Of everything I use, this tea might be what I drink most faithfully. It’s a cleansing tea, fifteen herbs that support the blood, the liver and the kidneys, but it genuinely tastes good, hot or cold. I don’t treat it like medicine I have to choke down. It’s simply my daily beverage of choice, and it has become that for many of our members too.
I think of the herbs I use in three groups. The strongest are the detoxing herbs. Next come the nutritional formulas that target one system. The gentlest are what I call Herbs for Life: food-type herbs taken every day as a habit, not because something is wrong. This tea belongs with those, the same way I take my apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and Cayenne every day.
What a Good Daily Cleansing Tea Contains
A good everyday cleansing tea might contain these fifteen herbs:
- Dandelion Root, 2 parts. A classic bitter root for the liver and gentle daily cleansing.
- Burdock Root and Pau D’Arco Bark, 1 part each. Blood and internal cleansers.
- Juniper Berries, Uva Ursi Leaf, Horsetail and Parsley Root, 1 part each. Support for the kidneys and urinary tract.
- Ginger Root, Cinnamon Bark, Clove Bud, Cardamom Seed, Fennel Seed and Black Peppercorn, 1 part each. Warming spices that aid digestion and make it a delicious tea. Black pepper also helps the body make better use of the other herbs.
- Licorice Root and Orange Peel, 1 part each. Natural sweetness and a bright citrus note.
“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s 2 ounces of Dandelion Root and 1 ounce each of the other fourteen.
Brewing the Tea
- The overnight way: put 1¼ cups of the dry tea in a pot with a gallon of cold water and let it soak overnight. In the morning, heat it just to boiling, take it off the heat and let it steep at least 15 minutes. Strain, and pour over ice or drink it hot.
- My coffee-maker shortcut: grind the dry herbs to a fine powder and keep the powder in the freezer. About 2 tablespoons brews a full pot in a drip coffee maker; use the strongest setting if yours has one. In a reusable single-serve pod, fill it only about half full, since the herbs swell. I run the same herbs through twice, and the two cups over ice make a 2-quart pitcher.
How Much and How Often
Drink it freely through the day. Most of the members who have made it a habit keep a pitcher in the fridge.
This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.
