9 Earth-Body-Soul: How to Make Sun Tea With Echinacea and Dill
“The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician. Therefore the physician must start from nature, with an open mind.”
Daily Word of Intention
Healing
Centering Thought
My strength and my stillness within harmonize - I find I have all that I need.
Questions
<What’s your favorite way to drink tea?
Do you like tea parties?
Do you agree in the unifying nature of tea?
Gratitude:
I am so thankful for my ability to take care of myself. I am thankful for water. I am thankful for the sun. I am thankful for beautiful edible flowers. I am thankful for restorative herbs. I gives thanks for this tea today. I am thankful that I give myself exactly what I need today to find balance and achieve healing in body, mind, and soul.
Recipe:
A bit of organic echinacea and a bit of organic dill steeped in filtered water in a clean GLASS jar for 3 to 4 hours.
Enjoy!
Let’s Have Tea Together - Shall We?
I awoke this morning with the bleep on my phone: my husband was replying to our son in our group chat. The room was very dark. Outside my window, the moon was shining. Beautiful. Rare for me, I didn’t sleep too well in the night, Also rare, it was after 5! I usually get up a 4 in the mornings. And - another rarity - I was suffering - a headache.
I used to get headaches for days. Now I usually do not get them at all. I think it must have been over a year since the last one I had. Not sure what triggered this one. I think it is telling me to slow down and rest. And that’s exactly what I am doing today. Well - resting, and working on this blog!
Are you drinking tea at the moment? If not, by all means, go and put your kettle on. Or if the sun is up and shining, use the recipe I’m suggesting in this blog and prepare yourself some sun tea. Sip slowly, breathe deeply, and digest with joy knowing about all the benefits you are gleaning from this cup (or jar) of herbal tea! Umm - lovely isn’t it?
I sip, and envision my body restoring balance. I sip and feel the pain melting away. I sip again, and think about these plants that I have studied this week that are now blending in this tea that I drink. Like the echinacea, I am strength and heath. Like the dill, I am stillness. I hope if you are suffering in any way, that you are able to slow down and give your body the time and space and all of the nutrients and care it needs to balance and heal. I hope this week you will enjoy your strength and your stillness, and will honor both: your forward moving, active soul and your retreating restful, passive one. Well, thank you for joining me - if it’s just for this little time - peace for now - and remember to stay CHARMED.
Tips for making sun tea:
Fill a clean glass jar with water. Do not use plastic. Plastic has toxins that would leech out into your water with the heat of the sun. Use glass, very important. Also do make sure your class is very clean.
It’s easy to make a large batch of tea and drink throughout the day - or, like I did in this video, just make a single serving and drink it as part of a self care ritual.
No matter the temperature, the nutrients will infuse into the water. Because it extracts the flavor quickly, many tea-drinkers boil water. However, with time, water at a lower temperature can achieve the same results. Even without the sun in the fridge overnight will work, if you would like a cold brew waiting for you fresh as you start your new day.
If you would rather use store bought or have already dried your herbs and have tea bags or some other straining method, use 2 tea bags for every 8 oz of water or the equivalent in loose-leaf tea.
If you choose to use the sun to heat it up, let sit 2 to 4 hours if using the dried hers, or 4 to 6 hours if using fresh, or until it reaches desired strength.
Use my suggestion of coreopsis with lavender or choose a blend of your own. I like herbal blends, but you may want some caffeine.
Add slices of organic lemon or lime for a nice finish. Drink warm or pour over ice.
Enjoy - enjoy the process of making it, and the act of drinking it.