“Hello, my name is Wendell, and I’m a tea-a-holic”. A hot cup of an assortment of delightfully delicious, medicinal, herbal, steeped teas has become my constant companion once I experienced their ancient health-creating and sustaining benefits.
 
     Regarded for eons in the East as a key to good health, happiness, and wisdom, steeped leaves, sticks, roots, and herbs have captured the attention of researchers in the West, who are realizing the numerous health benefits of different types of the brewed beverages of our ancestors. Not just a hip trend, but these ancient healing tools are re-entering our modern culture as more beautiful soils are returning to nature’s original apothecary.
 
     Recently while watching Outlander and The Good Witch, it struck me that herbal teas have been used for centuries as healers’ tools. The University of Minnesota explains, “It’s likely that humans have used plants as medicine for as long as we have existed. Archeological excavations dated as early as 60,000 years ago have found remains of medicinal plants, such as opium poppies, ephedra, and cannabis.

     What this teacup-toting writer is talking about is much more than green and black teas. Through the lens of my research, steeped tea can be from herbs, roots, sticks, leaves, and mushrooms too. There’s tulsi (holy basil), oolong, antioxidant chai, chamomile, spearmint, stinging nettle, lemon balm, hibiscus, rooibos, ginger, sage, echinacea, dandelion, echinacea, lion’s mane and reiki mushroom tea, and the list goes on and on. For consuming instant or bottled tea, one deserves a good flogging with a used tea bag. Nutritionists agree any tea is good tea, still, they prefer brewed teas over bottled to avoid the extra empty, non-nutritive calories, inflammatory sugar, dubious artificial sweeteners, flavors, and coloring.

     Green tea has been used for ages in traditional Chinese medicine for its therapeutic values. Healthlinne.com states green tea may improve brain function, increases fat burning, contains antioxidants that may lower the risk of some cancers, protect the brain from aging, treat bad breath, prevent type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. According to Food & Function, black and green tea may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke by 10% to 20%.  Drinking more than four cups of green tea can also speed-bump cancer growth.
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     Chamomile tea is known for its calming effects and frequently used as a sleep aid. PubMed reports peppermint tea supports digestive tract health and has antioxidant, anticancer, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. Ginger tea fights inflammation, stimulates the immune system, and is effective for relieving nausea caused by cancer treatments and motion sickness.

     Hibiscus tea, one of my favorites, may help lower high blood pressure and fight oxidative stress. However, it shouldn’t be taken with a certain diuretic medication or at the same time as aspirin. Several NIH studies found sage tea improves cognitive function and memory and may benefit colon and heart health.
Rose hip tea. made from the fruit of the rose plant is high in vitamin C and anti-inflammatory plant compounds. Several studies have investigated the ability of rose hip powder to reduce inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

     The leaves stems and flowers of the passionflower plant are traditionally used to relieve anxiety and improve sleep, and studies have begun to support these uses. For example, one study found that drinking passionflower tea for one week significantly improved sleep quality. Therapeutic uses of holy basil herbal tea or tincture, or essential oil are to help skin, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and joint conditions.

     WebMD shares that research on holy basil (tulsi) supports potential health benefits which include reduction of respiratory issues, stress and anxiety regulation, and improved dental health. Holy basil contains bioactive compounds like eugenol, camphene, cineole, and camphor that may help to open your airways and improve breathing. These compounds may also have antimicrobial and antiviral activities that help reduce the duration of common cold and flu symptoms. 

     Many mainstream pre-bagged teas contain ingredients the health-conscious need to be aware of before their next purchase. Be mindful, most major brands use chemicals to bleach the bags, and the leaves very well could have been be sprayed with carcinogenic pesticides. Read labels, preform due diligence, and ask questions. Organic free trade, non-GMO is a safe bet.

     When I’m cold, a brewed tea warms my weary bones; if I’m sad, it uplifts me, and when strazzled, tea comforts me; moves my soul; a stand-up celebration of simplicity. Japanese culture describes preparing tea as a meditative ceremony of pouring all one's attention into a predefined, patient method.
In modern times, it might befit us returning to nature’s generous apothecary of medicinal, steeped medicinal leaves, sticks and roots and become happy, healthy tea-a-holics.
 
 
 

​             A ‘shroom boom is transpiring, suggesting the fungus among us is substantially more
than delightful food. Not so much for medicine, we’ve been eating earthy mushrooms on
pizza and burgers, in Asian food, soups, risotto, stir-fries, and gourmet foods most of
our lives.
            Today, what our ancestors used as medicine for thousands of years, an array of mushrooms is showing up in coffee, supplements, mushroom broths, tinctures, skin care, and chocolate.
            The fleshy, fruiting, spore-bearing body of a fungus, mushrooms moved to land at about the same time as plants, about 460 million years ago. Fossils of land fungi date to almost 400 million years ago. For many millennia, mushrooms have played an important role in human history as food, poison, medicine, in folklore, legends and religion. Ancient Egypt hieroglyphs indicate mushrooms were being consumed with meals 4,500 years ago. The Greek physician Hippocrates classified the amadou mushroom as a potent anti-inflammatory.
            Mushrooms, grown in nutrient-rich compost, are undeniably engineering masterpieces of mother nature’s benevolent cupboard and contain some of the most potent natural medicines on the planet. The overnight appearance of the fruit body is wondrous, with the rise of millions of pre-formed cells extending the stem, pushing warm earth aside, and unfolding the cap.
            Abundant fungi, not a vegetable, are responsible for life on land as we know it. Their activities are essential for the operation of planet earth. From helping plants colonize terrestrial earth to treating human disease, fungi were some of the first complex life forms on land, mining rocks for mineral nourishment, slowly turning them into what would become soil. To support everything is connected, the human gastrointestinal tract, microbiome, is host to immense populations of microorganisms including fungi, bacteria, viruses, single-cell organisms.
            Only the commonly available white button variety have been popular, but there are many edible varieties: oyster, shiitake, reishi, portobellos, beech, chaga, Lion’s Mane, cremini, cordyceps, turkey tail, porcini, chanterelles, ceps, maitake, chicken of the woods, enoki, chestnut, Ganoderma, morel, truffles, “magical” psilocybin mushrooms, and more.
            Mushrooms are considered as the best alternative for meat as they are high in fiber, protein, low in fat, and cholesterol free. Mushrooms provide many of the same nutritional benefits as vegetables, meat, beans, and grains, and have virtually no fat or cholesterol. Mushrooms exposed to UV radiation synthesize vitamin D2, making mushrooms the only known non-animal source of dietary vitamin D.
            The Mushroom Council explains, “Mushrooms are the leading source of the antioxidant selenium that protects body cells from damage that might lead to chronic diseases and help to strengthen the immune system.” In the pandemic era, shiitake also supports immune health as they are rich in polysaccharides like lentinans and other beta-glucans, according to WebMD. Scientists at City of Hope discovered mushrooms could suppress growth of breast cancer and prostate cancer cells in cell cultures and in animals.
            The Mushroom Council states toadstools possess B-vitamins, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, selenium, copper, soluble fiber beta glucan, which scientists say boosts immune function. A single portabella mushroom can contain more potassium than a banana. Additionally, wcmushrooms.com says mushrooms provide ergothioneine, a naturally occurring antioxidant that may help protect the body’s cells.
            As a defense against bacterial invasion, fungi have developed strong antibodies, which also happen to be effective for us humans. Penicillin, streptomycin, and tetracycline all come from fungal extracts.
            Regarding Lion’s Mane, NIH research reveals, “The evidence so far has shown that Lion’s Mane, enriched with its active compounds, can delay neuronal cell death in rats with neurodegenerative diseases, such as ischemic stroke, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and depression. I regularly consume Lion’s Mane for cognition and can validate its cognitive-enhancing benefits.
            Certain mushrooms may improve human skin conditions, including acne, redness, and eczema, Dr. Gary Goldfaden told Women’s Health in a 2019 interview. The reason is because they contain antioxidants and vitamin D, both "work to protect the skin against environmental stresses, discoloration and fine lines," Goldfaden said.
            No longer stigmatized, Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research is focusing on how psychedelic mushrooms affect behavior, mood, cognition, brain function, and biological markers of health to determine the effectiveness of psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient, as a new therapy for opioid addiction, Alzheimer's, PTSD, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, anorexia nervosa and alcohol use in people with major depression.
            In understanding the enduring positive effects of psilocybin, Johns Hopkins asserts, “Our research has demonstrated therapeutic effects in people who suffer a range of challenging conditions including addiction (smoking, alcohol, other drugs of abuse), existential distress caused by life-threatening disease, and treatment-resistant depression.” Illegal in most states, Wikipedia says the movement to decriminalize psilocybin in the U.S. began in the late 2010s.
            Clearly, we cannot go wrong exploring the extensive world of edible mushrooms in different recipes. The revival of nourishing, edible mushrooms can please taste buds while delivering one of earth’s original plant medicines.