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For centuries and centuries, people have been creating healthy and delicious herbal tea recipes from edible plants.

Of course, today the best known "tea herb" is the tea plant itself, Camellia sinensis, but there are many other herbs that make wonderful drinks. Technically, teas made from other herbs are called tisanes or infusions, since they don't contain real tea leaves.

However, because the method of preparation is the same as for making tea, many people call them "herbal teas."

Herbal teas have many different uses. They can provide emotional comfort, physical well-being, or simply a delicious and refreshing drink.

Herbal teas are made the same way that regular tea is - the leaves, roots, or sometimes flowers of a plant are steeped in hot water to extract the plant's flavor. There is an incredible variety of herbs that can be used for tea, including some that you would not expect.

For example, almost everyone is familiar with peppermint tea and chamomile tea, but have you ever had tea made from lavender flowers? How about rose petals, or sage?

The recipes that follow will help introduce you to the exciting world of herbal tea!

Long before modern medicine was invented, people harnessed the natural healing properties of herbs and plants.

Although modern science gradually replaced herbs with medicines, herbal teas can still provide excellent home remedies for many minor ills.

There are dozens of common herbs with healing potential. The herbal tea recipes below will help you get started making your own healing teas.

If you decide to experiment further, make sure to obtain a good herbal tea recipes guide first. Here are my selection - enjoy!

• Rosemary Ginger Tea - Are you feeling a little under the weather? This tea helps combat the congestion, upset stomach, and all-around "icky" feelings caused by colds, allergies and flu.
• Bedtime Story Blend Tea - Do you remember begging your mom or dad to read you a bedtime story before you fell asleep as a child? Just like a lullaby, this soothing tea will help you relax, unwind and sail off to dreamland.
• Peppermint Ginger Tea - This simple tea is excellent for nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and other "digestive disturbances."

Are you feeling a little under the weather? This tea helps combat the congestion, upset stomach, and all-around "icky" feelings caused by colds, allergies and flu.

The combination may sound slightly unusual at first, but it tastes great. The fresh, piney taste of the rosemary complements the warm, spicy taste of the ginger.

Traditionally, rosemary was used to stimulate appetite, relieve coughs, and combat depression. It helps relax the muscles of the digestive system, relieving nausea and stomachache.

Ginger has a long history of medicinal use. It is well-known for helping to combat nausea, and it is a natural antihistamine, expectorant and decongestant.

Star anise is a pretty star-shaped spice that tastes strongly of licorice. It helps loosen phlegm and make it easier to cough up. Interestingly, the anti-flu drug Tamiflu is made from star anise.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Equipment needed: Tea ball or cheesecloth, Tea kettle

2 slices of fresh ginger root, each about 1/2 inch long

1 3 inch sprig of fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 tablespoon fresh orange zest (if you are feeling too sick to grate orange zest, just slice an orange and put it in the tea cup)

1 clove

1 star anise

Honey

Step 1. Fill the tea kettle with approximately 1 cup of water and put it on the stove to boil.

Step 2. Place the herbs and spices in a large tea ball, or tie them up in a cheesecloth bag.

Step 3. Pour boiling water in the cup. Cover the cup with plastic wrap, aluminium foil, or even a clean cloth. The idea is to keep the as much steam in the cup as possible, so that the active chemicals in the herbs are preserved in the tea.

Step 4. Allow to steep for 5-10 minutes.

Step 5. Remove the tea ball or cheesecloth bag, sweeten with honey, and enjoy!

Do you remember begging your mom or dad to read you a bedtime story before you fell asleep as a child? Just like a lullaby, this soothing tea will help you relax, unwind and sail off to dreamland.

Lavender, chamomile, passion flower and catnip are all sedative herbs that help relieve stress and induce sleep. Don’t be scared of the catnip - it has a fresh, minty flavor!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Equipment needed: tea ball or cheesecloth, tea kettle

1/4 teaspoon dried passionflower

1/2 teaspoon dried chamomile

1/4 teaspoon dried lavender

1/4 teaspoon dried catnip

1/2 inch of vanilla bean, or a splash of vanilla extract

Honey

Step 1. Place 1 cup of water in the kettle to boil.

Step 2. Place dried herbs in a tea ball or tie them up in a cheesecloth bag, then place them in your teacup.

Step 3. When the water comes to a boil, pour it over the tea leaves. Cover the cup as described in the recipe above, and let them steep for 10 minutes.

Step 4. Remove the tea ball or the cheesecloth bag, and sweeten with honey to taste.

Pleasant Dreams!

This simple tea is excellent for nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and other "digestive disturbances."

Ginger and peppermint both have a long history of use in calming the stomach, and their flavors complement each other nicely.

Lemon balm adds a fresh lemony flavor, and also helps relieve the stress that can lead to an upset stomach. If you don't have lemon balm, you'll find that the tea works fine without it.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Equipment needed: A tea ball or cheesecloth, tea kettle

2 inches of fresh ginger root, sliced into 1/2 inch long slices

2 tablespoons fresh peppermint leaves or 1 teaspoon dry peppermint leaves

1/2 teaspoon dry lemon balm leaves

Honey

Step 1. Place the kettle on the stove to boil.

Step 2. Place the ginger root and peppermint into the tea ball, or tie them up in cheesecloth. Put the tea ball or cheesecloth into the tea cup.

Step 3. Pour boiling water over the herbs, and let them steep for 5 minutes.

Step 4. Remove the herbs, and sweeten with honey if desired.

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