Echinacea Elder

Echinacea Elder is made by Traditional Medicinals.

Flavor: I've been drinking teas with caffeine in them lately, so this tea seems very mild in comparison. However, it has a great flavor. It starts out with a sort of warm nutty flavor, followed by a somewhat cooling, almost minty aftertaste.

Suggested Additions: While waiting for the tea to steep, I peeled and ate a clementine. The mood struck me to squeeze the citrus oil out of the skin and squirt it into the tea. So, in addition to the two flavors mentioned above, the initial flavor my tea starts with on taking a sip is that citrus taste. If you like a sweeter tea, honey would make a nice addition, however I don't find it necessary. Traditional Medicinals makes sure their teas taste good in addition to being good for you. There are some herbs added to their tea blends that may have health benefits unrelated to the specific intent of that tea but are added because of their taste over anything else.

Ingredients: Echinacea purpurea (herb and root), European elder (flower and fruit), ginger, chamomile, yarrow, peppermint.

Purpose: For one thing, it just tastes good. It is a good and healthy way to enjoy your morning. The reason I am taking it this morning is because I am feeling somewhat run down, and want to give my immune system a gentle boost, without taking bigger steps like herbal tinctures, supercritical extract pills, and all that stuff. There are some who say tea does nothing and that you should always take the herbs in solid form, but I have found that if I believe I am helping my body out, my body will take that step with or without an herbal aid. I don't care whether it is a placebo effect or not, what matters to me is that my body stays healthy.