with persistent coughs. It’s also in our Feel Beautiful teas, to give a more serene look for you out there.

It must be taken lightly, as too much has been known to cause headaches and irritability.

Was this bit of history sagely for you? Let us know in the comments section below.

And we’re back!

Nettles, an herb, though probably not one that you would normally think of when you’re browsing a common list of herbs. When you hear the name Nettle, you most obviously think of the “Stinging Nettle” and it has been known to contain toxins within its leaves. Historically the plant has been known to relieve joint pain such as arthritis, or even calm inflammation caused by Asthma and intestinal problems.

Much of the direct studies conducted on this plant are still unknown, and are quite a mystery. However, leading research suggests there might be some good uses for sufferers of respiratory allergies.

It has a rather unique mythos involving the stinging plant. In Tibet, the monk Milarepa, subsisted on nothing but Nettle for decades during his self-imposed exile of meditation and study. His hair and skin turned green, and he lived until 83.

Eating Nettles is actually a very healthy thing to do. It’s high in protein. Using dry weight comparisons, the nettle is 40% protein compared with 35% protein for soy beans. The nutritional value of its protein is better than meat amongst the highest plant protein you can ever accumulate, and it has a unique texture that satisfies even the most staunch meat-eaters.

Looks rather hearty doesn’t it.

Meadowsweet, a tall, stout and fragrant perennial with deeply veined leaves and white flowers that smell of almonds and wintergreen.