Herbal tea

Herbal teas—less commonly called tisanes (UK and US /tɪˈzæn/, US also /tɪˈzɑːn/)—are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Perhaps some of the most known tisanes are actual, true teas (e.g., black, green, white, yellow, oolong), which are prepared from the cured leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Besides coffee and true teas (they are also available decaffeinated), most other tisanes do not contain caffeine.This retail mixture contains rooibos, coconut, ginger, cinnamon, apple, cardamom, black pepper and almond.Dried elderberries ready to be steeped into teaCoffee blossom teaApple, rose hips, orange zest, papaya, peppermint, liquorice root, lemon grass, cinnamon, blackcurrants, rose and mallow blossoms.A bottled herbal tea made from ginseng.A close-up of a rooibos blend in a tea bag being steeped. Herbal teas—less commonly called tisanes (UK and US /tɪˈzæn/, US also /tɪˈzɑːn/)—are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Perhaps some of the most known tisanes are actual, true teas (e.g., black, green, white, yellow, oolong), which are prepared from the cured leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Besides coffee and true teas (they are also available decaffeinated), most other tisanes do not contain caffeine. Some feel that the term tisane is more correct than herbal tea or that the latter is even misleading, but most dictionaries record that the word tea is also used to refer to other plants beside the tea plant and to beverages made from these other plants. In any case, the term herbal tea is very well established and much more common than tisane. The word tisane was rare in its modern sense before the 20th century, when it was borrowed in the modern sense from French. (This is why some people feel it should be pronounced /tɪˈzɑːn/ as in French, but the original English pronunciation /tɪˈzæn/ continues to be more common in US English and especially in UK English). The word had already existed in late Middle English in the sense of 'medicinal drink' and had already been borrowed from French (Old French). The Old French word came from the Latin word ptisana, which came from the Ancient Greek word πτισάνη (ptisánē), which meant 'peeled' barley, in other words pearl barley, and a drink made from this that is similar to modern barley water. While most herbal teas are safe for regular consumption, some herbs have toxic or allergenic effects. Among the greatest causes of concern are: Herbal teas can also have different effects from person to person, and this is further compounded by the problem of potential misidentification. The deadly foxglove, for example, can be mistaken for the much more benign (but still relatively toxic to the liver) comfrey.