The ‘Good for Everything’ Tea

Once upon a time I turned my nose up at tea.  I considered it all to be nothing more than dark, smelly water until Dom came along and introduced me to the magical land of herbal tea…

Oh, why hello and welcome to my world, Lemon Ginger, Peppermint, Camomile and Wild Berry!

Suddenly I couldn’t get enough of their subtle flavours and heady scents.  I collected different flavours on my desk and delighted in choosing several per day.  Dom bought me my very first tea-pot and I experimented with loose teas in pretty jars and which tea cups I liked best.

I had officially become a tea geek and I was loving every minute.

photo credit: Stéfan via photopin cc

With excitement I tried all sorts of teas during our US travels but there was one in particular that stopped me in my tracks and forced me to yell ‘WOW!‘ in Dom’s face as he was innocently eating his magical Tempeh Reuben:

♥•*´¨`*☆•  The ‘Good for Everything Tea’ from Caravan of Dreams.  ♥•*´¨`*☆•

I’m a huge fan of lemon and ginger and I’m no scaredy-cat when it comes to a little spice either, but this tea really packed a power punch of flavour that had me grinning from the first sip.  I felt amazing afterwards and is it any wonder when the four ingredients are so incredibly good for you:
 
Lemons are an excellent source of Vitamin C and B-complex vitamins such as pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, and folates, providing strong antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and immune-boosting powers.  They also contain a healthy amount of minerals such as iron, copper, potassium and calcium, and naturally aid digestion and liver cleansing.

Ginger has been used since ancient times for its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties and contains essential oils that help improve intestinal motility.  It contains many essential nutrients and vitamins such as Vitamins B-5 and B-6, and minerals such as potassium, manganese, copper, and magnesium.  It is often used to reduce nausea induced by motion sickness or pregnancy.

Cayenne Peppers have anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, analgesic and anti-diabetic properties.  As a spice, it boasts amazingly high levels of vitamins and minerals including the highest level of Vitamin A and anti-oxidant flavonoids of all the spices.  It is rich in B-complex vitamins such as niacin, Vitmain B-6, Ribuflavin and Thiamin, and contains very high levels of essential minerals that even if consumed in small quantities regularly would provide sufficient levels of iron, copper, zinc, potassium, manganese, magnesium and selenium.

Goji Berries contain all essential amino acids and have the highest concentration of protein of any fruit. Loaded with vitamin C, they contain more carotenoids than any other food, have 21 trace minerals, and are high in fibre. Boasting 15 times the amount of iron found in spinach, as well as calcium, zinc, selenium and many other important trace minerals, this amazing little superfruit also contains natural anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

It could take a little practice to get it to the exact flavour combination that you like best, so start with these measurements and experiment until you find your favourite balance:

The 'Good for Everything' Tea

Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 Lemon
• 1- inch piece of Ginger
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
• 10 dried Goji Berries

Instructions

 

• Squeeze lemon juice into tea-pot.
• Peel and cut ginger into smaller pieces (about 1cm or half an inch thick) and place in tea-pot.
• Sprinkle cayenne and goji berries into tea-pot.
• Fill tea-pot with hot water and allow to infuse for a few minutes before pouring into tea cups to serve and enjoy.

photo credit: ROSS HONG KONG via photopin cc