With its strong lemon scent and soothing qualities, this homemade lemon verbena tea is a delightful drink to unwind. Enjoy it hot as a calming evening ritual or as iced tea for a rejuvenating midday refreshment on a hot day.
Ever wondered how the leaves in your garden can be turned into herbal tea? Me too. This fragrant lemon verbena tea is the perfect starting point for those wanting to turn their herbs into a delicious beverage. With just a handful of fresh lemon verbena leaves and some boiling water, you can brew a cup that’s bursting with natural, citrusy flavour. Say goodbye to overpriced lemon verbena tea bags and hello to your own homemade brew.
Lemon verbena tea is one of those beverages that feels like a luxurious treat, yet it’s deeply rooted in traditional herbal remedies. Growing up, I knew of the herb and its lemony aroma, but rarely encountered it in the kitchen. But once I discovered the pleasure of making it from my own herbs, it quickly became a household favourite. The light, citrusy aroma is invigorating yet soothing, making it a perfect companion for any occasion.
Lemon verbena health benefits
Lemon verbena is one of those tasty herbs, people love to stop and smell. Its essential oils are in the leaves of lemon verbena, giving them a lovely flavour of lemon. It comes as no surprise that the sturdy shrub has become quite popular around the globe and is often found in people‘s backyards.
In terms of medicinal purposes, lemon verbena is often used as an all-rounder for anything relating to digestive system, muscle tension and nervous system in Western medicine. Eastern medicine extends its uses to kidney, liver and spleen. Do you see a pattern here? Most of it addresses the centre of your body, linking to our immune system.
Addressing mostly our centre, the zesty herb assists in reducing many modern world issues such as bloating stomach cramping, nausea, diarrhoea, or constipation. Some of us experience those being brought on by stress, others simply by having an imbalanced diet or other health issues. Thankfully, the lemon verbena herb benefits cover all of those.
Looking at our limbs, the use of lemon verbena leaves can help protect muscles, recover from injuries, help ease cramping and signs of arthritis. Additionally, the lemon verbena herb benefits reach from anti-inflammatory properties to those reducing insomnia. In a nutshell, it‘s one of those herbs you can‘t go wrong with.
Ingredients for this lemon verbena tea recipe
If you want to skip the dried lemon verbena tea bag, or simply can‘t find them, try this easy recipe using fresh herbs instead. All you need are:
Fresh lemon verbena leaves. I have my own plant growing in the backyard and use its leaves to make my cups of tea. I have it planted in a small pot and placed it in a sunny spot where it seems to thrive. From memory, the whole thing was fairly inexpensive and grew quite a lot during its first year. I haven’t really given it any special attention, only watered it regularly And placed it in a warm dry place with good ventilation. What I’m trying to say with this is, don’t shy away from adopting your own plant. A lot of time we overthink their needs.
Cups of water.
Optional: Honey or lemon to serve. To be honest, I enjoy my tea as is and haven’t seen the need to add anything to it. Saying this, I don’t usually add anything to my tea, regardless what flavour I’m drinking. No sugar, no milk, and only the occasional slice of lemon to a cup of Earl Grey. Next time you make a cuppa, keep your options open, but chances are you might not need any additions.
You may also need:
Teapot. I love my little glass teapot. There’s just something so cute and special about seeing them on the table. It always makes me want to bring out the cute cakes, vintage plates, silver forks and linen napkins. If you don‘t have a teapot, you can make this great recipe in a small saucepan instead.
Tea strainer or tea infuser. These are absolutely optional and only needed of you don’t want to fish out the leaves once your tea has brewed. As you can see in my pictures. I often just drop the leaves straight into my cup or teapot and pour hot water over them. If you’re doing this you might however want to give your leaves an extra rinse before using them.
How to brew your own lemon verbena tea
First thing’s first, let’s take a short trip into our garden. For each cup you’d like to brew, pick about 5 leaves of your lemon verbena plants. Choose more if you like strong flavours.
Give those leaves a quick wash to ensure no bugs make it into our tea cups. Then, boil the kettle.
While the water is heating, place your verbena leaves into a small tea strainer. Place the strainer into either a cup, or a pot, depending on how many serves you are preparing for.
Once the kettle has boiled, pour a cup of hot water per each 5 verbena leaves over the tea strainer. Let it sit for 10 minutes to give the leaves time to release their fragrant flavours.
Once brewed, discard the leaves. Serve your tea with honey or lemon and your favourite biscuit. Isn‘t this the best way to enjoy life?
Other recipes to help you unwind
If you love to unwind over a nourishing cup or bowl of goodness, try one of these recipes next:
Frequently asked questions
What are lemon verbena tea side effects?
Consumption of lemon verbena tea is mostly safe and there are very few resources available advising of confirmed side effects. The main issue to be aware of would be that of an allergic reaction. If you know to be allergic to lemon verbena, please do not consume its leaves in any form.
Excessively large doses are speculated to cause abnormalities in unborn babies, but these have been linked to huge quantities which far exceed the cup of tea we are talking about here. Similarly, excessive consumption may impact kidney function. Keeping consumption to a reasonable amount of a few weekly cups of tea is perfectly safe.
What does lemon verbena taste like?
Lemon verbena tea has a beautiful citrus flavour. It is not as strong as that of a lemon, but more aligned with the notes you experience sipping chamomile tea or a second or third flush of green tea. For a stronger aroma, use a larger amount of leaves and let the mixture brew for at least 10 minutes.
What is lemon verbena tea good for?
In Western medicine, lemon verbena is often used as an all-rounder for anything relating to stomach, muscles and nerves. Eastern medicine extends its uses to kidney, liver and spleen. Do you see a pattern here? Most of it addresses the centre of your body.
Addressing mostly our centre, the zesty herb assists in reducing many modern world issues such as bloating stomach cramping, nausea, diarrhoea, or constipation. Some of us experience those being brought on by stress, others simply by having an imbalanced diet or other health issues. Thankfully, the lemon verbena herb benefits cover all of those.
Looking at our limbs, the use of lemon verbena leaves can help protect muscles, recover from injuries, help ease cramping and signs of arthritis. Additionally, the lemon verbena herb benefits reach from anti-inflammatory properties to those reducing insomnia. In a nutshell, it‘s one of those herbs you can‘t go wrong with.
Does lemon verbena tea have caffeine?
Lemon verbena tea does not contain caffeine, no. Similar to other herbs such as sage and rosemary, verbena is a popular garden herb used in cooking. Its leaves can be brewed into tea, making it a great option for those avoiding caffeine. Lemon verbena tea can be brewed from fresh leaves. Its refreshing citrusy flavour is the ideal companion for breakfast. While the beverage is brewed hot, the chilled version is a great summer drink and a refreshing alternative to artificial soft drinks.
Homemade Lemon Verbena Tea
This homemade lemon verbena tea is a delightful way to unwind.
Ingredients
- 5 Fresh lemon verbena leaves
- 1 Cup boiling water
- Optional: Honey or lemon to serve
Instructions
- First thing’s first, let’s take a short trip into our garden. For each cup you’d like to brew, pick about 5 leaves of your lemon verbena plants. Choose more if you like strong flavours.
- Give those leaves a quick wash to ensure no bugs make it into our tea cups. Then, boil the kettle.
- While the water is heating, place your verbena leaves into a small tea strainer. Place the strainer into either a cup, or a pot, depending on how many serves you are preparing for.
- Once the kettle has boiled, pour a cup of hot water per each 5 verbena leaves over the tea strainer. Let it sit for 10 minutes to give the leaves time to release their fragrant flavours.
- Once brewed, discard the leaves. Serve your tea with honey or lemon and your favourite biscuit.
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