Summer herbs and a tea recipe from Angela Locklear-Queen
Teas are a great way to incorporate herbs into your daily ritual for health and wellness. Meet Angela Locklear-Queen, herbalist, author, and member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.
“Our Indigeneity is the foundation of all my work as an herbalist, educator, and marketer,” says Angela. “I was drawn to plant medicine nearly 20 years ago to connect with my identity as a Native American, and what I experienced was healing that went far beyond what I expected into the realms of ancestral and generational healing.”
During that time, she learned how to grow medicinal plants, the art of wildcrafting, and how to create herbal remedies to support physical and emotional health.
“Since my journey with plants started, I’ve created and recreated an herbal tea brand currently under the name Elemental Herbal Teas, authored a book titled ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Native American Herbal Medicine,’ and created a platform on social media to educate, inspire, and increase awareness of the lack of representation of Indigenous herbalists in wellness spaces, as well as create conscious-driven marketing options that push against cultural appropriation.”
Keep reading as Angela tells us what herbs are best for the season and gives us a tasty recipe.
Seasonal herbs to incorporate and why
Summertime calls for herbs that are cooling and hydrating, plants that calm the fire energy (but doesn’t smother it), and ones that contain elements of water energy. The following are six plant allies I can’t go without over the summer:
Marshmallow Root: This root’s supportive actions for summer are as simple as it is in “plain Jane” looks. Pale, white, and scraggly, marshmallow root holds on and increases water within the cells making it a more than ideal herb for summer infusions.
Tulsi aka Holy Basil: In the traditional Hindu system of medicine known as Ayurveda, tulsi is a plant that has been held in high esteem for more than 3,000 years due to its ability to increase longevity, decrease stress levels, help to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, nourish the mind, and elevate the spirit. Considered an adaptogen, tulsi helps the body adapt to internal and external stressors like the summer heat. Additionally, its flavor notes of sweet licorice increase saliva and offset the desire to over-indulge.
Catmint: I just love the Wrigley juicy-fruit scent and flavor of this herb that abundantly grows throughout summer. Infused fresh in water it adds just enough flavor and offsets digestive discomfort.
Chamomile: Most of us are aware of chamomile’s ability to calm the nervous system and relax the spirit. Simply, sharing space with this plant can offer a feeling of serenity and while that may not always be an option a cold glass of chamomile tea can quell the up-tights and make for a more leisurely summer day.
Rose Petals: I’m heavily influenced by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and elemental medicine (hence Elemental Herbal Teas), and in TCM the summer months are represented by the element of fire, which is connected to the heart. Roses are medicine for the heart. Rose petals cool the body, tone tissues, heal from overwork, and connect the emotional heart to the physical body.
Cinnamon: I mostly include cinnamon in my summer plant arsenal because it complements the other herbs so well, especially in the recipe I’ve shared below. Cinnamon is known for its ability to regulate blood sugar which can be a great benefit when meals are put off during summer busyness. Additionally, cinnamon possesses potent antioxidant properties that help protect the body against oxidative stress and inflammation.
Which one of your herbal blends do you recommend for the summer?
Balance the energy of fire with the other energetics of earth, water, and air. This you can access from an iced glass of Elemental’s Summer Solstice Herbal Tea. Energetically blended to be grounding, calming, and nourishing Summer Solstice is of course my summer herbal tea suggestion.
What’s a good summer iced tea recipe for the season?
This is a recipe from the book. This recipe can also become the base for other herbal lemonade recipes, for example, you could switch out the elderflowers in the simple syrup portion for hibiscus flowers, or you could change out the three cups cold water from the lemonade ingredients with an herbal tea like Elemental Herbal Tea’s Luscious Strawberry.
Elderflower Lemonade - Makes 2 cups
Prep time: 40 minutes
Even delicious tasting beverages can be healthy. Creating herbal infused lemonades in the summer is fun and educational for the whole family. Elderflowers are usually blooming mid- to late-June just in time for summer temperatures to rise and your desire for thirst-quenching beverages to shoot up. If you have the availability to harvest fresh elderflowers, it adds to excitement of creating elderflower lemonade but if not, dried flowers impart just as beautiful of a flavor.
Elderflowers and lemons are a source of bioflavonoids, antioxidants and vitamin C all working together to ward off seasonal allergies, colds and flus and inflammation. Additionally, elderflower is a diuretic, effectively flushing the kidneys. Mint is also a welcome addition to this floral lemonade.
Simple Syrup ingredients:
1 cup dried elderflowers, 2 cups fresh
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
1 lemon, sliced
Supplies:
Small saucepan
Metal sieve
Pitcher
Simple Syrup instructions:
Place water and dried elderflowers and lemon in a saucepan, bring to a boil.
Remove from heat, cover, and allow to infuse 20-30 minutes.
Strain spent flowers from infusion and return infusion to saucepan.
Add in sugar, and simmer on medium-low heat until reduced by half.
Remove from the heat and start lemonade.
Lemonade ingredients:
3 cups cold water
1 cup lemon juice, fresh or bottled
½- 1 cup, elderflower simple syrup recipe
Lemonade instructions:
Pour all ingredients, simply syrup to taste in a large pitcher and stir well.
Chill for 30-60 minutes, serve over ice.