Description

You don’t have to be a herbalist to know about the immune-boosting powers of echinacea. It’s one of the better-known herbs, and for good reason. Echinacea tea has been used for centuries to help fend off winter illnesses, and there are countless studies that show it’s an effective immune system stimulant. A hot cup of echinacea tea a few times a week can help prevent winter colds and flu. If taken at the first sign of sickness, many people believe that echinacea helps them get better faster or prevents the illness from developing altogether. Echinacea does more than just stimulate the immune system. According to WebMd, echinacea activates chemicals in the body that decrease inflammation. The fact that it works as a natural anti-inflammatory may another reason why it helps people feel better while they’re sick. Echinacea also contains compounds that have been shown to attack yeast and fungi directly, which means echinacea tea may also boost healing from yeast infections. How to Make Echinacea Tea: Echinacea tea can be made with either fresh or dried plant material. If you’re using fresh echinacea for tea, you’ll need about twice as much for a tea of the same strength. Start with 1/4 cup of loose leaf dried echinacea (or 1/2 cup fresh homegrown echinacea) and pour about 8 ounces of boiling water over the herb. Allow the mixture to steep for about 15 minutes. Some of the hot water will absorb into the plant material, leaving you with just the right amount to fill a standard size 6-ounce mug. Echinacea Tea To be perfectly honest, plain echinacea tea isn’t exactly tasty, and cannot be described as “the perfect cup” by any stretch of the imagination. To make a great cup of echinacea tea, you’ll need to add in other herbs to improve the flavor and ideally increase the medicinal benefits. Traditional Medicinals sells mixes theirs with lemongrass and peppermint, both of which have a strong but pleasant flavor. Ginger and cayenne are also great flavor mas